Cacti

Cacti

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This task is about listening and recalling information.
Listen to the report about cacti and answer the questions.

Question

a) The writer grew cacti plants because she liked

    • their colours and prickles.

    • their leaves and pots.

    • the fact they were easy to buy.

    • their weird shapes and spines.

Question

b) The thing that is special about the plants called "succulents" is that they

    • can do without water longer than other plants.

    • can be eaten.

    • are green all year.

    • can hold water in their prickles.

Question

c) Cacti store water in their

    • leaves.

    • needles.

    • roots.

    • stems.

Question

d) Succulents grow where there isn't much water. They grow in high mountains because

    • there is little rain.

    • the water flows down the mountain.

    • the water freezes.

    • the wind dries the rain.

Question

e) What do cacti use most often to protect themselves from the sun?

    • Spines

    • Leaves

    • Nearby rocks

    • Passing clouds

Question

f) Why do birds and insects bore holes into cacti?

    • For water

    • To eat the spines

    • To use them as homes

    • To protect the cactus

Task administration: 

This task can be completed by pencil and paper or online (with auto-marking).

In order to follow the same procedure as the resource trial, and thereby ensure the reliability of the difficulty estimates, we suggest you follow these instructions.

  • Hand out the student sheets which should be turned upside down until you have finished reading the passage.
  • Say: "This is a test of your listening skills. I will read the passage and then you will answer questions about it. Listen carefully."
  • Read the introduction and passage. (Please note the suggested reading time of the text is 1 minute and 30 seconds).
  • Say: "Now turn over your sheet. Listen to each question and circle the best possible answer. Circle only one answer per question. If you wish to change your answer, cross out your first answer and circle your new answer."
  • Read out each question and set of options with an approximately 10 second gap between each question.
  • Except in the case of a significant interruption, read each part of the passage and each question and its options only once.

Cacti are those plants with sharp spikes on them that live in dry places. Listen to this report about them.

When I was little, I kept cactus plants. I liked their weird shapes and spines, and found they were very easy to grow. I'm not very good at remembering to water pot plants, but my cacti didn't seem to mind if I forgot occasionally.
Like all plants, cacti need water. But cacti belong to a special group of plants (called "succulents") that are able to do without water for longer than most. This is because succulents are able to store water.

Cacti store water in their stems. Other succulents store water in their leaves.

Succulents live in many places where there isn't much water. For example, they grow high in the mountains where water often freezes. The most famous succulents, the cacti, usually grow in deserts where it is very hot and dry during the day, and cold at night.

Cacti must protect themselves from the hot sun. When the sun is overhead, it could easily damage the delicate growing point at the top of the plant. So most cacti have lots of spines at the top which give shade like an umbrella.

The spines on the cactus are also there for another reason. Because succulents can store water, they are very juicy. Most plant-eating animals would eat a juicy cactus if they could, especially if they are living in the desert, and are thirsty. The spines keep them away.

However, some birds and insects do manage to bore holes in cacti and live inside. This is a good place for them to live, because the spines around the entrance of the hole protect them from their enemies.

Source: School Journal, Part 2, No. 3, Learning Media Limited, 1993.

Level:
3
Curriculum info: 
English, Making meaning, Listening
Keywords: 
listening comprehension, School Journal, recall, SJ-2-3-1993
Description of task: 
Students listen to a text about cacti and recall information from it in multiple-choice questions. SJ-2-3-1993. Text not provided.
Answers/responses: 

 

Y6 (10/2000)

a)

their weird shapes and spines.

easy

b)

can do without water longer than other plants.

easy

c)

stems.

moderate

d)

the water freezes.

easy

e)

Spines

easy

f)

To use them as homes

moderate

Acknowledgements
Plants that Store Water - Text was first published by Learning Media Limited on behalf of the Ministry of Education. © Gillian Shannon, 1993. Reproduced with permission.