EXERSICE 27.

PASSAGE ONE (Questions 1-5)

Cardamom is not as widely used as a spice in the United States as it is in other parts of the
world. This fruit of the ginger plant provides an oil that basically has been used solely as a
stimulant in American and English medicines. Other cultures have recognized the multipurpose
benefits of this aromatic fruit. In Asia it is used to season sauces such as curry; in Middle Eastern
countries it is steeped to prepare a flavorful, golden-colored tea; in parts of Northern Europe it is
used as a spice in various types of pastry.

PASSAGE ONE (Questions 6-13)

The life span of an elephant that dies from natural causes is about sixty-five years. Of course,
an elephant can perish from a number of “unnatural causes”; e.g., it can be killed by hunters,
most probably for the valuable ivory in its tusks; it can die from diseases that spread throughout
an elephant herd; or it can die from drought or from the lack of food that almost certainly
accompanies the inadequate supply of water.
If, however, an elephant survives these disasters, it falls prey to old age in its mid-sixties.
Around this age, the cause of death is attributed to the loss of the final set of molars. When this
last set of teeth is gone, the elephant dies from malnutrition because it is unable to obtain
adequate nourishment. In old age, elephants tend to search out a final home where there is
shade for comfort from the sun and soft vegetation for cushioning; the bones of many old
elephants have been found in such places.

PASSAGE THREE (Questions 14-21)

The American flag is the end product of a long evolution. Each of its component parts has its own history.
The very first American flag was hoisted in the skies over Boston on January 1, 1776, by the American forces there. This first flag consisted of thirteen red and white stripes representing the number of American colonies. It also included the British Cross of St. George and Cross of St. Andrew. It could be considered rather ironic that these symbols of British rule were included on the American flag in that the American colonists were fighting for independence from the British.
The origin of the stars on the current flag is obscure; that is, the stars could possibly have been taken from the flag of Rhode Island, or they could have been taken from the coat of arms of the Washington family. According to legend, this first flag with stars was sewn by Betsy Ross, a Philadelphia seamstress who was famous for her clever needlework. This version of the flag contained thirteen stars and thirteen stripes, one for each of the thirteen colonies battling for independence.
The original idea was to add one star and one stripe for each state that joined the new, young country. However, by 1818, the number of states had grown to twenty, and it did not work well to keep adding stripes to the flag. As a result, Congress made the decision to revert to the original thirteen stripes representing the thirteen original colonies and adding a star each time a new state was admitted. This has been the policy ever since.