PTE Reading Fill In The Blanks Practice Set 2

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Welcome to your PTE Reading Fill In The Blanks Practice Set 2

The search for extraterrestrial (1)_ _ _ _ _ _ _ has looked for many different signs of alien life, from radio broadcasts to laser flashes, without success. However, newly published research suggests that (2)_ _ _ _ _ _ _ phenomena called fast radio bursts could be (3)_ _ _ _ _ _ _ of advanced alien technology. Specifically, these (4)_ _ _ _ _ _ _ might be leakage from planet-sized transmitters (5)_ _ _ _ _ _ _ interstellar probes in distant galaxies.

powering, mysterious, evidence, bursts, intelligence
To power a light sail, the transmitter would need to (1)_ _ _ _ _ _ _ a beam on it continuously. Observers on Earth would see a brief flash because the sail and its (2)_ _ _ _ _ _ _ planet, star and galaxy are all moving (3)_ _ _ _ _ _ _ to us. As a result, the beam sweeps across the sky and only (4)_ _ _ _ _ _ _ in our direction for a moment. Repeated appearances of the beam, which were observed but cannot be explained by cataclysmic (5)_ _ _ _ _ _ _ events, might provide important clues about its artificial origin.

relative, focus, host, astrophysical, points
The research focused on the (1)_ _ _ _ _ _ _ and function of dendrites, which are components of neurons, the nerve cells in the brain. Neurons are large, tree-like structures made up of a body, the soma, with (2)_ _ _ _ _ _ _ branches called dendrites extending outward. Somas (3)_ _ _ _ _ _ _ brief electrical pulses called “spikes” in order to (4)_ _ _ _ _ _ _ and communicate with each other. Scientists had generally believed that the somatic spikes activate the dendrites, which (5)_ _ _ _ _ _ _ send currents to other neurons’ somas, but this had never been directly tested before.

connect, numerous, structure, passively, generate
Scientists have generally believed that dendrites meekly sent (1)_ _ _ _ _ _ _ they received from the cell’s synapse (the junction between two neurons) to the soma, which in turn (2)_ _ _ _ _ _ _ an electrical impulse. Those short electrical bursts, known as somatic spikes, were thought to be at the heart of neural (3)_ _ _ _ _ _ _ and learning. But the new study (4)_ _ _ _ _ _ _ that dendrites generate their own spikes 10 times more often than the somas. The researchers also found that dendrites generate large (5)_ _ _ _ _ _ _ in voltage in addition to the spikes; the spikes are binary, all-or-nothing events.

fluctuations, generated, computation, demonstrated, currents
Recent studies in brain slices showed that (1)_ _ _ _ _ _ _ can generate spikes. But it was neither clear that this could happen during natural behaviour, nor how often. Measuring dendrites’ electrical (2)_ _ _ _ _ _ _ during natural behaviour has long been a challenge because they’re so delicate: In studies with (3)_ _ _ _ _ _ _ rats, scientists have found that (4)_ _ _ _ _ _ _ electrodes in the dendrites themselves while the animals were moving actually killed those cells. But the UCLA team developed a new technique that (5)_ _ _ _ _ _ _ placing the electrodes near, rather than in, the dendrites.

laboratory, placing, activity, dendrites, involves

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Saya Khimta
An alumni of Auckland House School, Shimla (Himachal Pradesh), I am a post graduate from Panjab University, Chandigarh. Currently, the owner of Saya Educationals, an English Language training institute located in the tricity and appreciated for being a good PTE/ IELTS trainer.

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