Many people fear the small flying animals called bats. There are stories about bats attacking people and drinking human blood. However, bats are not dangerous. In fact, they are an important part of our environment. Bats are mammals, just like humans. There are about one thousand different kinds of bats in the world. Some weigh less than ten grams. Yet the largest bats are almost two meters long when their wings are extended.
Most people think bats are rare. That is because they hide during the day and are active only at night. However, bats can be found in almost every part of the world.
Not all bats spend their days underground in dark caves. Some rest in trees or other places that keep them safe from attack and changes in weather. Unlike other animals, their bodies are designed to hang upside down. This is the best position for them to take flight suddenly.
Bats are the only mammals that can really fly. Their wing structure, bones and muscles help them to move quickly. This helps bats in their search for food.
Most bats eat insects. Bats provide one of the most effective controls on insect populations. A single, small, brown bat can catch more than one thousand insects in just one hour. Twenty million bats live in Bracken Cave in the western American state of Texas. They eat about two hundred tons of insects every night.
Some bats eat fruit. Other bats like to eat pollen on plants. They help to make new plants by spreading pollen from flower to flower. A few bats eat meat. They catch small frogs, birds or fish.
No report about bats is complete without a discussion of vampire bats. Three kinds of vampire bats feed on blood. They live in parts of Central and South America. These bats feed mainly on the blood of birds, farm animals and wild animals. They rarely attack people. The bats bite their victims and drink the blood, usually while the animal is sleeping. The harm from such bites comes not from the amount of blood lost, but from any resulting infection.
Source: The VOA Special English Science Report
READING COMPREHENSION
You are going to read an extract about bats. Choose the correct option A, B, or C for each of the sentences 1 - 10. Only ONE option is correct.
1 According to the text, bats are …
A disliked
B in danger
C necessary
2 Bats can be very …
A light
B heavy
C intelligent
3 The text says that bats are …
A difficult to find
B very strange animals
C present almost everywhere
4 Bats sleep in …
A the dark
B sheltered places
C parks and caves
5 The way they hang is useful because it means they can …
A see predators coming
B keep warm in cold weather
C fly off quickly in case of danger
6 Their body structure helps them to …
A look for things to eat
B look for a place to sleep
C prevent dangerous situations
7 Bats can …
A help plants to grow
B attack large animals
C be dangerous to the environment
8 Blood-drinking bats …
A live in specific areas
B are growing in numbers
C are extremely dangerous
9 Vampire bats … attack people.
A tend to
B should never
C can sometimes
10 The text explains that bats’ victims …
A always die
B are not usually awake
C may be affected for the rest of their lives
ANSWER KEY
1. C
2. A
3. C
4. B
5. C
6. A
7. A
8. A
9. C
10.B
+EXÁMENES RESUELTOS
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