Reprinted with permission from the BBC (bbc.co.uk)
Pre-Reading Questions: Keep a look out for these details when reading! Then, after you’ve read, fill in the answers.
How does alcohol affect fruit flies?
What is the use of rewards systems?
Of the two fruit fly groups, which had the higher levels of which chemical?
Reading Comprehension Questions: Now that you’ve read the piece, answer these questions with short, complete answers (2 – 3 sentences). Where possible, try to use quotes directly from the article.
What other animals have shown similar connections between alcohol and the neurotransmitter?
Why did the scientists choose alcohol?
How did scientists prove that the neurotransmitter involved was responsible for the changes in the flies’ behavior and not just linked to it?
What do scientists think this connection between behavior and the transmitter hints at?
Is there any direct link between the way that the flies behave and the way that humans behave?
Now that you’ve answered the questions, use them to compile a summary. Remember, you want to hit on the main ideas, explaining who (or what) did what when and where, as well as (if possible) why they did it. After that, explain what’s happened as a result and what might happen in the future.
Vocabulary: define the following words using context clues. Explain how you arrived at the definition from the surrounding information.
conquest
consumption
fates
molecule
manipulate
