000 BIRDS AND MAMMALS.LOCAL FARMERS HAVE LIVED OFF THIS RICH AND DIV...

2,000 birds and mammals.Local farmers have lived off this rich and diverse land for thousands of years. Theyhave been able to find food and water here without destroying the land. The Kayapo peopleof Brazil farm in an environmentally-friendly way. Instead of chemicals, they use burnedwood to enrich the soil, and plant banana trees, which attract wasps. These wasps then feedon leafcutter ants and get rid of these harmful insects. The rainforest also offers a lot oftropical fruits, such as bananas and coconuts, as food. Cinnamon is made from the bark of arainforest tree. Amazonian Indians use the fruit and stem of the Buruti plant as a drink, tomake bread and to build houses. Many other plants are used as medicine.But the Amazon rainforest is in very big danger of disappearing. 9,169 square miles offorest have been cut down in 2003 in Brazil alone. Trees take in poisonous carbon dioxidefrom the air and give off oxygen. There is more oxygen and less carbon dioxide around arainforest. When trees are cut down, however, the amount of carbon dioxide increases andthe air gets warmer. This leads to global warming, which is extremely harmful to theenvironment. It is estimated that the burning of Brazilian rainforests alone produces 200million metric tons of carbon dioxide a year.Another danger connected with destroying the rainforest is the disappearance of plantsand animals. When trees are cut down, plants and animals have no more food left and slowlydie out. Killing wild animals is illegal in Brazil, but there is plenty of stealing going on. 38million animals are stolen and sold illegally each year. The most hunted animals are birds,especially parrots, followed by snakes and the jaguar.(Adapted from Longman Essence Reading Series)Question 43: What is the passage mainly about?A. The preservation of Amazon forest B. Facts about Amazon rainforestC. Destruction of Amazon rainforest D. Importance of Amazon rainforestQuestion 44 : Which of the following is TRUE about the Amazon rainforest?A. Its overall number of animals is 2.5 million.B. It covers approximately six percent of the world.C. The rainfall in the forest is low.D. It is a habitat for many reptiles and plants.Question 45: The word "basin" in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to _______A. water mouth B. water clockC. watershed D. water-bearerQuestion 46 : Look at the end of paragraph 1. What does the author refer to when he says“rich and diverse land” at the beginning of paragraph 2?A. 400 types of insects in the Amazon rainforestB. 2,000 birds and mammals in the Amazon rainforestC. The many different kinds of plants growing in the Amazon rainforestD.The large variety of Amazonian plants and animalsQuestion 47: Why does the author says that “people of Brazil farm in an environmentallyfriendly way” in paragraph 3 ?A. They do not poison the soil when farming.B. They use natural chemicals to make the soil rich.C. They plant and don’t cut down banana trees.D. They do not kill insects even if they are harmful.Question 48 : Which rainforest plant has more than one use?A. The banana B. The coconutC. Cinnamon D. The Buruti plantQuestion 49: What does “This” in paragraph 3 refer to?A. the effect of deforestation B. the amount of oxygen in the areaC. the plantation of trees D. the burning of the rainforestQuestion 50: What is the biggest problem related to the disappearance of the rainforest?A. Global warming B. Poisoning the airC. Burning the field D. Cutting down trees