Week 1 · English Practice Paper

Reading Passage

Read the information below and then answer the questions.

The Ladybird's Journey

In summer, a mother ladybird lays tiny yellow eggs on the underside of a leaf. She chooses a leaf that is close to greenfly, because greenfly is what her babies will eat.

After a few days, tiny larvae hatch out of the eggs. A larva does not look like a ladybird at all. It is long and grey, with tiny spikes along its back, and it eats greenfly all day long so that it can grow bigger and stronger.

When the larva has eaten enough, it fixes itself to a leaf and turns into a pupa inside a hard case. Inside the case, its whole body changes shape. This is called metamorphosis.

After about a week, the pupa case splits open and a new ladybird climbs out. At first its wings are soft and pale, with no spots at all. Slowly its shell hardens, turns bright red, and black spots appear.

If a hungry bird tries to eat the ladybird, it rolls onto its back and lies very still, pretending to be dead. It can also let out a nasty-smelling liquid from its legs, which most birds do not like at all. In winter, ladybirds hide together in cracks in tree bark or under logs to keep warm until spring comes again.