PAKET 19 – BAHASA INGGRIS
Botany, the study of plants, occupies a peculiar
position in the history of human knowledge. For many
thousands of years it was the one field of awareness
about which humans had anything more than the vaguest
of insights. It is impossible to know today just what our
Stone Age ancestors knew about plants, but from what
we can observe of pre-industrial societies that still exist, a
detailed learning of plants and their properties must be
extremely ancient. This is logical. Plants are the basis of
the food pyramid for all living things, even for other
plants. They have always been enormously important to
the welfare of peoples, not only for food, but also for
clothing, weapons, tools, dyes: medicines, shelter, and a
great many other purposes. Tribes living today in the
jungles of the Amazon recognize literally hundreds of
plants and know many properties of each. To them
botany, as such, has no name and is probably not even
recognized as a special branch of "Knowledge at all.
Unfortunately, the more industrialized we become
the farther away we move from direct contact with
plants, and the less distinct our knowledge of botany
grows. Yet everyone comes unconsciously on an amazing
amount of botanical knowledge, and few people will fail
to recognize a rose, an apple, or an orchid. When our
Neolithic ancestors, living in the Middle East about 10,000
years ago, discovered that certain grasses could be
harvested and their seeds planted for richer yields the
next season, the first great step in a new association of
plants and humans was taken. Grains were discovered
and from them flowed the marvel of agriculture:
cultivated crops. From then on, humans would
increasingly take their living from the controlled
production of a few plants, rather than getting a little
here and a little there from many varieties that grew wild
– and the accumulated knowledge' of tens of thousands
of years of experience and intimacy with plants in the
wild would begin to fade away.
1. Which of the following assumptions about early
humans is expressed in the passage?
A. They probably had extensive knowledge of
plants.
B. They thought there was no need to cultivate
crops.
C. They did not enjoy the study of botany.
D. They placed great importance on the ownership
of property.
E. They thought plants only function is for cattle
feed
2. What does the comment "This is logical" in line 9
mean?
A. There is no clear way to determine the extent of
our ancestor’s knowledge of plants.
B. It is not surprising that early humans had a
detailed knowledge of plants.
C. It is reasonable to assume that our ancestors
behaved very much like people in preindustrial
societies.
D. Our Stone Age ancestors knew nothing about
plants
E. Human knowledge of plants is well organized and
very detailed.
3. According to the passage, why has general knowledge
of botany begun to fade?
A. People no longer value plants as a useful
resource.
B. Botany is not recognized as a special branch of
science.
C. People avoid plants because it has become much
more polluted
D. Research is unable to keep up with the increasing
numbers of plants.
E. Direct contact with a variety of plants has
decreased.
4. In paragraph 2, what is the author’s purpose in
mentioning "a rose, an apple, or an orchid"?
A. To make the passage more poetic
B. To describe each plant unique properties
C. To cite examples of plants that are attractive
D. To give botanical examples that all readers will
recognize
E. To illustrate the diversity of botanical life
5. According to the passage, what was the first great
step toward the practice of agriculture?
A. The decline in hunter and gatherer population
B. The invention of agricultural implements and
machinery
C. The development of a system of names for plants
D. The discovery of grasses that could be harvested
and replanted
E. The changing diets of early humans
6. The relationship between botany and agriculture is
similar to the relationship between zoology (the study
of animals) and
A. Deer hunting
B. Bird watching
C. Sheep raising
D. Horseback riding
E. Tuna fishing
The classic Neanderthals, who lived between about
70,000 and 30,000 years ago, shared a number of special
characteristics. Like any biological population,
Neanderthals also showed variation in the degree to
which those characteristics were expressed. Generally,
they were powerfully built, short and stocky, with the
lower parts of their arms and legs short in relation to the
upper parts, as in modern peoples who live in cold
environments. Neanderthal skulls were distinctive,
housing brains even larger on average than those of
modem humans, a feature that may have had more to do
with their large, heavy bodies than with superior
intelligence. Seen from behind, Neanderthal skulls look
almost spherical, but from the side they are long and
flattened often with a bulging back.
The Neanderthal face, dominated by a projecting and
full nose, differed clearly from the faces of other
hominids; the middle parts appear to be pulled forward
(or the sides pulled back), resulting in a rather
streamlined face shape. This peculiarity may have been
related to the greater importance (in cultural activities as
well as food processing) of the front teeth, which are
large and part of a row of teeth that lies well forward in
the head; it may reflect a reduction in importance of
certain jaw muscles operating at the sides of the face; or
it may reflect an adaptation to cold. Whether it results
from any or all of these three factors or from other,
undiscovered causes, this midfacial projection is so
characteristic that it unfailingly identifies a Neanderthal
to the trained eye. Neanderthal teeth are much more
difficult to characterize: the front teeth are large, with
strong roots, but the back teeth may be relatively small.
This feature may have been an adaptation to cope with
heavy tooth wear
7. What does the passage mainly discuss?
A. The eating habits of the Neanderthals
B. A comparison of various prehistoric populations
C. The physical characteristics of the Neanderthals
D. The everyday life of the Neanderthals
E. The effect of climate on human development
8. The author describes the Neanderthal as being all of
the following EXCEPT
A. short
B. swift
C. bigger brain
D. strong
E. stocky
9. Which of the following most likely accounts for the
fact that the Neanderthal brain was larger than that
of the modern human?
A. The relatively large size of the Neanderthal's body
B. The natural diets of the Neanderthal
C. The superior intelligence of the Neanderthal.
D. The swelling behind the Neanderthal’s head
E. The Neanderthal's midfacial projection
10. Where in the passage does the author specifically
stress the contrast between the Neanderthal face and
that of other biologically related populations?
A. Lines 1–6
B. Lines 7–12
C. Lines 13–18
D. Lines 19–25
E. Lines 26–30
11. Which of the following explanations is NOT cited as a
possible explanation of the Neanderthal’s
streamlined face shape?
A. It is importance for cultural activities
B. Some jaw muscles had limited use.
C. The facial features were well adapted to the cold.
D. The front teeth were particularly important.
E. The nose was set far back
12. The phrase "the trained eye" in line 18 most likely
refers to which of the following professionals?
A. An optometrist
B. A dentist
C. An anthropologist
D. A photographer
E. A driver
13. In the last line 20, the author uses the expression
"heavy tooth wear" to imply that the Neanderthals
A. Had unusually heavy teeth
B. Used their teeth extensively
C. Regularly pulled out their teeth
D. Never took care of their teeth
E. Used teeth for ornamentation
14. The paragraph following this passage most probably
discusses
A. Other features of the Neanderthal anatomy
B. Cave painting of prehistoric time
C. The hunting methods of the Neanderthals
D. Flora and fauna of 70,000 years ago
E. Difficulties in preserving fossils
Arid regions in the southwestern United States have
become increasingly inviting playgrounds for the growing
number of recreation seekers who own vehicles such as
motorcycles or powered trail bikes and indulge in hill-
climbing contests or in carving new trails in the desert.
But recent scientific studies show that these off-road
vehicles can cause damage to desert landscapes that has
long-range effects on the area’s water-conserving
characteristics and on the entire ecology, both plant and
animal. Research by scientists in the western Mojave
Desert in California revealed that the compaction of the
sandy arid soil resulting from the passage of just one
motorcycle markedly reduced the infiltration ability of the
soil and created a stream of rain runoff water that eroded
the hillside surface. In addition, the researchers
discovered that the soil compaction caused by the off-
road vehicles often killed native plant species and
resulted in the invasion of different plant species within a
few years. The native perennial species required many
more years before they showed signs of returning. The
scientists calculated that roughly a century would be
required for the infiltration capacity of the Mojave soil to
be restored after being compacted by vehicles.

15. What is the main topic of the passage?

A. Problems caused by recreational vehicles
B. The landscape of the southwestern states
C. Types of off-road vehicles
D. Plants of the southwestern desert
E. The increasing number of recreation seekers

16. According to the passage, what is being damaged?

A. Rain water
B. Motorcycles
C. The desert landscape
D. Roads through the desert
E. New plant species

17. According to the passage, the damage to plants is

A. Unnoticeable
B. Superficial
C. Long-lasting
D. Irreparable
E. Consolable

18. According to the passage, what happens when the

soil is compacted?
A. Little water seeps through
B. Better roads are made
C. Water is conserved
D. Soil is more fertile
E. Deserts are expanded

19. What is happening to the desert hillsides?

A. The topsoil is being eroded
B. The surface is being irrigated
C. The soil if full by deposition of sediments
D. There are fewer types of plants growing on them
E. There are fewer streams running through them

20. According to the passage, what is happening to native

plants in these areas?
A. They are becoming more compact
B. They are thriving
C. They are adapting
D. They are invading other areas
E. They are dying