Pre-AP and AP BIOLOGY
SUMMER READING ASSIGNMENT 2014
The Hot Zone, Richard Preston, ISBN: 0-385-47956-5
I am so excited that you have chosen to take Pre-AP/AP Biology this year. I hope that you gain a new appreciation for Biology. I hope that you learn more in this class than any other class that you have encountered to date.
The book that I am having you read is non-fiction. The vast majority of the students that have read this book have enjoyed it even though it was a little scary at times. As you read the book, please highlight important information that will help you when recalling facts on the first day of class. You may write notes in the margins of the book, as well. In the back of the book, keep a list of terms and definitions that you encounter in the book that are new to you. For example: a “hot” virus and “amplification” of a virus – What do hot and amplification mean in these contexts?
You need to answer the following questions that will help you gather information in the book. These are due the first day of class. You will have a test over The Hot Zone, as well.
My email is if you have any questions over the summer. I recommend another book that you will use throughout the school year, for the AP Biology portion (the second semester). It is an AP Biology Exam review book. You can find it at Books-a-million (in the Test-Prep section), Barnes and Noble, Amazon, etc. If they are of the book at Books-a-million in Gainesville, they will order it for you at no additional charge. It costs about $16. Make sure that the book reflects the NEW EXAM. If the copyright is before 2013 then it will not be the right version. There are several different books that you can use. To name a few: Cliffs, The Princeton Review and Barron’s.
I am really looking forward to a super year! It is a hard year, but worth it. This Pre-AP Biology course isn’t like any class that you have taken in your school career. I want to challenge you like you have never been challenged before! Hopefully, you will leave this class a better student. Happy reading! Have a terrific summer.
Mrs. Ivester
Questions
1. A comment is made in the book that every major city in the world is only
24- hours away from exposure to an emerging virus. Reference is made
to a network that links all of the cities of the world. What is the author
referring to?
2. What is the significance of the cave that Monet visited? Is it the source of
Ebola? Explain.
3. Should blood samples be shipped around the world for the study of
infectious diseases? Why or why not? Site an example from the book that
might have had the potential to be disastrous in terms of exposure to a hot
agent.
4. Describe the roles played by the following people in The Hot Zone
a. Dan Dalgard b. C. J. Peters
c. Nancy Jaxx d. Jerry Jaxx
e. Nurse Mayinga f. Peter Jahrling
g. Tom Geisbert
5. Should the public be notified of potential risks and dangers? At what point
in the story should have an announcement have been made?
6. What are the justifications for importing primates to the United States for
research? What are the possible risks and benefits?
7. What were the ways that the doctors and scientists kept the virus from spreading to other people and cities?
8. What were the possible sources of the virus?
9. Look on the Internet. Have there been any outbreaks of Ebola in the last 10 years? How many kinds of Ebola have been identified? What is the survival rate of each?