Cover Booklet Reading Comprehension 2

Science Cover Booklet
Reading Comprehension 2
Do not write in this booklet. Answer all questions in full sentences in your exercise book!
Song and Dance
Song and Dance

by Beth Geiger
Erich Jarvis turned from an education in dance

to studying the biology of songbirds.
Cross the United States and you'll hear a chorus of regional accents. Some people say car; others
say cah. Some say butter; others buttah. Even the country's songbirds have their own dialects, says
Duke University biologist Erich Jarvis.
Songbirds learn to express themselves vocally by imitating adults, just as people do. That ability,
called vocal learning, fascinates Jarvis. "Vocal learning is a rare trait," he explains, shared by just a
few animals. Each species of songbird has its own signature tune with local variations that offspring
learn from their parents.
Many researchers who study how birds learn songs focus on behavior. But Jarvis, who studies brains,
is tuned in to the biological side. How does a bird's brain change as it learns a song? What can that
teach scientists about the human brain?
Performing Arts
Jarvis, a professor of neurobiology, the study of the structure and function of the nervous system,
didn't start out in science. Growing up in New York City, he studied dance at the High School of
Performing Arts. At graduation, he made a surprising decision. He turned down professional dance
scholarships and headed to college to major in math and biology.
Why the sidestep? A love of magic as a kid had ignited an interest in science, says Jarvis, and he
also liked nature. Most important, he believed he could make more of a difference as a scientist than
as a performer. "My mother always encouraged me to do something that might have a measurable
impact," he says.
Jarvis attended Hunter College in New York City. There, he conducted laboratory research in
molecular biology, the study of the molecular building blocks of life. The idea of scientific discovery
began to excite him.
Bird Brains
Jarvis's research started going to the birds when he was working toward his doctorate at The
Rockefeller University. "I wanted to understand how the brain controls complex behaviors," he says,
and vocal learning is one of the brain's most complex behaviors. "My main interest wasn't birds,"
Jarvis told Current Science. "My main interest was the genes that control vocal learning." Genes are
ReadWorks.org
Copyright © 2009 Weekly Reader Corporation. All rights reserved. Used by permission.Weekly Reader is a registered trademark of Weekly Reader Corporation.
Song and Dance
the basic units that determine how a body functions.
Not all genes are active at the same time. When a gene is functioning, though, it produces telltale by-
products in the form of proteins. Those by-products are called gene expressions.
To learn which genes are active when a bird learns to sing, Jarvis freezes a bird's brain within minutes
of when it has learned or produced a new song. Then he searches for gene expression changes to
pinpoint the genes that control vocal learning.
Magic Seven
Today, Jarvis is looking for more than active genes. He's trying to identify the places in the brain
where the activity takes place. "We call this 'behavioral molecular brain mapping,'" he says.
Three types of birds exhibit vocal learning: songbirds, parrots, and hummingbirds. Using behavioral
molecular brain mapping, Jarvis uncovered a startling coincidence. Though the three types are barely
related, each uses the same seven brain structures to learn how to vocalize. That is an example of
convergent evolution-unrelated species that evolve similar features.
"It's a remarkable finding," Jarvis told Current Science. "How can Mother Nature come up with the
same solution three different times?"
Wings are another example of convergent evolution. Wings have evolved multiple times on wildly
different creatures-pterosaurs, bats, birds, and insects. Yet no matter what the animal, the wings are
always attached near its center of gravity (the center of a body's mass).
Jarvis made another important discovery: He and his collaborator Constance Scharff found that birds
have a gene that is nearly identical to a human gene called FOXP2. They found that in songbirds, the
expression of the FOXP2 gene increases as the birds learn a new song. "The gene helps them learn
songs," says Jarvis.
In humans, the FOXP2 gene is involved in language. When the FOXP2 gene mutates-is randomly
altered-people lose their ability to learn or express language well.
Do birds respond to FOXP2 mutations the same way humans do? To find out, Scharff damaged the
gene in laboratory songbirds. Sure enough, the songbirds developed vocalization problems similar to
those that affect people with FOXP2 mutations. Jarvis hopes his work will someday help stroke
victims who lose the ability to say what they are thinking.
Jarvis's songbird research has struck a chord in the scientific community. He runs a world renowned
research lab and has won several major awards.
Small Leap
Though dance may seem an odd beginning for a scientist, for Jarvis the leap was smoother than it
sounds. "Both dance and science require a tremendous amount of discipline and the drive to keep
ReadWorks.org
Song and Dance
trying," he says. He also emphasizes that science, like art, is highly creative.
Above all, Jarvis's work has shown that, brain-wise, birds

are not the featherweights they've always been labeled.
"Being called a birdbrain," he says, "should not be an
insult."
Sound Bites
These sound readings show the differences between the
songs that three young male zebra finches learned from
their fathers.
ReadWorks.org
Song and Dance - Comprehension Questions
Name: ___________________________________ Date: _______________

1. What is vocal learning?
A. learning to internally express oneself by ignoring adults

B. learning to vocally express oneself by imitating adults
C. learning to vocally express oneself by ignoring adults
D. learning to internally express oneself by imitating adults
2. The text is divided into sections with subheadings. What does the section with the
subheading "Bird Brains" describe?
A. Jarvis's comparison of the drive required to pursue both science and dance
B. Jarvis's discovery of a gene in birds that is similar to the human gene FOXP2
C. Jarvis's decision to become a scientist instead of a professional dancer
D. Jarvis's research on gene expressions and the genes that control vocal learning
3. Read this sentence from the text.
"Humans and birds react similarly when the FOXP2 gene is randomly altered."
What evidence from the text supports this conclusion?
A. When the FOXP2 gene is damaged, songbirds can develop vocalization problems
similar to those that affect people with FOXP2 mutations.
B. Genes are the basic units that determine how a body functions. When a gene is
functioning, it produces telltale by-products in the form of proteins.
C. Many researchers who study how birds learn songs focus on behavior. But Jarvis,
who studies brains, is tuned in to the biological side.
D. Songbirds learn to express themselves vocally by imitating adults, just as people do.
That ability is called vocal learning, and it is a rare trait.
ReadWorks.org · © 2019 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.

4. Jarvis's research on bird brains could have a huge impact on our understanding of
human brains.
What evidence in the text supports this conclusion?
A. "Wings have evolved multiple times on wildly different creatures-pterosaurs, bats,

birds, and insects."
B. "Three types of birds exhibit vocal learning: songbirds, parrots, and hummingbirds."
C. "Jarvis hopes his work will someday help stroke victims who lose the ability to say
what they are thinking."
D. "Jarvis turned down professional dance scholarships and headed to college to major
in math and biology."
5. What is this passage mostly about?
A. Erich Jarvis and his research on vocal learning through his study of birds
B. Constance Scharff and her discovery of a gene in birds similar to the human FOXP2
C. the ways in which songbirds, parrots, and hummingbirds differ from each other
D. the ways in which young male zebra finches learn songs from their mothers
6. Read these sentences from the text.
"Above all, Jarvis's work has shown that, brain-wise, birds are not the featherweights
they've always been labeled. 'Being called a birdbrain,' he says, 'should not be an
insult.'"
When Jarvis says, "Being called a birdbrain should not be an insult," what might he
mean?
A. Birds' brains are so different from human brains that calling someone a birdbrain does
not make much sense.
B. Birds' brains are so similar to human brains that calling someone a birdbrain does not
make much sense.
C. Birds' brains are actually very simple, and so calling someone a birdbrain could be
rude.
D. Birds' brains are actually very complex, so calling someone a birdbrain is not
necessarily rude.

"Not all genes are active at the same time. When a gene is functioning, though, it
produces telltale by-products in the form of proteins. Those by-products are called gene
expressions."
What word could replace the word "though" without changing the sentence's meaning?
A. previously
B. therefore
C. however
D. obviously
8. Describe the important discovery that Jarvis and his collaborator made.
9. Compare the human FOXP2 gene to the nearly identical bird gene. Be sure to
include mutated and damaged forms of the genes in your comparison.
Support your answer with evidence from the text.
10. How might Jarvis's research on birds help humans?

Meet the Ologist: Mark Norell

This text is provided courtesy of OLogy, the American Museum of Natural History's website for kids.
Where are some of the best places in the world to collect

dinosaur fossils?
Mark Said: So far, there are really only four great places in the world
to collect dinosaur fossils.
1. The American West (much of the collection we have at the

Museum was collected from Montana).
2. Patagonia in Argentina (this area is now being explored by
paleontologists, including some from my Museum).
3. Africa, at the edge of the Sahara desert. Photo Courtesy of AMNH
4. Mongolia in Central Asia.
What kinds of questions annoy paleontologists?
Mark Said: Anything about Barney. Anything about Jurassic Park.
Were you interested in dinosaurs as a kid?
Mark Said: No, but I was

always interested in science. In
college and graduate school, I
worked a lot with fossils of
crocodiles, lizards, that sort of
Photo Courtesy of AMNH
thing. When I came to the
Museum, I was studying how
DNA influences the way plants
and animals develop. At the Museum, it just seemed natural to get
involved with dinosaurs because we have one of the world's greatest
collection of dinosaur fossils. To tell you the truth, it's more the
unanswered questions about dinosaurs that interest me rather than
the dinosaurs themselves.
Are most of the fossils you've found on display at the Museum?
Mark Said: Some of the specimens I've collected have

made it into the halls, but most are used for research. Our
collection of specimens is like our library. We look at the
specimens again and again to help us answer questions. Photo Courtesy of AMNH
For example, scientists on my staff use the specimens in the
ReadWorks.org
© 2016 American Museum of Natural History. All rights reserved. Used by Permission
collection for their research on topics such as lizard, A nesting oviraptorid specimen on exhibit in the
dinosaur, and mammal evolution (how these animals have Museum.
changed over time).
Where would you like to go on an expedition that you've

never been to?
Mark Said: I
would love to
go and search
for fossils in Iran and Afghanistan. It has not been explored
in a long time. It's just the right kind of landscape to hold
preserved fossils, as this stable area of the continent has
not been subjected to many major geological events that
destroy fossils. But again, politics is in the way of science.
There have been wars in those areas in recent years.
How do you identify dinosaurs you find?
The plateau of Iran with Damavand peak seen in the
background. Mark
Said: After we
get a
specimen to New York, it is cleaned and prepared by a team
of technicians. Then our research group begins to describe
it. Description means just what you think, only very detailed.
We draw pictures, measure, count bones, and describe in
words. It takes time to describe a specimen, especially if it is
a fossil that has never been seen before. After we describe
a specimen, we name it. The description is then published in
a scientific magazine called a journal, so other scientists can
learn about what we've found. A drawing by Museum illustrator Ed Heck, showing how
an oviraptorid embryo may have looked curled up in its
shell.
Who goes on expeditions to the Gobi desert with you?
Mark Said: We have a regular team of people who go every

year. Many of them work all year at the Museum. But,
sometimes we take someone new. For example, we may
take a paleogeologist when we want to learn more about
what the Gobi desert was like 80 million years ago.
Paleogeologists study ancient geology - they help us get a
better picture of what the Gobi was like millions of years
ago. The co-leader of the expeditions is Mike Novacek. He
was my teacher in college and now we work together and
are good friends. Mike studies extinct mammals. He also
plays guitar and leads the singing around the campfire.
Other team members include scientists, fossil preparators, The Gobi expedition co-leaders, Mike Novacek and
Mark Norell.
drivers, and even cooks.
Is it possible to clone an extinct dinosaur?
ReadWorks.org
Mark Said: Cloning is a complicated issue. Here's as simple

an answer as I can give. To clone an animal, you need the
complete genetic code, the blueprint of how the animal is
constructed. The genetic code is huge and complex. It
consists of long strands of DNA which generally don't
survive the fossilization process. Even if we did have the
genetic code for extinct dinosaurs, the technical aspects of
creating an embryo and growing it are virtually impossible.
Why do you think that all the birds came from a

common ancestor?
Some science fiction proposes cloning dinosaurs from
Mark
the traces of their blood found inside the bodies of biting
insects fossilized in amber. This amber specimen has a
Said: Think of
spider trapped inside.
it this way. Or
draw it. If
every animal that has feathers has a backbone but all
animals with a backbone don't have feathers - what we're
are saying is that both feathered and non-feathered animals
come from a common ancestor with a backbone. The
simplest explanation is usually the right one. Why? Think
about it. Is it likely that feathers evolved 15,000 different
times in each kind of bird species? Feathers evolved once,
and all feathered creatures descended from that first This feathered model from a Museum exhibition shows
how an oviraptorid dinosaur may have looked when it
feathered animal, changing other characteristics in was alive.
response to its environment.
When you're on an expedition in the desert, do you sleep in a tent?
Mark Said: A tent? Please! I hate the hassle of a tent,

especially if they get wet. I like to sleep under the stars. I
rarely use a sleeping bag. At night, I usually sleep in the dirt
on a pad made of Mongolian camel-hair. When we're on an
expedition, I like to rough it as much as possible. Over a five
week period, I usually bathe maybe twice, and change my
clothes once. Sometimes our clothes get so filthy we have
to burn them. Even though we sometimes walk more than
twenty miles a day, I'd rather wear sandals than boots.
Why? I hate smelling socks. They're a waste of space and
energy.
Some expedition members take advantage of a lake to
What's the most interesting dinosaur fossil you've ever catch up on some bathing.
found?
ReadWorks.org
Mark Said: Probably the most interesting dinosaur fossil I

ever found is the nesting Oviraptor, really tells us something
special about the past: that these animals looked and
behaved like birds. The specimen found where the adult
Oviraptor is positioned on a nest of eggs is compelling
evidence that these animals behaved like parents in a very
bird-like way. This behavior, coupled with such birdlike
characteristics as a toothless beak and possibly feathers,
strengthens the bird-dinosaur connections even more.
What do paleontologists do?
Mark Norell points to the specimen of a nesting oviraptor
in his office. Mark Said: Many
people think that
paleontologists spend
all their time in far-off places, collecting every fossil they find, and
bringing them back to a museum to put them on display. All the
Indiana Jones stuff. But, that's really only a small part of what we
do. We only spend a few weeks a year on expeditions. The rest of
the year we are in our labs looking at what we found. We spend a
lot of time classifying specimens, looking at their characteristics and
how they are related to each other. I spend more time on the
computer than I do in the field.
Mark uncovers a specimen in the Gobi desert.
Do you bring back all the fossils that you find?
Mark Said: Definitely not! First of all, when we go in the

field, we are usually looking for specific fossils to help us
answer specific questions. For example, we collect many
theropod specimens, which are carnivorous dinosaurs. Any
theropod fossils we find are important to our research on the
origin of birds. Since birds and dinosaurs are both
theropods, they are closely related to each other. Actually,
we don't keep any of them. We work with scientists at the
Mongolian Academy of Sciences. All the fossils we find in
the Gobi desert belong to them. They are only on loan to us.
Why do you go on expeditions to Mongolia every The theropod Allosaurus from a mount in the Museum's
summer? exhibition hall.
Mark Said: It's

probably the best place in the world to find dinosaur fossils that we
have questions about. These fossils are evidence of the transition
between what people have always called dinosaurs and what people
Photo Courtesy of AMNH call birds. So, thanks to our expeditions in Mongolia, we now know
ReadWorks.org
The fossil-rich red hills of the Gobi desert. that animals like Velociraptor and other small carnivorous dinosaurs
are related to birds.
Are you the first paleontologists to go to Mongolia?
Mark Said: Oh no! There's a

long tradition of collecting
dinosaur fossils in central
Asia starting in the 1920s.
But politics interfered with science. Those expeditions stopped in
the mid-1920's because of political problems. Mongolia is part of
China. Mongolia became a communist country in 1920, and soon
after, they would not permit Western paleontologists to work
there. Many years later when relations between the United States
and China began again, the Museum was invited to come back.
Since 1990, we've been going to Mongolia every summer to
search for fossils. The Central Asiatic Expedition's caravan in 1921.
What do the great dinosaur fossil locations in the world

have in common?
Mark Said: First, they are in the middle of very stable

continents. A stable continent is one without a lot of
earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, or other major geological
events that would destroy the fossils. Second, they have the
kinds of landforms that preserve fossils well, such as
badlands. In badlands, the forces of erosion, such as wind
and water, have exposed layers of rock that contain fossils.
What about your job is most enjoyable? The badlands of Argentina are a popular spot for
collecting dinosaur fossils.
Mark Said: Well, like
most people, I was
originally drawn to this kind of work by the adventure and the
opportunity to travel to very remote and exotic locations. And, no
doubt, the expeditions are certainly fun. But, the part of the work I like
doing best is the science research in labs, working on specimens.
Is extinction really forever?
Mark examines some finds in the Gobi.
Mark Said: Once a

species becomes
extinct, it's gone. Even
if some kind of animal Photo Courtesy of AMNH
returned again after
ReadWorks.org
being extinct for millions of years, scientists would consider Once it's gone it's gone. This depiction of an extinct
it a different species and would give it a different name - animal, a mammoth, is by Charles Knight.
even if it looked identical.
Why did
dinosaurs
become
extinct?
Mark Said: All

dinosaurs didn't become extinct because modern birds are,
in fact, dinosaurs. There are scientists in our Ornithology
Department who are investigating the 15,000 species of birds
alive today. That's 15,000 different kinds of living dinosaurs!
So get some binoculars and go dinosaur watching. Now, let's
This Australian cassowary certainly looks half-dinosaur. talk about why the non-bird dinosaurs became extinct about
65 million years ago. The answer is-we don't know. That
question is unanswerable based on the fossil record. I have
no doubt a big meteorite hit Earth about 65 million years ago, but we have no evidence that this caused
the great dinosaur extinction.
How long does it take for bones to become fossilized?
Mark Said: Not all fossil bones are alike. Some fossil bones
that are 60 or 70 million years old have a lot of their original
chemical composition - they almost seem more like bone
than rock. Other fossil bones could be "just" 10,000 years
old, but they're so hard you could drive nails with them. How
long it takes depends on the conditions the bone is buried
in. Here's a tip. When you find a fossil bone, you already
know something about the animal. You know it must have
been buried very quickly. Why? Bones left exposed for long
would decay. After an animal is buried, the specific
conditions of the local environment come into play.
Luckily, this fossil of an ankylosaur that Mark and Mike
Novacek found in the Gobi desert made it through the How did
fossilization process and survived in one piece.
paleontologists discover that modern birds are actually

dinosaurs?
Mark Said: Like most discoveries in science, it wasn't a

sudden realization like a light bulb going on but the gradual
gathering of evidence and observations. So, the idea that
modern birds are related to dinosaurs is pretty old. In the
1850s, scientists who examined skeletons noticed a great Photo Courtesy of AMNH
degree of similarity between birds and traditional dinosaurs. Just as humans are both primates and mammals
Then this idea lost favor until the 1960s when we had better because we descended from the first primate and the
methods for analyzing the evidence and creating a family first mammal, birds are both theropods and dinosaurs
because they descended from the first theropod and the
tree. Since the 1960s, many pieces of evidence that have
first dinosaur.
been discovered support the idea that birds are
ReadWorks.org
descendants of certain dinosaurs that lived millions of years

ago.
On an expedition, how do you know where to dig for fossils?
Mark Said: Finding the right spot takes lots of experience

and luck. Before we go, we research the place we're
planning to dig to about the age and type of the rocks. At the
site, we spend many hours looking for bits of exposed bone.
When we think we've found a specimen, we carefully
explore the area using dental tools and small brushes. If we
think we've found something, then our excavation team
comes to help us. We usually cut out a large piece of rock
with the fossil inside it, so we don't damage the fossil. Then,
we transport it back to the Museum to prepare it for
research.
Mark and the team spend many hours scouring the
What's the biggest dinosaur you've ever found? ground for traces of fossilized bone.
Mark
Said: The biggest fossil dinosaurs I've ever found are
sauropods from Central Asia as well as from the American
West. These animals are related to the Apatosaurus and
Mamenchisaurus. Mamenchisaurus is a giant sauropod
from Central Asia. These plant-eating animals had
fantastically huge, long necks and were the heaviest and
longest dinosaurs ever found. Sauropods were the biggest
animals ever to walk the earth.
What's the weirdest dinosaur you've ever found?
The Apatosaurus specimen from the Museum's Hall of
Saurischian Dinosaurs. Mark Said: The
weirdest fossil
dinosaur I've ever
found had to be Shuuvia, a relative of Mononykus. It's weird
because no one would ever have imagined an animal that
looked like that would have ever lived-with really powerful, but
extremely short forelimbs. These theropod dinosaurs had
bodies about the size of a goose, but with long legs. They were
both discovered in Mongolia, and had feathers. They were both
birds, but they really didn't look like them.
Do you think there are more kinds of extinct dinosaurs that

have never been found?
A recreation of the Shuuvia in a Museum exhibition.
ReadWorks.org
Mark Said: Yes! Every few weeks somebody describes a new

one. We just described one. When an unknown dinosaur is
found we write a detailed report on what we have
discovered. This report is know as a 'description.'
Paleontologists usually name the dinosaur in their
description. Certainly on our next field trip we'll find a new
one. There are many more dinosaurs waiting to be found
than have been found. A lot of these have been collected
and are in museum collections-they just haven't been
studied yet.
The Museum's Hall of Saurischian Dinosaurs, with

Apatosaurus on the left.
ReadWorks.org
Meet the Ologist: Mark Norell - Comprehension Questions
Name: ___________________________________ Date: _______________

1. "Mark Norell is a paleontologist. What do paleontologists do?
Make sure to include information from the section "What do paleontologists do?" in your
answer.
2. Describe what Mark does when he goes on an expedition.
3. What is a main idea of this text?
4. Look closely at an image in the article. Explain how the image supports or illustrates
the words of Mark Norell.
Support your answer with evidence from the text and image.

Bear Care
Bear Care
by Stephen Fraser
Lisa Stevens oversees two of the Smithsonian zoo's most popular residents: the giant pandas.
No more than 2,000 giant pandas exist in the world. So Lisa Stevens has one of the most specialized
and critical jobs in her field. She is the curator of pandas at the Smithsonian's National Zoological
Park in Washington, D.C. The zoo is home to two giant pandas: Tian Tian, a 13-year-old male, and
Mei Xiang, a 12-yearold female. Current Science spoke with Stevens about the challenges of keeping
giant pandas and what has been learned at the zoo about the species.
Current Science: Did giant pandas fascinate you as a

child?
Lisa Stevens: I was fascinated by animals in general,
though mostly insects and reptiles. I grew up in Thailand
and Japan in tropical environments.
CS: What was your major in college?

Stevens: I have a Bachelor of Science degree in zoology
[the scientific study of animals] from Michigan State
University. Jessie Cohen/National Zoo
Lisa Stevens feeds one of her celebrity charges.

CS: How did you get the job at the zoo? Giant pandas will eat carrots, apples, sugarcane, and
Stevens: I was volunteering at the Smithsonian insect sweet potatoes in addition to bamboo.
zoo and contemplating veterinary school or graduate

studies in entomology [the scientific study of insects] when I heard about a panda keeper position at
the zoo.
CS: Are giant pandas considered bears?

Stevens: Yes, giant pandas are bears. That was established in 1987 through DNA analysis.
CS: What features make giant pandas like, and unlike, other bears?
Stevens: Like other bears, giant pandas have the same body structure and are primarily solitary as
adults. Unlike other bears, which are primarily omnivorous [eat plants and animals], pandas feed
almost exclusively on bamboo.
Most bears consume high-energy foods that enable them to slow down and stay in their dens
throughout the winter. But bamboo is a low-energy food, so pandas have to eat all year round. They
can't hibernate.
Giant pandas are also unique in terms of the presence of a broadened skull and molars [teeth that
have deep grooves and ridges for crushing or grinding food], as well as pseudo-thumbs. A pseudo-
thumb is not a finger but a bony extension of one of the wrist bones. It assists the panda in grasping
and manipulating bamboo stalks.
CS: Mei Xiang and Tian Tian have produced only one surviving cub. Why is it so difficult to breed
giant pandas in captivity?
ReadWorks.org
Bear Care
Stevens: They are difficult to breed because females ovulate [release eggs] only once a year and are
fertile [able to conceive] for just two days. Some mammals have more than one period of fertility in a
year. Human females are fertile once a month.
CS: What has been discovered about giant pandas at your zoo?
Stevens: Giant pandas regularly experience false pregnancies. A false pregnancy is a state in which
a female exhibits symptoms of pregnancy but is not pregnant. We looked at hormones in the urine,
which showed that the female panda's body goes through the same hormonal changes whether she
is pregnant or not. There is still not a test to tell whether a panda is truly pregnant. Scientists are still
working on this.
We also learned how to monitor the health of newborn cubs by counting their vocalizations. Newborn
pandas are noisy when they are healthy. We counted the number of squeals and grunts to monitor
their activity. This is important because panda cubs are tucked under their mothers' large arms and
are difficult to see.
CS: Are you allowed to interact with the pandas? If so, how do the pandas respond to you?
Stevens: Yes. I interact with them through protective barriers. They are comfortable with the keeper
staff and me. They are primarily interested in us as food providers.
CS: Why are giant pandas rare in the wild?

Stevens: The giant panda evolved its specialized bamboo diet
during a time when the bamboo forests were plentiful
throughout China and Southeast Asia. That specialization has
made the species vulnerable to habitat loss due to human
activities.
CS: What is the National Zoo doing to help panda

conservation?
Stevens: We are working with our Chinese colleagues to
establish wildlife management and research programs in the
reserves in China so that there is effective conservation for
giant pandas, their habitat, and all the other animals that KRT/Newscom
depend on that forest. We also provide funds to help build
roads and provide offices, laboratories, and housing so that
park staff can live near and actually get into the reserves to
study and monitor animals.
CS: What is the most difficult part of your job?

Stevens: When animals get sick or die.
CS: What is the most rewarding part of your job?

Stevens: It's rewarding to go home in the evening and know that your animals were given the best of
care. It's rewarding to light a fire for conservation in a person's heart, whether it is a child or an adult.
ReadWorks.org
Bear Care
CS: What would you tell a young person who wants to

pursue a career in zoos?
Stevens: Study the sciences, and get lots of hands-on
experience-at riding stables, humane societies, vet
clinics, and the like. Read, read, read, and watch animal-
related programming. Volunteer in your spare time to
help a conservation or animal-care group.
AP Images
Above: Mei Xiang and her cub Tai Shan, who now
lives in China. Left: Tai Shan eating bamboo
ReadWorks.org
Bear Care - Comprehension Questions
Name: ___________________________________ Date: _______________

1. What did Lisa Stevens study in college?
A. paleontology
B. entomology
C. geology
D. zoology
2. How does the author describe the job of curator of pandas at the Smithsonian zoo?
A. as dangerous and difficult

B. as common, but interesting
C. as fun, but unimportant
D. as specialized and critical
3. After reading the passage, you can conclude all of the following about Lisa Stevens
EXCEPT
A. she finds her job rewarding

B. she would rather be a veterinarian
C. she is comfortable being around animals
D. she enjoys working with giant pandas
4. Read this sentence from the passage:
"I was volunteering at the Smithsonian insect zoo and contemplating veterinary school
or graduate studies in entomology [the scientific study of insects] when I heard about a
panda keeper position at the zoo."
Based on the text, the word contemplating means
A. considering thoroughly
B. giving little thought
C. listening attentively
D. studying diligently

Bear Care - Comprehension Questions
5. The primary purpose of this passage is to describe
A. why giant pandas have so much difficulty breeding in captivity

B. the reason giant pandas are so popular at the Smithsonian zoo
C. how giant pandas use their pseudo-thumbs to grasp bamboo stalks
D. Lisa Stevens's job as curator of pandas at the Smithsonian zoo
6. According to the article, how are giant pandas like other bears?
7. What might happen if more bamboo forests disappear? Give specific examples from
the article that support your answer.
8. The question below is an incomplete sentence. Choose the word that best completes
the sentence.
Giant pandas can't hibernate throughout winter __________ they have to eat all year
long.
A. although
B. until
C. before
D. because
9. Vocabulary Word: consume: to eat or drink.
Use the vocabulary word in a sentence:

Why Do Cave Fish Lose Their Eyes?

by American Museum of Natural History
This article is provided courtesy of the American Museum of Natural History.
Wikimedia Commons/Daniel Mayer
Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Deep underground there are caves where the sun never shines. If you found yourself in one of these
caverns without a flashlight, you would see nothing at all; just total blackness.
In some of these underground caves, there are fishes, crustaceans, salamanders and other animals
that have evolved to live without light. For example, more than one hundred species of cave fishes
live their lives in constant darkness. They depend on senses other than sight to hunt, eat and
reproduce.
ReadWorks.org
Many of these species of fishes are blind or nearly blind-some don't even have eyes. Yet they all
evolved from fishes that could see. Somehow, over millions of years, these fishes not only developed
the ability to live without sight-they lost the ability to see altogether.
How did that happen? How can evolution cause a species to lose a trait? It's a mystery that
evolutionary scientists have been struggling to unravel. The search for an answer gives us a
fascinating look at how evolution works.
Regressive Evolution
We usually think of evolution as a process in which species acquire new traits. But in cave fishes we
have an example of regressive evolution, a process in which species lose a trait-in this case, the
ability to see.
NPS
Blind cave fish, Mammoth Cave National Park, Kentucky
How does this happen? Do cave fishes go blind because they don't use their eyes? Though at first
this idea might seem to make sense, it actually has no basis in science. It is your genes that
determine which traits you inherit. For example, you have five fingers on each hand because of the
genes you got from your parents. However, if you have an accident and lose a finger, your children
will still be born with five fingers on each hand. If you lift weights and become a body builder, it
doesn't mean your children will be born with bulging biceps. In each case, your genes haven't
changed-even though your body has.
The fact that cave fishes don't use their eyes has absolutely no effect on the DNA in their
chromosomes. They are blind because something happened to the genes that control the
ReadWorks.org
development of their eyes. This change is passed on from parent to offspring. That explains why a
blind fish would have blind offspring. But it doesn't explain how a whole species of blind fish came to
exist.
Evolution works by a process called natural selection. If an animal is born with a trait that gives it an
advantage over other individuals, it will be more successful at having offspring. When this happens,
evolutionary scientists say that that animal is "selected" for having that trait. Its offspring and
succeeding generations will inherit that trait, spreading it throughout the population. But in the case of
cave fishes, how does being blind give a fish an advantage in the dark? And if being blind is not an
advantage, then how did natural selection lead to a species of blind cave fish?
Two Answers
Wikimedia Commons/H. Zell
Mexican tetra (Astyanax mexicanus)
Scientists have studied one species of blind cave fish, the blind Mexican tetra (Astyanax mexicanus).
They have come up with competing explanations for blindness in that fish, which likely will help them
to understand other cave fishes as well.
The first hypothesis assumes that blindness does give the fish some sort of evolutionary advantage,
though not directly. What if the gene or genes that cause blindness also are responsible for some
other change in the fish? And what if it was that change, not blindness, that gave the fish an
advantage to reproduce? Scientists call this pleiotropy-when multiple effects are caused by the
same mutation in one gene.
The second hypothesis is based on the fact that natural selection does not just reward success, it
also weeds out failures. In a lake, where there is sunlight, a fish born blind would have trouble
competing with other fish that can see. It probably would not survive to have offspring. But a fish born
blind in a dark cave would not be at a disadvantage, since in the darkness no fish can use their eyes.
In those conditions, natural selection will not work to weed out the mutation for blindness. Over
millions of years, many more mutations will accumulate and eventually the entire population of fish
will be blind. This is called the neutral mutation hypothesis.
An Eye-Opening Experiment
ReadWorks.org
A group of scientists at the University of Maryland carried out an experiment with two varieties of the
same species of Mexican tetras. One variety lives in bodies of water near the surface where there is
sunlight and can see. The other variety of tetras lives in dark caves and is blind.
American Museum of Natural History
In their experiment, the scientists transplanted a lens from the eye of a surface tetra embryo into the
eye of a cave tetra embryo. The cave-fish embryo would normally develop into a blind fish. But the
lens from the surface tetra transplanted into the cave tetra caused all of the surrounding tissues to
develop into a healthy eye. This experiment demonstrated that the genes involved in the development
of the eyes of the cave tetra were still totally functional.
The scientists knew that there are many genes responsible for the development of each part of an
eye (for example, the retina, iris, cornea and lens). Each part develops independently. The results of
the experiment showed that the genes for eye development in the Mexican tetra were all ready to
work properly, given the correct signal. The experiment seemed to suggest that blindness in the
Mexican tetra was not caused by many mutations, but instead by a small number of mutations in
genetic "master switches."
These master switches are genes that control the function of many other genes. In this case, the
switches control genes responsible for eye development. These master switches have the ability to
disable the eye genes. These remain intact, but inactive. Putting a healthy lens into the cave tetra
ReadWorks.org
embryo seems to trigger master switches to send a signal to the inactive eye genes, allowing cave
tetras to develop eyes.
If scientists could find the genetic "master switches" that made cave tetras blind, they could discover if
the same switches had effects on other traits of the fish that do give it an evolutionary advantage for
surviving in caves.
The researchers did indeed find one of those genes. It is nicknamed Hedgehog or the Hh gene. They
discovered that the Hedgehog gene does more than cause blindness in cave tetras-when the fish
develops without eyes, the skull bones move into the empty eye socket, which at the same time
enlarges its nose. Unlike other vertebrates, fishes use their nose only for smelling. It could be that the
same control gene (Hh) that stops eye development in the fish also enhances its sense of smell. An
enhanced sense of smell would be a definite advantage for a fish that lives in darkness.
As a result of these and other experiments, it now seems highly likely that blindness in cave tetras is
in part the result of pleiotropy-one mutation that causes blindness in the fish and at the same time,
gives them an enhanced sense of smell.
Evolution Works
Scientists are still studying cave fishes, and new discoveries are sure to be found. But one thing is
already clear-the answer lies in the basic processes of evolution that are already well understood.
With new tools that give scientists the ability to map genes, find specific mutations, and understand
the development of embryos, we are increasing our understanding of how evolution works.
ReadWorks.org
Why Do Cave Fish Lose Their Eyes? - Comprehension Questions
Name: ___________________________________ Date: _______________

1. What ability have many cave fishes lost?
A. the ability to swim

B. the ability to smell
C. the ability to see
D. the ability to hear
2. To organize this text, the author divides it into sections with subheadings. What is
described in the section with the subheading "Two Answers"?
A. answers scientists have come up with about why some species of cave fishes are blind
B. answers scientists have come up with about why some caves receive no light from the sun
C. answers scientists have come up with about why some crustaceans have evolved to live
without light
D. answers scientists have come up with about why regressive evolution occurs in
salamanders
3. People's genes determine which traits they inherit.
What information in the article supports this statement?
A. "How did that happen? How can evolution cause a species to lose a trait? It's a mystery
that evolutionary scientists have been struggling to unravel. The search for an answer gives
us a fascinating look at how evolution works."
B. "We usually think of evolution as a process in which species acquire new traits. But in
cave fishes we have an example of regressive evolution, a process in which species lose a
trait-in this case, the ability to see."
C. "...you have five fingers on each hand because of the genes you got from your parents.
However, if you have an accident and lose a finger, your children will still be born with five
fingers on each hand. If you lift weights and become a body builder, it doesn't mean your
children will be born with bulging biceps. In each case, your genes haven't changed-even
though your body has."
D. "The scientists knew that there are many genes responsible for the development of each
part of an eye (for example, the retina, iris, cornea and lens). Each part develops
independently. The results of the experiment showed that the genes for eye development in
the Mexican tetra were all ready to work properly, given the correct signal."

"The researchers did indeed find one of those genes. It is nicknamed Hedgehog or the Hh
gene. They discovered that the Hedgehog gene does more than cause blindness in cave
tetras-when the fish develops without eyes, the skull bones move into the empty eye
socket, which at the same time enlarges its nose. Unlike other vertebrates, fishes use their
nose only for smelling. It could be that the same control gene (Hh) that stops eye
development in the fish also enhances its sense of smell. An enhanced sense of smell
would be a definite advantage for a fish that lives in darkness."
Based on this information, what can you conclude about the effect that the size of a cave
tetra's nose has on the cave tetra's sense of smell?
A. The smaller a cave tetra's nose is, the better the cave tetra's sense of smell will be.
B. The bigger a cave tetra's nose is, the better the cave tetra's sense of smell will be.
C. The size of a cave tetra's nose has no effect on the cave tetra's sense of smell.
D. Any change in the size of a cave tetra's nose will make it more difficult for the cave tetra to
recognize smells.
5. What is the main idea of this text?
A. More than one hundred species of cave fishes live in constant darkness.
B. If an animal is born with a trait that gives it an advantage over other individuals, it will be
more successful at having offspring, and its offspring will inherit the advantageous trait.
C. The neutral mutation hypothesis is based on the fact that natural selection does not just
reward success but also weeds out failures.
D. Many cave fishes are blind, and an experiment carried out by scientists suggests that
blindness in these fishes is the result of a mutation that also improves their sense of smell.
6. The title of this text is "Why Do Cave Fish Lose Their Eyes?" Why might the author have
written the title as a question?
A. to prepare readers for a discussion of possible answers to this question in the article
B. to encourage readers to answer the question on their own before they read the article
C. to criticize scientists for not having reached a definite answer about why cave fishes lose
their eyes
D. to praise scientists for the effort they have put into understanding the cause of blindness in
cave fishes

"The fact that cave fishes don't use their eyes has absolutely no effect on the DNA in their
chromosomes. They are blind because something happened to the genes that control the
development of their eyes. This change is passed on from parent to
offspring. That explains why a blind fish would have blind offspring. But it doesn't explain
how a whole species of blind fish came to exist."
How could you rewrite the last sentence without changing its meaning?
A. In particular, it doesn't explain how a whole species of blind fish came to exist.
B. Therefore, it doesn't explain how a whole species of blind fish came to exist.
C. For example, it doesn't explain how a whole species of blind fish came to exist.
D. However, it doesn't explain how a whole species of blind fish came to exist.
8. Describe the first hypothesis that scientists have about blindness in the Mexican tetra.
Be sure to discuss pleiotropy in your answer.
9. One effect of the Hedgehog gene is to make cave tetras go blind. What is another effect
it might have?
10. As a result of the experiment scientists did with Mexican tetras, it seems likely that their
first hypothesis about blindness in the tetras is right. Explain how the result of the
experiment supports their first hypothesis. Support your answer with evidence from the text
and images.

Cover Booklet Reading Comprehension 2

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

You might also like

Cover Booklet Reading Comprehension 2

Uploaded by

Document Information

Copyright

Available Formats

Share this document

Share or Embed Document

Sharing Options

Did you find this document useful?

Is this content inappropriate?

Copyright:

Available Formats

Cover Booklet Reading Comprehension 2

Uploaded by

Copyright:

Available Formats

Science Cover Booklet

Song and Dance

Erich Jarvis turned from an education in dance

the basic units that determine how a body functions.

Above all, Jarvis's work has shown that, brain-wise, birds

Name: ___________________________________ Date: _______________

A. learning to internally express oneself by ignoring adults

3. Read this sentence from the text.

What evidence from the text supports this conclusion?

ReadWorks.org · © 2019 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.

What evidence in the text supports this conclusion?

A. "Wings have evolved multiple times on wildly different creatures-pterosaurs, bats,

5. What is this passage mostly about?

6. Read these sentences from the text.

ReadWorks.org · © 2019 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.

7. Read these sentences from the text.

Support your answer with evidence from the text.

10. How might Jarvis's research on birds help humans?

Support your answer with evidence from the text.

ReadWorks.org · © 2019 ReadWorks®, Inc. All rights reserved.

Meet the Ologist: Mark Norell

Where are some of the best places in the world to collect

1. The American West (much of the collection we have at the

What kinds of questions annoy paleontologists?

Mark Said: Anything about Barney. Anything about Jurassic Park.

Were you interested in dinosaurs as a kid?

Mark Said: No, but I was

Are most of the fossils you've found on display at the Museum?

Mark Said: Some of the specimens I've collected have

changed over time).

Where would you like to go on an expedition that you've

Mark Said: We have a regular team of people who go every

Is it possible to clone an extinct dinosaur?

Mark Said: Cloning is a complicated issue. Here's as simple

Why do you think that all the birds came from a

When you're on an expedition in the desert, do you sleep in a tent?

Mark Said: A tent? Please! I hate the hassle of a tent,

Mark Said: Probably the most interesting dinosaur fossil I

Mark Said: Definitely not! First of all, when we go in the

Mark Said: It's

Are you the first paleontologists to go to Mongolia?

Mark Said: Oh no! There's a

What do the great dinosaur fossil locations in the world

Mark Said: First, they are in the middle of very stable

Is extinction really forever?

Photo Courtesy of AMNH

Mark examines some finds in the Gobi.

Mark Said: Once a

even if it looked identical.

Mark Said: All

How long does it take for bones to become fossilized?

paleontologists discover that modern birds are actually

Mark Said: Like most discoveries in science, it wasn't a

descendants of certain dinosaurs that lived millions of years

On an expedition, how do you know where to dig for fossils?

Mark Said: Finding the right spot takes lots of experience

Do you think there are more kinds of extinct dinosaurs that

A recreation of the Shuuvia in a Museum exhibition.

Mark Said: Yes! Every few weeks somebody describes a new

Name: _____________________ Date: _

Name: _____________________ Date: _

Name: _____________________ Date: _

Name: _____________________ Date: _