M1-2 Reading for Science Midterm

2025-2 Midterm

A1-A2 Reading Practice: Comprehensive ---text Passage 1: Food Safety Many people throw away food because of the dates on the labels. They think the food is bad, but usually, it is safe to eat. In the United States, people waste a lot of food every year. The dates on food are often about how fresh the food tastes, not about safety. If you are not sure, you can use your eyes and your nose. If the food does not smell bad, you can probably eat it. We should try to keep food in the fridge and eat it before it goes bad. Be extra careful with unfrozen meat. ---questions Q: Why do many people throw away food? A: Because it tastes bad A: Because they see a date on the label [correct] A: Because it smells funny Q: What should you use to check if food is safe? A: Your eyes and nose [correct] A: A microscope A: A thermometer Q: What food should you be extra careful with? A: Unfrozen meat [correct] A: Apples A: Bread Q: When people throw away food because of the date, is it usually bad? A: Yes, it is always bad A: No, usually it is safe to eat [correct] A: It is poisonous ---vocab Waste: To throw away something you could keep. Label: A piece of paper on a package with information. Fresh: Newly made or gathered; not old. Safe: Not dangerous. ---cloze 1. Old food might not taste *fresh*, but it can still be *safe* to eat. 2. You can use your sense of *smell* to check whether most foods are safe. ---text Passage 2: How Cells Fight When a sick person sneezes, a virus can spread through the air and be breathed into your lungs. It lands on one of your cells. Your cell has a cell membrane to protect it, but the tiny virus tricks the cell membrane into letting it inside. The cell must fight! The "boss" of the cell, the nucleus, has the instructions (DNA). The nucleus sends a message to make an antibody. An antibody is a special protein that fights the virus. To do all this work, the cell needs energy. The "powerhouse" of the cell is called the mitochondria. It makes energy for the cell to fight and stay healthy. ---questions Q: What protects the cell first? A: The cell membrane [correct] A: The lungs A: The air Q: Which part of the cell is the "boss"? A: The mitochondria A: The cell membrane A: The nucleus [correct] Q: What does the mitochondria do? A: It makes energy [correct] A: It tricks the virus A: It makes you sneeze Q: What does the virus do to the cell membrane? A: It breaks it A: It tricks it [correct] A: It eats it ---vocab Virus: A tiny germ that can make you sick. Protect: To keep something safe from harm. Energy: The power to do work or be active. Antibody: A special protein that fights viruses. ---cloze 1. A virus can spread through the *air* when someone sneezes. 2. The *nucleus* is the boss of the cell. 3. Mitochondria makes *energy* to help keep the cell healthy. ---text Passage 3: The Solar Slug There is a special slug called Elysia chlorotica. It lives in the ocean. It looks like a bright green leaf. Most animals must eat food to live. But this slug is different. It eats algae (water plants) and keeps their green parts inside its body. Now, the slug can use sunlight to make energy, just like a plant! It is half animal and half plant. It can go for one year without eating food. ---questions Q: Where does this special slug live? A: In the forest A: In the desert A: In the water [correct] Q: What makes this slug special? A: It can fly A: It uses sunlight to make energy [correct] A: It eats meat only Q: How long can the slug go without eating? A: One week A: One month A: One year [correct] Q: What does the slug eat to get the green parts? A: Algae [correct] A: Fish A: Sand ---vocab Ocean: A very large body of salt water. Algae: Simple plants that live in water. Different: Not the same as others. Leaf: The green part of a plant. ---cloze 1. This special slug lives in the *ocean*. 2. Plants use *sunlight* to make energy. 3. Algae has *green* parts.