Hummingbird is a common name for any of the more than 300 species of a family of small birds found in the Americas. The hummingbird family contains the smallest of all birds; many species are less than 8 cm (3 in) in overall length. The smallest species is the bee hummingbird of Cuba. Males are slightly smaller than females, being about 5.5 cm (about 2.17 in) long, and weighing only 1.95 g (about 0.07 oz). In spite of their tiny size, males of this species, like many other hummingbirds, are fiercely territorial.
Hummingbirds are known for their rapid flight; their strong wing beat is so rapid that it produces a hum, which accounts for their common name. They feed on nectar and tiny insects found within flowers, and hover in front of the flower as they reach for their food with their long, extensible tongues. To move away from the flowers, hummingbirds must fly backwards, and they are the only birds capable of this maneuver. The slender bills of hummingbirds vary in size and amount of curvature according to the size and shape of the flowers favored by each species. Hummingbirds share several anatomical characteristics with swifts (see Swift).
Most hummingbirds are brightly colored and iridescent, commonly metallic green. The throat is often glittering red, blue, or emerald green, usually in males only. In one group of hummingbirds, the hermits, the plumage is chiefly brown, with no iridescence. Hermits also differ from other hummingbirds in building long hanging nests, often fastened to large leaves.
1. What is the topic of the reading passage?
A. birds
B. insects
C. rapid birds
D. hummingbirds
E. swift birds
2. What is the main idea of paragraph 1?
A. The hummingbird has a large number of species.
B. The bee hummingbird is found only in Cuba.
C. Hummingbirds can be found in the Americas.
D. The bee hummingbird is the smallest species.
E. The hummingbird is small and territorial.
3. What is the topic of paragraph 2?
A. Characteristics of the hummingbird
B. Nectar as the hummingbird’s food
C. The hummingbird’s extensible tongues
D. The slender bills of the hummingbird
E. The shape and size of the hummingbird
4. What is the main idea of paragraph 3?
A. The shape and size of the hummingbird varies
B. Hermits differ from other hummingbirds in color
C. Hummingbirds have bright and iridescent color
D. Hummingbirds build long hanging nests
E. The hermit is a species of the hummingbird
5. What is unique about hummingbirds compared to other birds?
A. They build their nests on a branch of a tree
B. They fly backwards when moving away from flowers
C. They have colorful wings and beautiful feathers
D. They have unique anatomical characteristics
E. They feed on nectar they get from flowers
6. The humming sound comes from … .
A. the bird’s tail
B. the bird’s mouth
C. the bird’s head
D. the bird’s wings
E. the bird’s beak
7. We know from its context clues that the word tiny is similar in meaning to the word … .
A. small
B. common
C. rapid
D. swift
E. long
8. The passage above is … .
A. a narrative story
B. a recount
C. a descriptive text
D. a report
E. an exposition
