Gliding and Soaring

Gliding and SoaringGliding is gravity-powered flight where the movement of the glider has adownward tilt. But many birds are capable of ascending without flapping theirwings, and this is called soaring. [ █ ] Birds usually soar by finding air that isrising as fast as or faster than the gliding bird's sinking speed. [ █ ] Forexample, a turkey vulture might glide with a sinking speed of about 0.8 metersper second. [ █ ] If the vulture can find a place where the air is rising at 0.8meters per second, it will be able to maintain a constant altitude. [ █ ] If it findsair rising faster than that, it will be able to climb.Which of the following plays a role in helping a bird to soarA.GravityB.Wing flappingC.GlidingD.Rising airIn paragraph 1, why does the author discuss the example of a turkey vulture inflightA.To explain why birds sink unless they find currents of rising airB.To provide information about sinking and soaring speeds typical forlarge birdsC.To illustrate why gliding birds seek out rapidly rising air currentsD.To clarify the relationship between sinking speed and the speed ofrising air needed to soarLook at the four squares[ █ ]that indicate where the following sentence can beadded to the passage.Where would the sentence best fit?Click on asquare[ █ ] to insert the sentence in the passageSoaring uses energy such as rising air currents to allow birds to increasetime aloft.Two common processes produce updrafts, or rising air. When heated air rises,it is called a thermal, and when wind blows up a hill or over a large obstacle, itis called ridge lift or slope lift. Thermals occur when the Sun heats some partsof the ground more than others. For example, a freshly plowed field may heatup faster than an adjacent meadow. The warm ground heats the air above it,and the air starts to rise. As the warm air rises, it is replaced by cool air fromthe surrounding terrain, and this new air is heated until it rises. Thermals maybe continuous chimneys of rising air, or a series of discrete, doughnut-shapedbubbles (ring thermals) formed at intervals by the warmed ground.The word “adjacent” in the passage is closest in meaning toA.openB.nearbyC.densely coveredD.sunnyParagraph 2 implies that which of the following is a factor that contributes tothe formation of thermalsA.In some areas, characteristics of the ground cause it to heat morethan surrounding areas.B.The sun heats the air, causing it to start to rise.C.Warm air continues to rise until the ground beneath it is cooled bycolder air.D.Uneven heating of the air causes it to rotate as it rises.If they could be made visible, ring thermals would look like giant, rising smokerings. Some airplane pilots and biologists disagree about the exact form ofcontinuous thermal chimneys. Pilots have traditionally interpreted thermals aslarge, tall columns o...