11

A praying mantis
carrying a flower.
A mantis’s arms are
uniquely shaped
for grabbing and
holding its food.
˄ Army ants use their own bodies to form “living bridges” (pictured above),
and bivouacs, which they hang beneath a fallen tree.
U11A-p.162
 11A
One of the best places to observe army ants is
Barro Colorado, an island in a lake created by
the Panama Canal. The island is home to as
many as 50 colonies of Eciton burchellii, the
most studied army ant in the world.

The colonies of this army ant are huge, ranging

from 300,000 to 700,000 ants. Linking their
legs together, they have the capability to use
their own bodies to form enormous nests called
bivouacs. There they stay for about 20 days as
the queen lays as many as 300,000 eggs.
When the ants go hunting, as many as 200,000
of them leave the nest in a group that
broadens into a fan as wide as 14 meters
across. The swarm raid takes a slightly different
course each day, allowing the hunters to cover
fresh ground.

U11A-p.163
Protecting the ants wherever they go are the soldiers,
recognizable by their unusual, oversized jaws. The soldiers
have a powerful bite—but their attack is almost always
suicidal.1 Because their jaws are shaped like fishhooks, it’s
impossible for the soldiers to pull them out again. Amazonian
tribes have used soldier ants to close wounds, breaking off the
bodies and leaving the heads in place.

Eciton burchellii are blind and can’t see what’s ahead of them,
but they move together in such great numbers that they easily
kill the non-army ants, insects, and other small creatures that
constitute their prey. When the group happens upon a break
in the path, ants immediately link legs together and form a
living bridge so that they can move forward without any delay.

1 In a suicidal attack, the attacker loses its life in carrying out the attack.

U11A-p.163
In Japanese, the word ant is written by linking two
characters: one meaning “insect,” the other
meaning “loyalty.” Indeed, individual ants are
completely loyal to their fellow ants. They display
many examples of selfless cooperation that,
while certainly extreme, can’t fail to win human
admiration.

U11A-p.163
Reading Comprehension

Multiple Choice. Choose the best answer for each question.

Detail 1. Barro Colorado is ______.

a. the only place army ants live
b. a good place to study army ants
Line 1 c. the most common type of army ant
d. where army ants originally came from
Detail 2. As many as ______ army ants take part in a single swarm raid.
a. 200,000
b. 300,000
Line 10-13 c. 700,000
d. a million
Detail 3. Which of the following statements about soldier ants is NOT true?
a. They lay many eggs.
b. They have a powerful bite.
Line 14-20 c. They can be used to close wounds.
d. Their jaws are shaped like fishhooks.

U11A-p.164
 Inference 4. Why does the author say the soldiers’ attacks are suicidal?
a. because the author thinks they are very strong
b. because the Amazonians use them to close wounds
Line 16-17 c. because their jaws are shaped like fishhooks
d. because they can’t get away after they attack
Vocabulary 5. In line 24, the phrase happens upon is closest in meaning to ______.
a. meets
b. avoids
c. causes
d. needs
Paraphrase 6. What does the author mean by form a living bridge (lines 25–26)?
a. make a bridge from plants
b. walk across a man-made bridge
c. make themselves into a bridge
d. cover the path with insects they catch
Main Idea 7. The main idea of the final paragraph is that the author is impressed
with ______.
a. Japanese ants because of their loyalty
Selfless, b. the way the word ant is written in Japanese
loyalty… c. the way ants work well together as a team
d. how language can describe ants so well

U11A-p.164
Did You Know?
Because army ants are
blind, certain insects,
like stick insects, have
learned to escape their
attacks by staying
perfectly still.

U11A-p.164
11B

U11B-p.167
▌The Beauty of Moths
For many people, moths are swarming, dust-colored pests that eat
our clothes and disturb us by flying around lights after dark. However,
to artist Joseph Scheer, they are creatures of beauty. The images he
creates bring out the beauty of moths, with colors, shapes, and
patterns that have never before been seen so clearly. “Digital tools let
you see things you’d never see just looking with your eyes,” Scheer
says. Scheer’s images have been displayed around the world, and
one reaction is heard everywhere: “People insist, ‘No, that can’t be a
moth,’” says Scheer. One Swiss viewer credited the insects’ lovely
variety to their exotic American origin: “We don’t have such nice
moths in our country,” he declared. In fact, every country has moths
that can amaze.

U11B-p.168
The process began with a moth hunt in the state of New York. Scheer would
leave the lights on and windows open overnight at his university office. He
later returned to collect the moths that had flown in. When the building
cleaners complained, he moved the hunt to his friend Mark Klingensmith’s
yard. “Mark’s a gardener with lots of stuff growing on his property,” Scheer
says. “Moths like it.” They set up lights shining over a plastic container on a
white sheet. Then they watched as moths emerged from the darkness, flew
carelessly into the sheet, and fell into the plastic container. “We got a different
species every night that first season,” Scheer says. “The patterns and colors
were overwhelming.”

U11B-p.168
▌Scanning the Details
Using a powerful scanner1 designed for camera film, they were able to
capture detailed pictures of moths. Small moths present special challenges.
“One twitch of the finger and there goes a wing,” says Scheer. “I try to drink
less coffee when I’m working on [them].”

The scanner records so much information that a single moth can take 20
minutes to scan. A scan of just two small moths fills an entire CD. All that
information means the size of an image can be increased 2,700 percent
but still retain all the details and appear perfectly clear. You’d need a
microscope2 to see the details shown in Scheer’s prints.

Scheer’s work is not only a new form of art. He can also be congratulated
for making a valuable contribution to the record of moths where he lives.
He has helped identify more than a thousand different species. “Not from
Alaska or the Amazon,” Klingensmith says. “All from one backyard.”

1 A scanner is a machine that can take pictures for use on computers.

2 A microscope is a scientific tool that allows small objects to appear larger, so that details
can be seen.

U11B-p.169
˃ The delicate coloring
of a moth’s wing

U11B-p.169
Reading Comprehension

Multiple Choice. Choose the best answer for each question.

Inference 1. People think, “No, that can’t be a moth” because _______.

a. they know the images are not really of moths
Line 9 b. the images look like they are only paintings
c. the images seem too beautiful to be moths
d. most countries don’t have such beautiful moths
Detail 2. The moth hunt moved from Scheer’s office to Klingensmith’s yard
because _______.
a. there were no moths at the university
Line 15-16 b. the cost of electricity was too high
c. they began to catch the same types of moths
d. the building cleaners were complaining
Inference 3. What does Scheer mean when he says, “One twitch of the finger
and there goes a wing”?
a. His fingers often twitch when he’s working.
b. He usually takes the wings off the moths first.
c. He has to work very fast to capture the images.
d. He has to be very careful working with the moths.

U11B-p.170
 Fact or 4. Which of the following quotes is not a fact, but a person’s opinion?
Opinion a. “Moths like it.”
b. “Mark’s a gardener with lots of stuff growing on his property.”
c. “We got a different species every night that first season.”
d. “I try to drink less coffee when I’m working on [them].”
Detail 5. The images retain all the details even when increased 2,700
percent because _______.
a. a microscope is used to prepare the images
Line 33-34 b. very high quality paint is used to create the images
c. the moths have very bright colors and clear patterns
d. the scanner records a lot of information for each picture
Vocabulary 6. In line 35, the phrase not only is closest in meaning to _______.
a. more than just b. nonetheless
c. not at all d. in addition
Inference 7. Why does Klingensmith mention Alaska and the Amazon?
a. because he hopes to go to those places in the future
b. because we might expect to see amazing moths there
Line 39-40 c. because moths there are very different from those in his yard
d. because he has helped identify more than a thousand species
there

U11B-p.170
11A Vocabulary Definitions
observe (v.) to watch and sometimes also listen to (someone or something)
carefully
link (v.) to make or form a connection with or between
nest (n.) a place where an animal or insect lives and usually lays its
eggs or takes care of its young
broaden (v.) to increase the breadth; widen
constitute (v.) to make up or form something
prey (n.) an animal hunted or seized for food
delay (n.) the amount of time by which something is late or postponed
loyalty (n.) the quality of being faithful
fellow (adj.) belonging to the same class or group
cooperation (n.) the action or process of working together to the same end
11B Vocabulary Definitions
digital (adj.) using or characterized by computer technology
reaction (n.) something done, felt or thought in response to a situation or event
credit (v.) to attribute (an achievement or good quality) to someone or
something
exotic (adj.) of foreign origin or character; introduced from abroad
declare (v.) to announce officially, proclaim
complain (v.) to express dissatisfaction or grief; find fault
emerge (v.) to rise or appear from a hidden or unknown place; to come out into
view
overwhelming (adj.) very great in number, effect or force; used to describe something
that is so confusing, difficult, etc. that you feel unable to do it
retain (v.) to continue to have or use (something); keep
congratulate (v.) to tell (someone) that you are happy because of his or her success or
good luck