English Comprehension Cloze

Words with labelled numbers on the left are the answers. Taken from National Geographic website. It's a starry night in August. A clutch of eggs lies hidden more than two feet below a sandy beach. The nest holds more than 100 eggs. Each egg is about the 51) size of a golf ball. Inside each one, there may be a baby green sea turtle. From the start, what happens to these turtles 52) depends on the environment. The temperature of the sand 53) determines whether sea turtles hatch as male or female. The sand here on Costa Rica's Tortuguero Beach is warm. So more of the 54) hatchlings (turtles?) will be female. One of the turtles begins to stir 55) inside (in?) her shell. She tears at it with her caruncle. That's a sharp point on her beak. Still buried beneath the 56) sand, she breaks free from her shell. Soon, the whole 57) nest (group?) is alive with motion. The baby turtle uses her 58) flippers to climb up and up. It can take more than a day to reach the surface. She moves around, even stepping on top of her nest mates. Their movements help push sand toward the bottom of the nest. This gives the tiny turtles a boost to the top. All at once, the turtles free 59) themselves from the sand. The hatching leaves the nest with many 60) other baby turtles. She heads downhill, toward the horizon. That is (61) where the sky and sea meet. She's drawn to the moonlight reflecting off the ocean. Luckily, there are no lights shining from a nearby street or house. These 62) lights can confuse a baby turtle. They can make it to go the wrong way, away from the sea. The hatchling's journey to the water is a race for 63) survival. She is no bigger than a walnut. Crabs and night herons snatch up some of the other hatchlings on the beach. This young turtle makes it to the water. The frothy surf pushes her back. She fights to 64) swim against the breaking waves. Over and 65) over, she dives under the waves, then comes up for air. Her swim continues through the first day and night. The young turtle will not slow down for two days.