|
|
Read the following passages carefully and then fill
in the blanks with one correct or best
answer. |
|
Amazon River |
|
The Amazon River basin is a vast expanse, covering
parts of eight ___1___
in South America. It is made up of varied types of
environments that are ___2___
to thousands of species of animals and plants. The
Amazon basin has not only rainforests, but flooded
forests as ___3___.
Every year, the Amazon River and its tributaries ___4___
their banks and flood nearly 116,000 square miles of
forests. The region's streams and rivers ___5___
20 per cent of the earth's fresh water.
The freshwater ecosystems host an extraordinary
seasonal migration of aquatic and terrestrial
animals in and ___6___
of the flooded forests. These flooded forests and
freshwater ecosystems of the Amazon contain several
species ___7___
nowhere else on earth. Among them are two fishes
that are highly prized for human consumption: a
fruit-eating fish called the tambaqui, and the
pirarucz, the largest scaled freshwater fish in the ___8___.
In these flooded forests are giant kapok ___9___,
which have become the forests' symbols, and the
virola, an important timber species which, like
mahogany, is threatened with ___10___
from overexploitation.
The flooded forest areas have come under threat
in ___11___
years. For many years, these areas were relatively
sparsely ___12___,
compared to other parts of the Amazon. All that
changed as migrants from the overpopulated and
resource-depleted highlands of Bolivia and Peru ___13___
to the Amazon region. Forests were ___14___
into farmland. A network of roads constructed to
allow access to timber, ore, oil an gas has also
made it ___15___
for people to reach this remote area. |
|
Sponsored Links
|
Answers |
|
The Amazon River basin is a vast expanse, covering parts of
eight countries in South
America. It is made up of varied types of environments that are
home to thousands of species
of animals and plants. The Amazon basin has not only
rainforests, but flooded forests as
well. Every year, the Amazon River and its
tributaries overflow their
banks and flood nearly 116,000 square miles of forests. The
region's streams and rivers contain
20 per cent of the earth's fresh water.
The freshwater ecosystems host an extraordinary seasonal
migration of aquatic and terrestrial animals in and
out of the flooded forests.
These flooded forests and freshwater ecosystems of the Amazon
contain several species found/seen
nowhere else on earth. Among them are two fishes that are highly
prized for human consumption: a fruit-eating fish called the
tambaqui, and the pirarucz, the largest scaled freshwater fish
in the world.
In these flooded forests are giant kapok
trees, which have become the
forests' symbols, and the virola, an important timber species
which, like mahogany, is threatened with
extinction from overexploitation.
The flooded forest areas have come under threat in
recent years. For many
years, these areas were relatively sparsely
populated, compared to other
parts of the Amazon. All that changed as migrants from the
overpopulated and resource-depleted highlands of Bolivia and
Peru moved/traveled to the
Amazon region. Forests were converted
into farmland. A network of roads constructed to allow access to
timber, ore, oil an gas has also made it
easier for people to reach this remote area. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|