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Scattered through the seas of the world are billions of tons of small plants
and animals called plankton. Most of these plants and animals are too small for
the human eye to see. They drift about lazily with the currents, providing a
basic food for many larger animals. Plankton has been described as the
equivalent of the grasses that grow on the dry land continents, and the
comparison is an appropriate one. In potential food value however, plankton far
outweighs that of the land grasses. One scientist has estimated that while
grasses of the world produce about 49 billion tons of valuable carbohydrates
each year. The sea’s plankton generates more than twice as much.
Despite its enormous food potential, little effort was made until recently to
farm plankton as we farm grasses on land. Now marine scientists have at last
begun to study this possibility, especially as the sea’s resources loom even
more important as a means of feeding an expanding world population.
No one yet has seriously suggested that “planktonburgers” may soon become
popular around the world. As a possible farmed supplementary food source,
however, plankton is gaining considerable interest among marine scientists.
One type of plankton that seems to have great harvest possibilities is a tiny
shrimplike creature called krill. Growing to two or three inches long, krill
provide the major food for the giant blue whale, the largest animal ever to
inhabit the Earth. Realizing that this whale may grow 100 feet and weigh 150
tons at maturity, it is not surprising that each one devours more than one ton
of krill daily.
Krill swim about just below the surface in huge schools sometimes miles wide,
mainly in the cold Antarctic. Because of their pink color, they often appear as
a solid reddish mass when viewed from a ship or from the air. Krill are very
high in food value. A pound of these crustaceans contains about 460
calories—about the same as shrimp or lobster, to which they are related.
If the krill can feed such huge creatures as whales, many scientists reason,
they must certainly be contenders as new food source for humans.
1.Which of the following best portrays the organization of the passage?
A.The author presents the advantages and disadvantages of plankton as a food
source.
B.The author quotes public opinion to support the argument for farming
plankton.
C.The author classifies the different food sources according to amount of
carbohydrate.
D.The author makes a general statement about plankton as a food source and
then moves to a specific example.
2.According to the passage, why is plankton regarded to be more valuable than
land grasses?
A.It is easier to cultivate.
B.It produces more carbohydrates.
C.It does not require soil.
D.It is more palatable.
3.Why does the author mention “planktonburgers”?
A.To describe the appearance of one type of plankton.
B.To illustrate how much plankton a whale consumes.
C.To suggest plankton as a possible food sources.
D.To compare the food values of beef and plankton.
4.What is mentioned as one conspicuous feature of krill?
A.They are the smallest marine animals.
B.They are pink in color.
C.They are similar in size to lobsters.
D.They have grass like bodies.
5.The author mentions all of the following as reasons why plankton could be
considered a human food source except that it is ___.
A.high in food value.
B.in abundant supply in the oceans.
C.an appropriate food for other animals.
D.free of chemicals and pollutants.
