explanation text exercise

A natural disaster is a terrible accident, e.g. a great flood, a big fire or an earthquake. It usually causes great suffering and loss of a large sum of money. The casualties are injured or died. Some people are homeless and need medical care. Floods occur when the water of rivers, lakes, or streams overflow their banks and pour onto the surrounding land. Floods are caused by many different things. Often heavy rainstorms that last for a brief can cause a flood. But not all heavy storms are followed by flooding. If the surrounding land is flat and can absorb the water, no flooding will occur. If, however, the land is hard and rocky, heavy rain cannot be absorbed. Where the banks are low, a river may overflow and flood adjacent lowland. In many part of the world flood are caused by tropical storms called hurricanes or typhoons. They bring destructive winds of high speed, torrents of rain, and flooding. When a flood occurs, the destruction to surrounding land can be severe. Whole villages and towns are sometimes swept away by water pouring swiftly over the land. Railroad track blocked and uprooted from their beds. Highways are washed away. When a building caught fire, the firemen pitched in to help battle the blaze. Before the pumps were invented, people formed bucket brigades to fight fires. Standing side by side, they formed a human chain from the fire to nearby well or river. They passed buckets of water from to hand to be poured on the flames. The damage of the fire did depend a great deal on where it happened. In the country or a small village, only a single house might burn down. But in crowded cities, fire often destroyed whole blocks and neighborhoods before being controlled. (Soal UN SMA/MA IPA 2011/2012) 

1. What can possibly prevent rivers and lakes from overflowing? 

 A. An absorbent bed. 

 B. A rocky surrounding. 

 C. A low land. 

(D. A high bank) 

 E. A high road. 

2. We know from the text that . 

 A. River can sweep heavy flood 

 B. People can make money from flood 

 C. The destruction by flood is always less severe               

(D. Water flood is absorbed by land) 

 E. Typhoons caused heavy flood 

3. We know from the text that . . . . 

 A. The pump is the only tool used by fire fighters now 

(B. The pump helps people to fight fires more efficiently) 

 C. Fires in big cities are always very big 

 D. People no longer use buckets to control fire

 E. Only firemen can control fires in crowded cities Silkworms live for only two or three days after laying eggs. 

About 36,000 to 50,000 eggs are laid, and these are carefully stored at the silkworm farm until they are ready to hatch. The eggs hatch into caterpillars, which feed on mulberry leaves. Soon, the caterpillars are ready to spin their cocoons. Not all caterpillars can spin silk cocoons. Only the caterpillars of a silkworm moth known as ‘Bombyx mari’ can do such spinning. This caterpillar has special glands which secrete liquid silk through its lower lip. The liquid produced later hardens to form tine strands. The caterpillar makes its cocoons using these strands. The threads on the outside of the cocoon are rough, while those inside are soft and smooth. Some fully-spun cocoons are heated. This kills the pupa inside. The cocoons are then put into hot water to loosen the fine threads. Finally, these threads are reeled off the cocoons. The length of unbroken thread produced by a single cocoon measures about one-and-a-half kilometers. Being twisted together several of these threads make single woven materials.

4. What is the purpose of the text …….. 

 A. To persuade readers to buy silk. 

 B. To put silk into different categories. 

 C. To entertain readers with the knowledge. 

 D. To present some points of view about silk. 

(E. To describe how silk comes into existence.) 

5. How are the threads on the outside of the cocoon …….. 

 A. Fine. 

 B. Soft. 

(C. Rough.) 

 D. Strong. 

 E. Smooth.