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About Unity 1. Which paragraph lacks a topic sentence? ________________
2. Which sentence in "Three Kinds of Dogs" should be eliminated in the interest of
paragraph unity? ___________
About Support 3. Which of the three phases in "Studying for a Test" lacks specific details? _____________
About Coherence 4. Which sentences in “Three Kinds of Dogs” contain transition words or phrases?
___________
Reading text 1
An apple a day keeps the doctor away. In winter, the antioxidant vitamin C in
oranges and citrus fruits boosts the immune system. Grapes are high in nutrients;
vitamins B1, B2, B6, C, and K; and essential minerals. Pineapple is a natural healer
packed with vitamin C and bromelain, a potential anti-inflammatory. The list of
healthy, healing fruits goes on and on, but when it comes to health, popularity,
versatility, and overall usefulness, none can beat the banana.
History and cultivation 2
Bananas originated in Malaysia as early as 2000 BC, but the first banana
plantations were established in China around 200 AD. In the early 1500s, the
Portuguese and Spanish introduced bananas to the Caribbean and Americas. The United
Fruit Company, formed in 1899, was responsible for the commercialization of Latin
American bananas and controlled most of the trade in tropical fruit into the mid-
twentieth century. Nowadays, bananas are traded as a commodity. With the aid of
refrigerated transport, bananas have conquered the world.
3
According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, India
is the world’s top producer of bananas, with a total output of 21.7 metric tons in 2007.
China is second, with 8 metric tons. However, of the 130 countries that grow bananas,
