1. Comprehension
Choose the answer that best completes each statement. Do not refer to the text while doing this exercise.
Attenborough states that penguins are (a) the most adaptable bird in nature; (b) the symbol of the far frozen south; (c) not particularly well suited to the harshness of their environment; (d) the only birds to have an upright stance.
Penguins are well suited for the swimming life because of their flippers and their (a) efficient insulation; (b) fast speed; (c) love of the water; (d) effective ratio of muscle to body fat.
After the chinstrap penguins lay two eggs in their "meagre scrapes,” they are incubated by (a) the females; (b) the males; (c) the males and females, taking equal turns; (d) females who have no mates.
The Emperor penguins have a special problem—how to allow enough time for the chicks to get big enough to survive—which they have solved by (a) migrating to the warm northern waters in the summer and breeding there; (b) reversing the usual process and beginning the breeding process in the winter; (c) producing only one chick every other year; (d) stockpiling food to nourish the chick during the long dark winter months.
Critical to the survival of an emperor penguin chick is (a) the male's ability to leave the egg and forage for food; (b) the female's huddling together with other females for warmth and safety from predators; (c) the presence of fish and other food in the immediate vicinity where the egg is being incubated; (d) the female's timely return to begin feeding the chick which has hatched in her absence.
Penguins communicate and recognize each other (a) by their distinctive markings; (b) by their individual appearance; (c) by their position on the ice; (d) by their voices.