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Passage 8

Far from being fixed on Earth, scientists now know that Australia has

wandered over the face of the planet for billions of years, sometimeslying in the northern hemisphere, sometimes in the south. For 40 million

years, after finally cutting the umbilicus with Antarctica, it slowly drifted

northwards, in isolation, at about half the rate at which a human hair

grows.

Now that the sheep has faltered, Australians ride more and more

upon the marsupials back. To a large extent, but more difficult to

quantify, Australias fauna and flora are being used as a uniqueresource. In scientific disciplines from reproductive physiology and

evolutionary biology to medicine, Australias native species are hailed asa unique and priceless heritage. They are providing insights into the

way the world, and humans themselves, work.

Australias rainforeststhose unimportant appendagesare now

widely acknowledged as being the most ancient of humanitys land-based ecosystems, which gave rise to most others. Botanical discoveries

of worldwide importance are being made in them every year. Australian

botanists have recently completed a catalogue of Australian plants, in

which they list 18,000 species. Their taxonomic work over recent yearshas resulted in a 50 percent increase in the number of species in the

groups examined. Yet they estimate that about 7,000 undiscovered

plant species still exist in Australia. Many surely inhabit Australian

rainforests and are members of ancient and bizarre families, like the

southern pine (Podocarpus species) recently found growing in a steep

valley in Arnhem Land, thousands of kilometres distant from its nearestrelatives.

Research on newly discovered Australian dinosaur faunas is

challenging previous conceptions of what dinosaurs were like. So

important are these discoveries that an Australian dinosaur recently

made it onto the cover of a major international magazine. It was

discovered in one of only two deposits in t he world w hich was laid down

near the South Pole during the age of dinosaurs. The chicken-sized

species survived three months of darkness each year in a refrigeratedworld.

Scientists are finally understanding that evolution in Australia, incontrast to evolution on some other continents, is not driven solely by

nature red in tooth and claw. Here, a more gentle forcethat ofcoadaptationis important. This is because harsh conditions forceindividuals to cooperate to minimize the loss of nutrients, and to keep

them cycling t hrough the ecosystem as rapidly as possible.

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1. Based on inform ation in t he passage, which of t he following is NOT tr ue?

A. Australia has moved from one hemisphere to the other over time.B. Most Australian plant species remain undiscovered.

C. Important information is being gathered by studying Australian plants.

D. Australian rainforests are different from other rainforests.

E. Dinosaurs had once existed in what is now Australia

2. Suppose that a previously unknown species of plant that is capable of

producing medicine is found in an Australian rainforest. How would this

information affect the authors opinion of Australian rainforests?

A. It would support the authors opinion.

B. It would contradict the authors opinion.C. It would neither support nor contradict the authors opinion.D. It would contradict the authors opinion only if this species of plant

cannot be found anywhere else.

E. It would weaken the argument that Australian ecosystem is unique

3. According to the passage, all of the following are considered benefits ofstudying Australian ecosystems EXCEPT:

A. increasing kn owledge of reproductive ph ysiology and m edicine.

B. gaining information concerning evolutionary trends.

C. furthering the understanding of the uses of hydroelectric power andsolar energy.

D. providing insight int o ancient ecosystem s

E. providing an insight into the way humans work

4. What is the main purpose of the author in writing the passage?

A. to state that dinosaurs originated in what is now Austr alia

B. to criticise modern scientists for not understanding the unique import ance

of Australia

C. to discuss some unique ecological features of Austr alia

D. to assert t hat Austr alian rainforests are the oldest of them all

E. Australian flora and fauna are not found anywhere else in th e world