ACT English Practice Test 56

Give a Snake a Break

Throughout much of history, snakes have had _a reputation for being more deadly then _Q31 they actually are. Negative associations abound: a "snake in the grass" is a seemingly innocent person intent on causing harm.Q32 A "snake charmer" uses flattery to distract you from his shady intent. Nearly every _reference to a snake that is popular _Q33 in modern society bears this negative connotation. Despite this perception, the snake, _with its _Q34 ugly, slimy appearance, is one of the most unjustly maligned creatures on the planet.

Snakes are only rarely dangerous to humans. Their _fangs, _Q35 so intimidating when the snakes are hissing, are designed not to attack people but to hold small _prey_; Q36 small rodents, birds, insects, etc. Only exceptionally large snakes, like pythons or anacondas, pose a real threat. Most of the time, the typical snake you encounter in your backyard is more afraid of you than you are of it and will gladly avoid any contact with you.

Poisonous snakes-such as rattlesnakes, vipers, and cobras-are most frightening to people, but _they attack if they are only provoked. _Q37 While certainly venomous, these snakes pose a threat mainly to smaller animals. Of the 5 million snake bites that occur each year to humans around the world, only about 2.5 percent prove fatal. Q38 Prompt treatment with one of the available anti venoms _do much _Q39 to ensure the victim's survival. Although you may get an infection at the wound site, you can be effectively treated, _seeing as _Q40 you are still shaken from the encounter, you will survive.

Why put up with snakes at all? Even if they don't normally kill humans, most people still _considering them a nuisance and avoiding _Q41 them like the plague. Individuals who dislike snakes for this reason do not appreciate the great service snakes do for humanity. The typical diet of a snake includes small rodents like rats, mice, gophers, and prairie dogs, as well as lizards, birds, fish, and insects. We may not like _snakes, if they _Q42 were mysteriously wiped out of existence, however, we would be virtually overrun with other vermin that would spread disease and filth.

So, next time you hear about someone putting down snakes, stand up for our legless friends. _These snakes in the grass help us more than we might think. _Q43Q44Q45