GE3/Reading Handout 1 Student’s name:

UNIT 1. ANIMALS

Skill Focus: Exam Focus:

- Locating information - Short-answer questions
- Classifications

Reading 1
Pre-Reading Strategies
1. Skim through the passage on the next page to find out roughly what it is about and how it
is organised. Can you guess what the title means?
2. Use your previous knowledge of the subject to think about the following questions before
you read the passage for detailed information.
A. Why are lots of wild animals being killed?
B. What kinds of animals are being killed?
C. Is it illegal to kill wild animals?
D. What should people do about the illegal killing?
3. Look at the different types of questions after the passage to get a general idea about the
range of questions and about the kinds of information you need to look for in the passage.
4. In which paragraphs of the passage will you probably find information about
A. things that happened during the late 1980s?
B. animal protection movements?

Out of the Wild, into Our Homes

Many of the earth's creatures die because of choices humans make. These choices have
nothing to do with food or shelter or anything else that helps humans survive. What kills these
millions of animals from all over the world is human greed - the desire for money.
People use parts of animals for everything from hats to handbags, from ornamental jewellery
(5)
and ashtrays to powders that supposedly improve a person's life. Declaring a species
endangered and protecting it by laws is not always enough. Poachers, people who kill wildlife
illegally, rarely get caught.
During the late 1980s, saving elephants became a popular cause. Wildlife protection groups
made sure everyone saw pictures or films of elephants with their faces sawed off for their
(6)
ivory tusks. These groups also proved that certain populations of elephants were dwindling.
As a result, most people stopped buying objects made of ivory. Laws against poaching were

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strengthened. Many countries made bringing ivory in from other countries illegal. Killing
(6)
elephants for their ivory became more risky and less profitable.
However, concern for a certain species tends to fade after a while. In the late 1970s, people
(7)
protested against the slaughter of seal pups. Everyone was shocked at the sight of pups being
clubbed to death in their icy habitat. The brutality came to a halt. But ten years later, the
number of seal pups killed was higher than ever.
(7)
Other animal protection movements have come and gone, such as saving the whales and
(7)
protecting dolphins from the tuna fishermen. The whale population appears to have
increased for now. And the laws are finally changing in the United States to protect the
dolphins that swim with tuna fish in parts of the Pacific Ocean.
(8)
In the 2010s, the protests and the publicity will probably turn to some other endangered
species. Plenty of them urgently need attention. During this time, will the elephants be
forgotten?
Task 1: Word Use
Decide which of the following choices is closest in meaning to the underlined word in the
sentence and write down the corresponding letter.
1. Declaring a species endangered and protecting it by laws is not always enough.
A. in danger B. out of danger C. causing danger
2. These groups also proved that certain populations of elephants were dwindling.
A. becoming more B. becoming smaller C. becoming weaker
3. However, concern for a certain species tends to fade after a while.
A. strengthen B. disappear C. change
4. Everyone was shocked at the sight of pups being clubbed to death in their icy habitat.
A. shot B. kicked C. beaten
Task 2: Short-Answer Questions
Read the passage Out of the Wild, into Our Homes Exam tips: Short answer questions
and answer the following questions with NO MORE
• Underline the key ideas in
THAN THREE WORDS taken from the passage. each question
5. According to the passage, what do people use to • Read the passage quickly to
find where each key idea is
make things that people think can improve their lives? dealt with, then read
6. What do people kill elephants and cut their faces off carefully
for? • Copy the words and / or
7. What animal is mentioned after elephants as a numbers you need from the
passage exactly
victim of humans?
8. Whom do some animal protection movements want to protect dolphins from?
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GE3/Reading Handout 1 Student’s name:
Task 3: True / False / Not Given Questions
Refer to the reading passage Out of the Wild, into Our Homes and look at the following
statements. Write
TRUE if the statement agrees with the information
FALSE if the statement contradicts the information
NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this
9. Many of the animals on Earth die because humans have to survive. F
10. It is normally enough when an animal species is declared endangered and protected by
laws. F
11. People who kill animals illegally often get away without being caught. T
12. Wildlife protection groups proved that the number of some elephant species is
decreasing. T
13. Poachers are severely punished if they kill the endangered species such as elephants. NG
14. In the late 1980s, people killed more seal pups than they did in the late 1970s. T
15. The whale population is finally increasing because of stricter laws. F
16. In the 2010s, people may not be so concerned about elephants as before. NG

Reading 2
Pre-Reading Strategies
1. Skim through the passage below to find out roughly what it is about and how it is
organised. Can you guess what the title means?
2. Use your previous knowledge of the subject to think about the following questions before
you read the passage for detailed information.
A. Where do birds live?
B. What kind of cavities do birds prefer?
C. What can people do to provide birds with homes?
3. Look at the different types of questions after the passage to get a general idea about the
range of questions and about the kinds of information you need to look for in the passage.
4. In which paragraphs of the passage will you probably find information about
A. the cavities bluebirds like?
B. the reason for the decline of bluebird populations?
C. nesting box programmes?

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More Cavities Needed
Bluebirds live in cavities, but they can't make their own cavities. Like woodpeckers, bluebirds
prefer trees in open areas. The best habitat for bluebirds is an open area with scattered trees
(6)
such as an old garden. By clearing sections of forest to create more fields, early settlers (7)
happened to improve bluebird habitat. Bluebirds feed on insects on the ground, and insects
were abundant in the fields.
In the early 1900s, eastern bluebirds were one of the most common songbirds, but by 1969
fewer than 100 bluebirds nested in Minnesota. Other states also reported severe declines in
the populations of all three bluebird species. (8)
Why did the populations decline? One factor may have been the widespread use of
(9)
insecticides, but the most important factor was probably the loss of habitat. At first, fences
were built with wooden posts, and wooden posts develop cavities. While bluebirds like fence
posts with cavities, farmers do not. Cavities make the fence posts weak, and cattle escape
through weak fences. After World War II, most farmers replaced wooden posts with new
posts made of steel. (10)
With less suitable habitat, the bluebirds were forced to compete with other birds for the few
remaining nesting sites. More aggressive birds such as the tree swallow and the house wren
often drive the bluebirds from their nests. Starlings and house sparrows - both introduced to
this country from Europe - also compete with the bluebirds for nesting sites.
All three bluebird populations - eastern, western, and mountain - declined nearly 90 percent
between 1935 and 1985. The North American Bluebird Society and others are working to
increase the number of bluebirds. The most successful method is to improve the habitat by
providing the bluebirds with boxes as living places. Thousands of boxes are placed and being
managed by individuals interested in helping the little bird.
If placed in the right environment, the boxes do attract bluebirds. Bluebirds prefer boxes
placed next to open areas. If placed near a brushy area, the boxes are more likely to attract
house wrens. Tree swallows would compete for isolated sites in open areas. Competition
from tree swallows will decrease if the boxes are placed in pairs, less than three feet apart.
Boxes for mountain and western bluebirds must have slightly larger holes than those for
(11)
eastern bluebirds, but if the holes are too large, starlings will take the boxes.
Another cavity programme helped the wood duck population. When seeking for houses, the
female wood duck looks for a cavity in a tree that is in or near the water. Often she chooses
a cavity with a hole too small for a raccoon to enter. Human activities - logging mature trees
and hunting - threaten the wood duck population. In 1918, the United States and Canadian

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governments banned the hunting of this species. Groups of citizens and conservation
organisations built living boxes and placed them on poles or in trees that are in or near the
water. Today the wood duck population is greater than one million, and hunting is once again
permitted.
Task 1: Word Use
Decide which of the following choices is closest in meaning to the underlined word in the
sentence and write down the corresponding letter.
1. The best habitat for bluebirds is an open area with scattered trees such as an old garden.
A. closely planted B. carefully trimmed C. widely separated
2. Why did the populations decline? One factor may have been the widespread use of
insecticides.
A. chemical substances made to kill insects
B. chemical substances made to help insects
C. chemical substances made to strengthen insects
3. More aggressive birds such as the tree swallow and the house wren often drive the
bluebirds from their nests.
A. always ready to escape B. always ready to sing C. always ready to attack
4. Boxes for mountain and western bluebirds must have slightly larger holes than those for
eastern bluebirds, but if the holes are too large, starlings will take the boxes.
A. a few B. a bit C. a lot
5. In 1918, the United States and Canadian governments banned the hunting of this species.
A. controlled B. forbade C. encouraged
Task 2: Short-Answer Questions
Refer to the passage More Cavities Needed and answer the following questions with NO
MORE THAN THREE WORDS taken from the passage.
6. What place is given as an example of the best habitat for bluebirds?
7. According to the passage, who accidentally helped with improving bluebird
habitat?
8. How many species do bluebirds have?
9. What is the most important reason for the severe decline in the population of
bluebirds?
10. Which material do most farmers prefer when they made fences?
11. Among the bluebirds species, which one prefers boxes with smaller holes than
the other bluebirds do?

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GE3/Reading Handout 1 Student’s name:
Task 3: Classification
Look at the following list of nesting sites for birds and use the information in the reading
passage More Cavities Needed to answer the questions. Write

Exam tips: Classifications

A. if they are likely to attract bluebirds;
• Read the question carefully so you
B. if they are likely to attract tree swallows;
know what information to look for
C. if they are likely to attract starlings; • Scan the reading passage to locate
D. if they are likely to attract wood ducks. the information
• Underline the key element you
12. boxes with very large holes C have to identify
13. boxes on poles by the river D • Remember that the information
14. fence posts with holes A could be in several different places
15. boxes next to an open area A • Check to see if the information is
in direct speech or is reported in
16. trees with cavities in the pond B
the text
17. a single box in an open area B
• Check whether answers can be
repeated

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Further Practice
Penguins show signs of stress
Previous research by scientists from Keil University in Germany
monitored Adelie penguins and noted that the birds' heart rates
increased dramatically at the sight of a human as far as 30 metres
away. But new research using an artificial egg, which is equipped to
measure heart rates, disputes this. Scientists from the Scott Polar
Research Institute in Cambridge say that a slow-moving human who
does not approach the nest too closely is not perceived as a threat
by penguins.
The earlier findings have been used to partly explain the 20 per cent drop in populations of
certain types of penguin near tourist sites. However, tour operators have continued to insist
that their activities do not adversely affect wildlife in Antarctica, saying they encourage non-
disruptive behaviour in tourists, and that the decline in penguin numbers is caused by other
factors.
Amanda Nimon of the Scott Polar Research Institute spent three southern hemisphere
summers at Cuverville Island in Antarctica studying penguin behaviour towards humans. "A
nesting penguin will react very differently to a person rapidly and closely approaching the
nest," says Nimon. "First they exhibit large and prolonged heart rate changes and then they
often flee the nest leaving it open for predators to fly in and remove eggs or chicks."
The artificial egg, specially developed for the project, monitored both the parent who had
been 'disturbed' when the egg was placed in the nest and the other parent as they both took
it in turns to guard the nest.
However, Boris Culik, who monitored the Adelie penguins, believes that Nimon's findings do
not invalidate his own research. He points out that species behave differently - and Nimon's
work was with Gentoo penguins. Nimon and her colleagues believe that Culik's research was
methodologically flawed because the monitoring of penguins' responses entailed capturing
and restraining the birds and fitting them with heart-rate transmitters. Therefore, argues
Nimon, it would not be surprising if they became stressed on seeing a human subsequently.

Task 1: Choosing from a list

Questions 1-3.
Choose THREE letters, A-E.
Which THREE of the following arguments are stated in the passage?
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GE3/Reading Handout 1 Student’s name:
A. Penguins are not afraid of people who behave calmly.
B. Penguins are becoming an endangered species.
C. Tourists are not responsible for the fact that there are fewer penguins nowadays.
D. Penguins are harder to research when they have young.
E. Penguins will not leave a nest with eggs in it.
F. A penguin's behaviour may depend on its species,
G. Penguin stress may result from being with other aggressive penguins.
Task 2: Classifications
Now, answer questions 4-8.
Classify the following statements as being true of How to approach the task:
A. the research on Adelie penguins - Underline the key words in
B. the research on Gentoo penguins each question.
C. both research projects - Check the passage for the first
type of penguin and write A next
D. neither research project
to the question if it is true for
Write the correct letter, A, B, C or D. that type.
4. An individual species of penguin was tested. - Do the same for the second
5. Penguins were caught for the experiment. C type of penguin, and write B.
6. Physical changes occurred when a human - The final answer will depend on
how many letters you have next
was nearby. A
to the question: none, one or
7. Tourists were permitted to observe the
two.
experiments.
8. Heart rates were measured by an item manufactured for the experiment.

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