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Listen to an Academic Talk Test #036
Listen to an Academic Talk
1. What is the main purpose of the talk?
A) To compare different bee species
B) To explain a method of bee communication
C) To describe the diet of honeybees
D) To discuss the social structure of a beehive
2. According to the professor, what does the duration of the waggle part of the dance indicate?
A) The quality of the food source
B) The direction of the food source
C) The type of flower to look for
D) The distance to the food source
3. What can be inferred about a bee colony that cannot perform the waggle dance?
A) It would gather food less efficiently.
B) It would have a smaller population.
C) It would be more aggressive.
D) It would build a different type of hive.
4. Why does the professor mention the sun?
A) To explain how bees navigate on cloudy days
B) To describe the physical effects of sunlight on bees
C) To help explain how bees communicate direction
D) To give an example of a threat to the hive
Professor: Today we'll discuss a fascinating form of animal communication: the waggle dance of the honeybee. When a forager bee finds a good source of nectar, it returns to the hive and performs this special dance to tell its hive-mates where to go. The dance is a figure-eight pattern. The crucial part is the straight run in the middle, the "waggling" part. The direction of this run, relative to the vertical direction inside the dark hive, tells the other bees the direction of the food source in relation to the sun. And the duration of the waggle indicates the distance. A longer waggle means the food is farther away. For example, a one-second waggle might mean the nectar is one kilometer away. This complex system is incredibly efficient, allowing the colony to exploit resources over a large area, which is vital for its survival.
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