Reprinted with permission from the BBC (bbc.co.uk)
Pre-Reading Questions: Keep a look out for these details when reading! Then, after you’ve read, fill in the answers.
What particular breed of honeybees is the one mentioned in the article?
What are the “higher centers” of the bees’ brains also known as?
What kind of information is it suggested that this “high center” process?
How do honeybees kill invasive animals?
They sting them to death
They smother them with a ball of their bodies
They eat them alive
They don’t fight back at all
What is the most active part of the bees’ brains during these attacks?
Their higher centers
Their lower centers
Their brains show no special activity during these attacks
The bees’ whole bodies show an increase in activity
When is there a similar increase in brain activity?
During cold spells
When one bee is stranded from the others
When the bees are near death
When the bees are exposed to a high level of heat
What does the “mushroom body” in each bee allow them to do?
Detect the others bees
Detect intruders
Fly
Generate a large amount of body heat
What is so important about the bees’ ability to maintain 46 degree body temperature?
If it is lower, they cannot kill the hornet
If it is any higher, it will kill the bees
Both A and B
The specific temperature is not important
Now that you’ve answered the questions, use them to compile a summary. Remember, you want to hit on the main ideas, explaining who (or what) did what when and where, as well as (if possible) why they did it. After that, explain what’s happened as a result and what might happen in the future.
Vocabulary: define the following words using context clues. Explain how you arrived at the definition from the surrounding information.
