A free interactive reading comprehension for Year 5 KS2 pupils about the amazing world of insects. Read the passage, then answer questions, match vocabulary, practise grammar and write creatively.
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Read the passage carefully. You may look back at it at any time.
1Insects are the most successful group of animals on Earth. There are more species of insect than all other animal species combined, and scientists believe there may be as many as ten million insect species yet to be discovered. Every insect has six legs, three body parts and usually one or two pairs of wings. The three body parts are the head, the thorax and the abdomen. Most insects also have a pair of antennae, which they use to smell, feel and even hear the world around them.
2One of the most remarkable things about insects is the way they communicate. Honeybees perform an elaborate dance called the waggle dance to tell other bees in the hive exactly where to find food. The direction and speed of the dance gives precise information about the location of flowers. Ants leave trails of chemicals called pheromones on the ground as they walk, allowing other ants in the colony to follow the same path to a food source. Crickets rub their wings together to produce the chirping sound we hear on warm evenings.
3Insects play a vital role in keeping our natural world healthy. Bees, butterflies and many other insects carry pollen from flower to flower as they feed on nectar. This process, called pollination, allows plants to produce seeds and fruit. Without insect pollinators, many of the foods we eat every day, including apples, strawberries and almonds, could not be grown. Insects also help to break down dead leaves and wood, returning important nutrients to the soil and keeping the ground fertile.
4Insects have developed some extraordinary ways of protecting themselves from predators. The stick insect has a body that looks almost exactly like a twig, making it almost impossible to spot among the branches. Some butterflies have large circular markings on their wings that look like the eyes of a much bigger animal, startling predators and giving the butterfly time to escape. The bombardier beetle defends itself in a truly startling way: it fires a boiling hot chemical spray from its abdomen with a loud popping sound.
5Despite their importance, many insect populations are in decline. The use of pesticides in farming, the loss of wild habitats and changes in climate have all reduced the number of insects in many parts of the world. Scientists warn that a sharp fall in insect numbers could have serious consequences for the food chain, as so many other animals depend on insects for food. Protecting insects means protecting wild flowers, reducing chemical use and leaving areas of natural habitat for insects to live and breed.
Statement A: Scientists believe all insect species have already been discovered.
Statement B: Pesticides, habitat loss and climate change have all contributed to falling insect numbers.
Match each word from the passage to its correct meaning. Click a word, then click its definition.