full transcript

From the Ted Talk by Charles Wallace: Are there any places on Earth with no bugs?

Unscramble the Blue Letters


However, only one insect group is known to actually withstand the ocean’s depths: these are parasitic lice, and they live on deep-sea-diving pinnipeds, like seals and walruses. Their plunges can take the lice thousands of meters underwater for entdxeed periods. Most icnstes use holes on the sides of their abdomens, called spiracles, to take in oxygen. ienttsnrligey, these lice are equipped with microscopic scrueturts that allow them to shut their spiracles entirely. seintsctis think this may help them keep air inside or prevent water from entering, allowing them to survive long periods submerged in high-pressure conditions. Some lice may also attain oxygen by living on sales whose fur traps air cosle to their beiods. Meanwhile, lice on marine mammals with less hair seem to have more scale-like structures on their abnedoms, which might help them trap a little layer of air all for themselves.

Open Cloze


However, only one insect group is known to actually withstand the ocean’s depths: these are parasitic lice, and they live on deep-sea-diving pinnipeds, like seals and walruses. Their plunges can take the lice thousands of meters underwater for ________ periods. Most _______ use holes on the sides of their abdomens, called spiracles, to take in oxygen. _____________, these lice are equipped with microscopic __________ that allow them to shut their spiracles entirely. __________ think this may help them keep air inside or prevent water from entering, allowing them to survive long periods submerged in high-pressure conditions. Some lice may also attain oxygen by living on _____ whose fur traps air _____ to their ______. Meanwhile, lice on marine mammals with less hair seem to have more scale-like structures on their ________, which might help them trap a little layer of air all for themselves.

Solution


  1. scientists
  2. abdomens
  3. insects
  4. interestingly
  5. structures
  6. close
  7. seals
  8. bodies
  9. extended

Original Text


However, only one insect group is known to actually withstand the ocean’s depths: these are parasitic lice, and they live on deep-sea-diving pinnipeds, like seals and walruses. Their plunges can take the lice thousands of meters underwater for extended periods. Most insects use holes on the sides of their abdomens, called spiracles, to take in oxygen. Interestingly, these lice are equipped with microscopic structures that allow them to shut their spiracles entirely. Scientists think this may help them keep air inside or prevent water from entering, allowing them to survive long periods submerged in high-pressure conditions. Some lice may also attain oxygen by living on seals whose fur traps air close to their bodies. Meanwhile, lice on marine mammals with less hair seem to have more scale-like structures on their abdomens, which might help them trap a little layer of air all for themselves.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations


ngrams of length 2

collocation frequency
surface tension 2


Important Words


  1. abdomens
  2. air
  3. allowing
  4. attain
  5. bodies
  6. called
  7. close
  8. conditions
  9. entering
  10. equipped
  11. extended
  12. fur
  13. group
  14. hair
  15. holes
  16. insect
  17. insects
  18. interestingly
  19. layer
  20. lice
  21. live
  22. living
  23. long
  24. mammals
  25. marine
  26. meters
  27. microscopic
  28. oxygen
  29. parasitic
  30. periods
  31. pinnipeds
  32. plunges
  33. prevent
  34. scientists
  35. seals
  36. shut
  37. sides
  38. spiracles
  39. structures
  40. submerged
  41. survive
  42. thousands
  43. trap
  44. traps
  45. underwater
  46. walruses
  47. water
  48. withstand