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About termites

Termites are a group ofeusocial insects that, until recently, were classified atthe taxonomic rankoforderIsoptera ,but are now accepted as

the epifamily Termitoidae. While termites are commonly known, especially in Australia, as

"white ants", they are only distantly related to the ants. Like ants, and some bees and wasps

which are all placed in the separate orderHymenopteratermites divide labor among castes,

produce overlapping generations and take care of young collectively. Termites mostly feed

on dead plant material, generally in the form of wood, leaf litter, soil, or animal dung, and

about 10% of the estimated 4,000 species (about 2,600 taxonomically known) areeconomically significant as pests that can cause serious structural damage to buildings, crops

or plantation forests. Termites are majordetritivores, particularly in

the subtropical and tropical regions, and their recycling of wood and other plant matter is of

considerable ecological importance. As eusocial insects, termites live in colonies that, at

maturity, number from several hundred to several million individuals. A typical colony

contains nymphs (semimature young), workers, soldiers, and reproductive individuals of both

sexes, sometimes containing several egg-laying queens.Termites are generally grouped according to their feeding behaviour. Thus, the

commonly used general groupings are subterranean, soil-feeding, drywood, dampwood, and

grass-eating. Of these, subterraneans and drywoods are primarily responsible for damage to

human-made structures.

Some species of termite practice fungiculture. They maintain a garden of specialized

fungi of genus Termitomyces, which are nourished by the excrement of the insects. When the

fungi are eaten, their spores pass undamaged through the intestines of the termites to completethe cycle by germinating in the fresh faecal pellets.They are also well known for eating

smaller insects in a last resort environment.

A recent study by Australian scientists found that termites have been found to excrete

trace deposits of gold. They believe that studying termite nests may lead to less invasive

methods of finding gold deposits. Termites may produce up to two litres of hydrogen from

digesting a single sheet of paper, making them one of the planets most efficient bioreactors.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusocialityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insecthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxonomy_(biology)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_(biology)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epifamilyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wasphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hymenopterahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detritushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_litterhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detritivorehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subtropicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusocialityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fungiculturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fungiculturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Termitomyceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioreactorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bioreactorhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrogenhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Termitomyceshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fungiculturehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusocialityhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tropicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Subtropicshttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detritivorehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plant_litterhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detritushttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hymenopterahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wasphttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australiahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Epifamilyhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Order_(biology)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Taxonomy_(biology)http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insecthttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eusociality

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Few zoos hold termites, due to the difficulty in keeping them captive and the

reluctance of authorities to permit potential pests. One of the few that does is Zoo

Basel in Switzerland. At Zoo Basel, two African termite (Macrotermes bellicosus)

populations exist and thrive - resulting in very rare (in captivity) mass migrations of young

flying termites. This happened last in September 2008, when thousands of male termites left

their mound each night, died, and covered the floors and water pits of the house where their

exhibit is located.

Traducere

Despre termite

Termitele sunt un grup de insecte sociale care, pn de curnd, au fost clasificate la

rangul taxonomic al ordinului Isoptera , dar sunt acum acceptate ca suprafamilia Termidoidae.

n timp ce termitele sunt cunoscute , n special n Australia, ca "furnicile albe", acestea sunt

doar rude ndeprtate ale furnicilor. Ca furnicile, i unele albine si viespi, care toate sunt

plasate n ordinul separat Hymenoptera-termitele mpart munca ntre caste, produc generaii

suprapuse i au grij de colectivitatea tnr. Termitele se hrnesc mai ales cu material

vegetal mort, n general sub form de lemn, resturi de frunze, sol sau blegar de animale, i

aproximativ 10% din cele aproximativ 4.000 de specii (aproximativ 2.600 cunoscute

taxonomic) sunt semnificative din punct de vedere economic ca duntori care pot provoca

daune structurale grave pentru cldiri, culturi sau plantaiile forestiere. Termitele sunt

detritivore majore, n special n regiunile subtropicale i tropicale, i rumeguul lsat de ele i

din alte materii vegetale sunt de o importan ecologic considerabil.Ca i insecte sociale,

termitele triesc n colonii care la maturitate numr de la cteva sute la cteva milioane de

indivizi. O colonie tipic conine nimfe(tineri semi-maturi), muncitori, soldai i indivizi

reproductori ai ambelor sexe, uneori coninnd mai multe regine outoare.

Termitele sunt n general grupate n funcie de comportamentul lor alimentar. Astfel,

gruprile generale frecvent utilizate sunt: subterane, care se hrnesc cu sol, lemn uscat, lemn

ud i mnctoare de iarb. Dintre acestea cele subterane i cele de lemn uscat sunt n primul

rnd responsabile de daunele structurilor fcute de om.

Unele specii de termite practic fungicultura. Ele au o grdin de fungi specializai

de genul Termitomyces care sunt hrnite de excrementele insectelor. Cnd ciupercile suntmncate, sporii lor trec intaci prin intestine termitelor pentru a completa ciclul prin germinare

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoo_Baselhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoo_Baselhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switzerlandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macrotermitinaehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macrotermitinaehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Switzerlandhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoo_Baselhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zoo_Basel

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n peletele fecalelor proaspete. Acestea (acest tip de termite) sunt de asemenea bine cunoscute

ca mnctoare de insecte mai mici ntr-un mediu de ultim instan.

Un studiu recent realizat de oamenii de tiin australieni a descoperit c termitele au

fost aflate avnd n excremente depozite de aur. Ei cred c studierea cuibului de termite poate

duce la metode mult mai puin invazive de a gsi zcminte de aur. Termitele pot produce mai

mult de doi litri de hidrogen de la digestia unei singure buci de hrtie, ceea ce le face una

dintre cele mai eficiente bioreactoare de pe planet.

Puine grdini zoo dein termite, din cauza dificultii de a le ine n activitate din

cauza reticenei autoritilor de a permite eventuale neplceri. Una dintre cele care dein este

cea din Basel n Elveia. La parcul zoo din Basel, exist dou populaii africane de termite

(Macrotermes bellicosus) i prosper rezultnd n foarte rare (in captivitate) migraii n mas

a tinerelor termite zburtoare. Acest lucru s-a ntmplat ultima dat n septembrie 2008, cnd

mii de termite mascul au prsit cuibul lor n fiecare noapte, au murit, i au acoperit podelele

i puurile de ap ale casei unde se afla expoziia lor.

Propoziii cu timpurile limbii engleze:

1. The boy wants a toy car for Christmas. (present simple)

2. She is not talking at the moment, she is eating. (present continuous)

3. Havent you eaten too much chocolate already? (present perfect)

4. They havent been watching TV this afternoon. (present perfect continuous)

5. We went to the zoo yesterday. (past tense simple)

6. I was reading the lesson when the teacher came in. (past tense continuous)

7. Hadnt he loved you? (past perfect)

8. I have been thinking of writing you a mail when you called me. (past perfect continuous)

9. She told me I would be in trouble. (future in the past)

10. I wont tell where she is. (future simple)