Duolingo English Test Practice: Reading and Language

Read and Complete

Bees play a quiet but vital role in the way our food is grown. As they move from flower to flower in search of nectar, they carry tiny grains of pollen on their bodies. This process, known as pollination, allows many plants to produce the fruits and seeds we depend on. Without such visits, apple trees, berry bushes, and countless vegetables would struggle to grow. Scientists estimate that a large share of the crops people eat rely on insects for this service. In recent years, however, bee populations have fallen in many regions. Farmers and researchers now work together to protect these small creatures by planting wild flowers and reducing harmful chemicals. Their efforts remind us that even the tiniest animals can shape the health of an entire farming system, and that caring for nature often means caring for the food on our own tables.

Interactive Reading

The city of Venice sits on a group of small islands in a shallow lagoon along the coast of northern Italy. For centuries its people built homes, churches, and bridges on wooden posts driven deep into the soft mud below the water. This unusual foundation allowed a great trading city to rise where solid land was scarce. Today those same waters, which once brought wealth through shipping, present one of the city’s greatest challenges.

Every year Venice floods during a season the locals call the acqua alta, or high water. Strong winds and high tides push seawater into the lagoon, and the oldest squares can sit under water for hours. Residents have long adapted by raising walkways and moving valuable goods to upper floors. Yet the floods have grown more frequent and more severe, and shopkeepers near the canals now count the cost of repeated damage.

To defend the city, engineers built a system of movable barriers at the mouths of the lagoon. When a dangerous tide is forecast, the barriers fill with air and rise from the seabed to hold back the sea. The project took many years and vast sums of money to complete, and it does not solve every problem. Still, on several occasions it has kept the streets dry when older defenses would have failed.

Beyond the barriers, Venice faces a slower threat. The ground beneath the city is sinking a little each decade, while the level of the sea is gradually rising. Some experts argue that the barriers buy time rather than offer a permanent answer. They urge planners to think about the long future of a place whose beauty draws millions of visitors but whose survival can no longer be taken for granted.

Vocabulary in Context

Choose the best option for each item below.