Reading Practice
Termite Mounds
Could the vast towers of mud constructed by insects in sub-Saharan
Africa hold the key to our energy-efficient building of the future?
A.
To most of us, termites are destructive
insects which can cause damage on a devastating scale. But according to Dr
Rupert Soar of Loughborough University’s School of Mechanical and Manufacturing
Engineering, these pests may serve a useful purpose for us after all. His
multi-disciplinary team of British and American engineers and biologists have
set out to investigate the giant mounds built by termites in Namibia, in
sub-Saharan Africa, as part of the most extensive study of these structures
ever taken.
B.
Termite mounds are impressive for their size
alone; typically they are three metres high,and some as tall as eight metres by
found. They also reach far into the earth, where the insects ‘mine’ their
building materials, carefully selecting each grain of sand they use. The
termite's nest is contained in the central cavity of the mound, safely
protected from the harsh environment outside. The mound itself is formed of an
intricate lattice of tunnels, which spilt into smaller and smaller tunnels,
much like a person’s blood vessels.
C.
This complex system of tunnels draws in air
from the outside, capturing wind energy todrive it through the mound. It also
serves to expel spent respiratory gases from the nest to prevent the termites
from suffocating, so ensuring them a continuous provision of fresh, breathable
air. So detailed is the design that the nest stays within three degrees of a
constant temperature, despite variations on the outside of up to 50o C, from
blistering heat in the daytime to below freezing on the coldest nights. The
mound also automatically regulates moisture in the air, by means of best its
underground ‘cellar’, and evaporation from the top of the mound. Some colonies
even had ‘chimneys’ at a height of 20m to control moisture less in the hottest regions
of sub-Saharan Africa.
D.
Furthermore, the termites have evolved in
such a way as to outsource some of theirbiological functions. Part of their
digestive process in camera out by a fungus, which they ‘farm’ inside the
mound. This fungus, which is found nowhere else on earth, thrives in the
constant and optimum environment of the mound. The termites feed the fungus
with slightly chewed wood pulp, which the fungus then breaks down into a
digestible sugary food to provide the insects with energy, and cellulose which
they use for building. And, although the termites must generate waste, none
ever leaves the structure, indicating that there is also some kind of internal
waste-recycling system.
E.
Scientists are so excited by the mounds that
they have labelled them a ‘super organism’because, in Soar’s word. “They dance
on the edge of what we would perceive to cool down, or if you’re too cold you
need to thrive: that’s called homeostasis. What the termites have done is to
move homeostatic function away from their body, into the structure in which
they live. ‘As more information comes to light about the unique features of
termite mounds, we may ultimately need to redefine our understanding of what
constitutes a ‘living’ organism.
F.
To reveal the structure of the mounds,
Soar’s team begins by filling and covering theirplaster of Paris, a chalky
white paste based on the mineral gypsum, which becomes rocksolid when dry. The
researcher's hen carves the plaster of Paris into half-millimatre-thick slices,
and photograph them sequentially. Once the pictures are digitally scanned,
computer technology is able to recreate complex three-dimensional images of the
mounds. These models have enabled the team to map termite architecture at a
level of detail never before attained.
G.
Soar hopes that the models will explain how
termite mounds create a self-regulatingliving environment which manages to
respond to changing internal and external conditions without drawing on any
outside source of power. If they do, the findings could be invaluable in
informing future architectural design, and could inspire buildings that are
self-sufficient, environmentally, and cheap to run. ‘As we approach a world of
climate change, we need temperatures to rise, he explains, there will not be
enough fuel to drive air conditioners around the world. It is hoped, says Soar,
‘ that the findings will provide clues that aid the ultimate development of new
kinds of human habitats, suitable for a variety of arid, hostile environments
not only on the earth but maybe one day on the moon and beyond.’
QUESTIONS 1-7
Reading Passage 3 has seven paragraphs A-G.
Choose the correct heading for each paragraph from the list of headings
below.
Write the correct number, i-ix, in boxes 1-7 on your answer sheet.
List of heading i
methods used to investigate termite mound formation ii
challenging our assumptions about the nature of life iii
reconsidering the termite’s reputation
iv principal functions of the
termite mound v distribution of termite mounds in
sub-Saharan Africa vi some potential benefits of understanding
termite architecture vii the astonishing physical dimensions of the
termite mound viii termite mounds under threat from global
climate change ix a mutually beneficial relationship
1..................... Paragraph A
2..................... Paragraph B
3..................... Paragraph C
4..................... Paragraph D
5..................... Paragraph E
6..................... Paragraph F
7..................... Paragraph G
QUESTIONS 8-11
Label the diagram below.
Choose ONE WORD ONLY from
the passage for each answer.
Write your answers in boxes 8-11 on your answer sheet.
-network of 8.....................
helps to give the termites a constant
-9.....................
supply and to maintain a limited temperature range -cellar to aid control of 10..................... levels in mound
-top of the mound permits 11.....................
QUESTIONS 12-14
Do the following statements agree with the
claims of the writer in Reading Passage? In boxes 12-14 on your sheet, write
YES if the statement agrees
with the claims of the writer
NO if the statement contradicts
with the claims of the writer
NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the
writer thinks about this
12.....................
The termite mound appears to process its refuse material internally.
13..................... Dr Soar’s reconstruction involves scanning a
single photograph of a complete mound into acomputer.
14..................... New information about termite architecture
could help people deal with future energy crises.
Solution:
1. iii 8. TUNNELS
2. vii 9. AIR
3. iv 10. MOISTURE
4. ix 11. EVAPORATION
5. ii 12. YES
6. i 13. NO
7. vi 14. NOT
GIVEN
PASSWORD: 14MAYINDIA
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