Установите соответствие между текстами A–G и заголовками 1–8. Занесите свои ответы в таблицу. Используйте каждую цифру только один раз. В задании один заголовок лишний.
1. Natural ways to adapt
2. Stronger than humans
3. Our intelligent neighbours
4. Extraordinary productivity
5. Impressive forms of communication
6. Impressive hearing abilities
7. A remarkable sight
8. Incredible speed
A. As humans, we see ourselves as the strongest race. Although our strength is notable, tiny creatures such as beetles and ants put us to shame. The dung beetle, for instance, pulls 1,141 times its own body weight! While it may not seem remarkable due to its small stature, keep in mind that the human equivalent of such strength would require the ability to lift almost 73,000 kilograms. In the way of sheer weight, African elephants take the cake. These enormous, lovable creatures can carry over 9,000 kilograms.
B. One of the fastest men alive, Usain Bolt, was noted for having reached the speed of 44.72 kilometres per hour in a 100-meter dash. A cheetah, however, easily doubles Bolt’s speed in only three seconds. A bird noted as one of the fastest living creatures, the peregrine falcon, can reach an earth-shattering 355 kilometres per hour. The reason for this is simply necessity. To intercept its prey in the sky, the peregrine falcon must dive at remarkable speeds.
C. We can all admit that humans are not the most productive creatures at times. But we have also heard the saying “as busy as a bee.” Some bees will work only several hours, while some will work over 12. Worker bees are busy day and night. Due to the lack of restrictions based on environmental and time factors, these bees can continue their tasks, such as cooling the nest with their wings, tending to various honeycombs, and, of course, taking lunch breaks.
D. As humans, we’ve made some incredible adaptations. However, these have relied heavily on machinery. Animals lack the ability to craft such things. As such, over thousands upon millions of years, they have been forced to adapt. For example, suppose an animal living in Southern Africa was not able to adequately feed itself because it could not reach its food. Over a very long time, that creature’s neck would grow, eventually becoming what it is now — a giraffe.
E. Animals take this one by a landslide. Don’t get us wrong, humans have some incredible optical equipment. Beyond contacts and glasses, we’ve designed telescopes capable of seeing great distances across our universe. In practice, however, this equipment doesn’t compensate for our shortcomings in real-world practice. This is likely because humans no longer need to roam wide, open areas to survive. Creatures without access to agriculture, like birds, need strong eyesight. They must be able to see their prey long before the prey sees them.
F. A bat’s hearing is so powerful that it almost single-handedly compensates for the creature’s terrible vision. As a bat travels through a cave, it emits squeaking sounds that bounce around the nearby walls. The animal uses this information to know where not to fly. A phenomenon common in many species is the idea that a lack of one sense strengthens another. In the bat’s case, a lack of sight means less brain power devoted to seeing.
G. You’re probably on a cell phone or computer right now. They are amazing forms of communication, but they can’t compete with good, old-fashioned nature. Ants communicate using scented chemicals. Using their antennae, other ants can detect these various chemicals, with each acting as a sort of message or word. For instance, an ant coming under attack may emit a chemical detectable by thousands of members of its colony. As a result, what seems like a lone ant might change very quickly.