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Read the following passages carefully and then fill
in the blanks with one correct or best
answer. |
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The coot is a waterbird that is completely black
except for the white patch on the front of ___1___
head, the white beak and grey-green legs. ___2___
narrow whitish wing-bar shows in flight. Its toes ___3___
long and broad but are not webbed. ___4___ the
moorhen, the coot prefers open water and ___5___
rarely found on small ponds and streams. It ___6___
the company of other coots and of ducks, ___7___
in the winter, coots may gather in enormous ___8___
on big lakes, reservoirs and, sometimes, on the ___9___
coast. They seldom fly, except to reach another
piece ___10___
water. The coot often feeds on land but is ___11___
at home there than the moorhen. Mostly it dives ___12___
waterweeds, with an occasional insect or fish for
variety. ___13___
the spring, the coots reproduce. The large raised ___14___
are frequently built of dead stems among the ___15___
at the edge of the lake. Six ___16___
nine stone-colored eggs with brown spots may be ___17___
from the middle of March onwards. The young which ___18___
to swim three or four days after
___19___ hatch
are covered with black down tipped with
reddish-orange ___20___
the chin and neck. The coot is not only found in
Europe but there are also coots of one kind or
another in Asia, Australia, Africa and America. |
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| Answers |
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The coot is a waterbird that is completely black except for the
white patch on the front of the
head, the white beak and grey-green legs.
A narrow whitish wing-bar shows in flight. Its
toes are long and broad but
are not webbed. Unlike the
moorhen, the coot prefers open water and
is rarely found on small ponds and streams. It
likes the company of other
coots and of ducks, and in
the winter, coots may gather in enormous
flocks on big lakes, reservoirs and, sometimes, on
the sea coast. They seldom
fly, except to reach another piece of
water. The coot often feeds on land but is
less at home there than the moorhen. Mostly it
dives for waterweeds, with
an occasional insect or fish for variety.
In the spring, the coots
reproduce. The large raised nests
are frequently built of dead stems among the
plants at the edge of the
lake. Six to nine
stone-colored eggs with brown spots may be
found from the middle of March onwards. The young
which starts to swim three
or four days after they
hatch are covered with black down tipped with reddish-orange
on the chin and neck. The
coot is not only found in Europe but there are also coots of one
kind or another in Asia, Australia, Africa and America. |
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