Trees are so common and quiet that we pay them little mind.What,for instance, should we answer when asked to name the biggest living thing the earth has ever seen? Dinosaurs?Blue whales?No,the largest sequoias in northern California weigh more than six blue whales.The tallest redwoods and Australian eucalyptus trees tower more than 300 feet high,three times the length of the greatest dinosaur. You think,at 150 or more year,giant tortoises can live a long time?Some bristle cone pine trees in the American West are more than 4,000 years old,seedlings at the time the Egyptians were building the pyramids. Trees sustain our lives and our planet in a thousand practical ways.This morning at breakfast-in your wood -framed house,on your wooden kitchen table you might have enjoyed orange juice or a grapefruit.Both come to us from trees.Over your French toast you may have sprinkled cinnamon and nutmeg,the powdered bark and nuts of tropical trees. That quart of maple syrup on your table was boiled down from roughly 10 gallons of sap from a sugar-maple tree.And the morning newspaper was printed in the processed wood pulp we call paper.Do you like chocolate,almonds,cola beverages?Cocoa beans,almonds and Kola nuts are tree products.How about gin and tonic?Gin gets its flavor from juniper tree berries,and the quinine in tonic comes from the cinchona tree. Trees do more than make life pleasant;they make life possible.Trees get water through their roots and,primarily through their leaves,they draw carbon dioxide from the air.Then,with the action of sunlight on cells containing chlorophyll and other materials, chemical reactions occur,and oxygen is released.Through photosynthesis,an acre of trees produces enough oxygen to sustain three humans. Complete the following statements by choosing the best from the answers A,B,or C.Write A, B,C on your Answer Sheet. 31.The sequoias are A.Californian whales B.Californian trees C.Australian trees 32.Eucalyptus trees are A.nearly as big as dinosaurs B.bigger than six blue whales C.capable of growing to 300 feet 97• • Trees are so common and quiet that we pay them little mind. What , for instance , should we answer when asked to name the biggest living thing the earth has ever seen? Dinosaurs? Blue whales? No , the largest sequoias in northern California weigh more than six blue whales. The tallest redwoods and Australian eucalyptus trees tower more than 300 feet high , three times the length of the greatest dinosaur. You think , at 150 or more year , giant tortoises can live a long time? Some bristle cone pine trees in the American West are more than 4 ,000 years old , seedlings at the time the Egyptians were building the pyramids. Trees sustain our lives and our planet in a thousand practical ways. This morning at breakfast - in your wood 一framed house , on your wooden kitchen table you might have enjoyed orange juice or a grapefruit. Both come to us from trees. Over your French toast you may have sprinkled cinnamon and nutmeg , the powdered bark and nuts of tropical trees. That quart of maple syrup on your table was boiled down from roughly 10 gallons of sap from a sugar-maple tree. And the morning newspaper was printed in the processed wood pulp we call paper. Do you like chocolate , almonds, cola beverages? Cocoa beans, almonds and Kola nuts are tree products. How about gin and tonic? Gin gets its flavor from juniper tree berries, and the quinine in tonic comes from the cinchona tree. Trees do more than make life pleasant; they make life possible. Trees get water through their roots and , primarily through their leaves, they draw carbon dioxide from the air. Then , with the action of sunlight on cells containing chlorophyll and other materials, chemical reactions occur , and oxygen is released. Through photosynthesis, an acre of tr produc巳s enough oxygen to sustain three humans. Complete the following statements by choosing the best from the answers A , B, or C. Write A , B, C on your Answer Sheet. 31. The sequoias are A. Californian whales B. Californian trees C. Australian trees 32. Eucalyptus trees are A. nearly as big as dinosaurs B. bigger than six blue whales C. capable of growing to 300 feet 97