Building your language

The passage below is from a website about the Amazon rainforest. Complete the passage with the correct forms of the words and phrases in the box below.

agriculture, impact, thus, due to, variety, survive, beneath, break down

The Amazon rainforest is home to a great (1)_________of plant life; however, its soil is surprisingly poor in nutrients. In fact, the soil in the region cannot support (2)____________ for more than a few years. If a scientist is shown a report listing the nutrients of that soil, he or she will probably think that only desert plants can (3)____________in it! Then why is the soil so poor in nutrients? For one thing, the rainy season has a(n) (4)___________ on the soil. In the rainy season, the water level can rise to more than 12 metres. When the water goes away, it takes away the nutrients in the soil. For another thing, (5)___________ the Amazon’s hot climate, it is difficult for the soil to build up enough nutrients. Dead plants and animals (6)___________ more quickly. The nutrients are soon taken in by the roots of the plants deep (7)___________ the ground. As a result, most of the forest’s nutrients are locked up in the plants themselves, (8)___________ allowing them to grow at an unbelievable speed.

这是译林版高中英语新教材必修第三册第1单元的Building your language 练习(p5)。