FORM AND FUNCTION  9

THINK AND DISCUSS

Answers will vary. Possible answers:

1. Polar bears have fur to keep them warm. Elephants have wrinkly skin that helps them stay cool. Snakes have scales that protect their bodies and help them to move along the ground.

2. Velcro (inspired by a plant), sonar (inspired by the use of echolocation by bats and dolphins), airplane design (based on wings of birds)

EXPLORE THE THEME

A 1. Physical adaptation: desert plants that store water in their stems. Behavioral adaptation:gray whales that give birth in warm water but

travel to cold water for food.

Answers will vary. Possible answers:

2. Behavioral adaptation: nocturnal animals, such as bats, can avoid competition from birds and hide from predators. Physical adaptation: the

panda uses a “false thumb” to eat bamboo.

B evolve; theory; characteristic

Reading 1

PREPARING TO READ

A 1. Evidence

2. layer

3. flexible

4. advantage

5. clue

6. display

7. attracts

B Answers will vary. Possible answers:

1. Darwin’s theory of evolution, Einstein’s theory of relativity

2. make special sounds or noises; show off their feathers; fight other animals to show their strength

C Answers will vary. Possible answers:

2. Birds build nests.

3. Birds have feathers.

4. Birds have beaks.

D Answers will vary. Possible answers:

Insulation: Feathers trap body heat to help birds stay warm.

Attraction: Colorful feathers help birds attract the opposite sex.

Flight: The shape and arrangement of feathers in wings help birds fly.

UNDERSTANDING THE READING

A b

B Answers will vary. Possible answers:

INSULATION

modern Examples: young; soft feathers

Fossil Evidence: Theropod fossils show that they used their front limbs to cover their nests, possibly to keep their young warm.

ATTRACTION

modern Examples: Peacocks spread their brightly colored tails to attract peahens.

Fossil Evidence: Very small sacs inside theropod feathers, called melanosomes, give feathers their color and look the same as those in the feathers of birds today.

FLIGHT

modern Examples: thin and hard; long and flexible; bone

Fossil Evidence: movable bone

C Answers will vary. Possible answers:

1. Yes, I think the fossil evidence helps. For example, there is a clear link between theropod melanosomes and the colored feathers of modern birds (attraction theory).

2. I think the writer could have provided more fossil evidence for the insulation theory.

3. I find the theory about insulation the least convincing. Theropods could have covered their nests with their front limbs for another reason

(e.g., to protect their young from predators). The theory about flight is the most convincing to me because of the bone structure evidence. Also, it is logical that birds’ ability to fly evolved over time.

DEVELOPING READING SKILLS

A Many scientists think that a group of dinosaurs closely related to today’s birds took the first steps toward flight when their limbs evolved to flap

as they ran. They theorize that this arm flapping eventually led to flying. . . . Instead, they believe this animal flew by gliding from tree to tree. They speculate that the feathers formed a sort of parachute that helped the animal stay in the air. . . . Some researchers suggest that M. gui’s feathers weren’t useful for flight at all. They think that the feathers possibly helped the animal to attract a mate, or made the tiny dinosaur look bigger.

B Answers will vary. Possible answers:

1. They think this shows that the dinosaurs were using feathers to keep their young warm.

2. According to scientists, this common characteristic suggests that feathered dinosaurs such as Anchiornis evolved flight by moving their

feathered arms up and down as they ran, or by jumping from tree to tree.

Video

BEFORE VIEWING

A Answers will vary. Possible answers:

The Draco lizard looks like it’s wearing a cape, which helps it glide through the trees.The snake looks like it’s swinging and ready to

launch itself from the tree.

B 1. Flying squirrels use their tails and a layer of skin connecting their paws; flying fish use their fins.

2. Answers will vary. Possible answers: wind speed;

how high in the trees they are (for flying squirrels); size of fins (for flying fish)

C 1. escape

2. launch

3. prey

WHILE VIEWING

A Answers will vary. Possible answer: The two animals can glide. Gliding is like flying but without going up in the air. It means starting out high, and moving through the air until landing at a lower spot.

B 1. T

2. T

3. T

4. F (Note: The Draco lizard is prey for the paradise tree snake.)

5. F (Note: 10 meters)

AFTER VIEWING

A Answers will vary. Possible answer: because gliding is the most efficient way to move from tree to tree in the rain forest.

B Answers will vary. Possible answer: The snake isn’t frightened by the lizard’s warning. It still wants to eat the lizard.

Reading 2

PREPARING TO READ

A 1. process

2. industry

3. involved

4. vary

5. adjust

6. solid

7. surface

8. unique

B Answers will vary. Possible answers:

1. We wear clothing; we can imagine things; we can voice our opinion and create change in the world.

2. The walls have rough surfaces. The desks have smooth surfaces.

C Answers will vary. Possible answers:

Toucan bills and car safety: Maybe toucan bills are very hard, so cars can be made of a similar hard material.

Shark scales and swimsuits: Shark scales must work well in the water, so they could be used as a model for swimsuit design.

UNDERSTANDING THE READING

A Answers will vary. Possible answer: a process in which characteristics of animals are used to design new products for humans

B TOUCAN BILLS

Purposes: to attract mates, cut open fruit, fight, warn predators to stay away, control body temperature

Products/Technologies: panels in cars and planes to make them safer

SHARK SCALES

Purposes: to protect the shark, keep it clean, and help it swim quickly

Products/Technologies: coating for airplanes and ship bottoms, and swimwear that reduces drag

C Charles Darwin theorized that these bills attract mates. Other researchers think that the large bills are used for cutting fruit, for fighting, or for warning predators to stay away. A new study suggests that the enormous bills help control body temperature…

D 2, 3 (Explanation: Sentences 2 and 3 are examples of biomimetics because they make something new by copying nature. Sentences 1 and 4 are ways of using animal parts, not copying their form or structure.)

E Answers will vary. Possible answers:

The desert beetle has adapted to living in the desert by collecting water in its shell. The Draco lizard has developed thin folds of skin that extend from its body to help it glide between trees. The flying fish has developed long fins to help it glide over water.

Writing

EXPLORING WRITTEN ENGLISH

A 1. d; 2. a; 3. c; 4. e; 5. b

LANGUAGE FOR WRITING

B 1. b; 2. a; 3. b; 4. b

C Answers will vary. Possible answers:

1. In many cases, the purpose of these magnificent feathers is to get the attention of the opposite sex. (See page 168, Paragraph C.)

2. These feathers were similar to present-day bird feathers. The only difference was that Anchiornisfeathers had the same shape on each side.

(See page 168, Paragraph F.)

3. Shortfin makos are one of the fastest and most powerful fish in the ocean, and are related to the great white shark. (See page 175, Paragraph F.)

4. Covering airplanes with a substance that is similar to shark skin could increase their speed. (See page 175, Paragraph G.)

WRITING SKILL

D Answers will vary. Possible answers:

Scientists are studying the adaptations of living organisms in order to use their designs in products and technologies for humans. This field of study is known as biomimetics. Velcro is one example of biomimetics. In 1948, a Swiss engineer named George de Mestral removed a bur stuck to his dog’s fur. De Mestral studied it under a microscope and noticed how well the hooks on the bur stuck to things. He copied the design to make a two-piece fastening device. . . .

E 3, 2, 4, 1

F Answers will vary. Possible answers:

Biomimetics involves studying the ways in which plants and animals adapt to their environments in order to develop useful products

and technologies for people. An example of biomimetics is Velcro. A Swiss engineer, George de Mestral, saw how well a bur clung to his dog’s fur. He created a two-part fastener by mimicking the hooks on the bur and the softness of his dog’s fur.

WRITING TASK

A Answers will vary. Possible answers:

Toucan Bills and Car Safety: made of keratin, strong and light, absorbs impact so would be good for cars.

Shark Scales and Swimsuits: look like little teeth; very flexible; make sharks go faster because of less drag, so they can make swimmers in

bathing suits go faster too.

B Answers will vary. Model answers:

Title of Original Text: Animal AdaptationTopic Sentence: An adaptation is a change in a plant or an animal.

Key Ideas:

Changes are a result of mutation. More organisms inherit a mutation; eventually becomes a normal characteristic of the species. Two kinds of adaptation: physical and behavioral. Desert plant that can store its own water = physical adaptation.

Whale migration = behavioral adaptation

REVISING PRACTICE

b, a, a, d, c

EDITING PRACTICE

1. elegant

2. light

3. young

4. spread

5. shell

6. helpful

7. leaves