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Exercise 1
Read the article about a type of penguin called a fairy penguin, and then answer the questions.
Fairy penguins
Fairy penguins, also known as little penguins, are a type of bird found along parts of the coasts
of New Zealand and Australia. They are the smallest of the 17 penguin species, growing to only
41 cm. In protected environments such as zoos, they can live for 15 to 20 years, but for wild fairy
penguins, 6 years is more typical. Although fairy penguins are usually found where few people
live, they are sometimes seen near cities or towns. The danger of this is that new building work
might destroy the penguins’ homes, known as nests.
Fairy penguins usually produce two or three eggs at a time. The male and female birds sit on the
eggs for around 35 days, until the chicks – the young penguins – break the eggs and climb out.
These chicks are black in colour when they appear, then between 8 and 14 days later they change
to chocolate brown. At this age, the young chicks may be in danger from people’s pets in nearby
towns, so penguin parents protect their babies carefully when they are young. Then, as they get
older, the colours of the growing birds change again. Their stomachs become pale coloured,
which means that when fairy penguins are floating on the water, they are hard to see. This keeps
them safe from other sea creatures.
Fairy penguins hunt for fish and some other small sea creatures. Scientists are worried that fairy
penguins might eat some of the large amounts of plastic that people put in the sea nowadays,
and become ill. They leave the shore to find food early in the morning. They remain out at sea
until evening, using the darkness to protect them from any possible danger that they might meet
on land. If there is thick fog, they won’t return to the shore until they can see clearly. When the
fairy penguins arrive back, they feel very tired. Rather than returning to the tunnels where they
make their nests, they search for a temporary hiding place close by before going back to their
permanent homes.
In well-known fairy penguin locations, companies take tourists to see these birds. Most
companies understand the need to protect the penguins, but in some areas, people get too close.
As long as it’s carefully managed, a trip to see the penguins can be an unforgettable experience.
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Question 1
In their natural environment, how long do fairy penguins usually live?
............................................................................................................................................. [1]
Question 2
What colour are baby penguins when they are born?
............................................................................................................................................. [1]
Question 3
How does the colour of the penguins’ stomachs protect them?
............................................................................................................................................. [1]
Question 4
What makes fairy penguins avoid coming back to land?
............................................................................................................................................. [1]
Question 5
What do fairy penguins look for as soon as they come back to land?
............................................................................................................................................. [1]
Question 6
What human activities can cause problems for fairy penguins? Give three details.
..................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................
............................................................................................................................................. [3]
[Total: 8]
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Exercise 2
Read the texts about four teenagers (A–D) who joined a club called City Teens. Then answer
Question 7(a) – (i).
My experience with ‘City Teens’
A club for teenagers who are involved with local community projects
A Sasha
I decided to join City Teens when one of the club leaders came to tell us all about it at school. I
already knew something about the club as my mum had been involved in helping run some
sessions a while ago. She was always saying how much she’d enjoyed doing it, but at the time I
was too busy with studying to go. But now my life’s a little quieter, and as I’m generally pretty shy
and tend to doubt myself, I decided that being around new people would help with that. I love
being part of the club and knowing that we’re doing something useful makes it even better. We
spent a few weeks making some wooden seats to go in the park recently, and I can now make
things like shelves and simple bookcases from wood, which is very satisfying.
B Joao
To be honest, I didn’t really think too much about all the useful projects I could do by joining City
Teens. I knew that the group did things like cleaning the local park and putting on fun events for
local children such as teaching them new games or how to skateboard, but really, I was more
interested in finding something that I enjoyed and that was different from schoolwork! But right
from the first session, I realised that the work the club does is really important. Although I don’t
go every week because sometimes I have to help my parents with their business, I make sure I
go whenever I can, and I love it. I’ve even managed to persuade some of my friends to go along
too!
C Pam
When I found out about City Teens, I wasn’t sure I’d have time to go – I play a lot of sport, you
see. But actually, it’s been easy to fit everything in, probably because I’ve always been good at
managing my time. One of the best things about the club is that I got to know quite a few people
and we get on really well together. I thought the club would just be about hard work and doing
useful things, but, actually, I have a lot of fun while I’m there. Something I particularly enjoyed
recently was spending a session visiting people in hospital. I had a school project to do on the
history of our town, and one of the older ladies I spoke to offered some interesting details for it.
My grandparents didn’t grow up in this area, so they couldn’t help me, unfortunately.
D Sanjay
I’ve been going to City Teens for a few weeks now, and I know joining it was a really good idea.
I’m so pleased I took my dad’s advice and went along – one of his workmates had helped set up
the group. I have quite a full timetable, so it made me get better at planning when I’m going to do
things like homework. I’d hate to miss a session just so that I could finish off some schoolwork
because we do lots of really interesting things. What I really like is that we’re always doing
something new, so it never gets boring. For example, last month, I was helping the local museum
to film a short presentation to put on their website. Like most people my age I’m already fairly
confident about making and posting videos, but I still wasn’t expecting to see how professional it
looked – I was really impressed!
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For each statement, write the correct letter, A, B, C or D, on the line.
Which person
(a) says they hoped that joining the club would make them more confident? ................ [1]
(b) explains that joining the club helped them become more organised? ................ [1]
(c) mentions they learned some practical skills while they were at the club? ................ [1]
(d) describes how taking part in the club has helped them at school? ................ [1]
(e) admits that attending the club regularly is impossible? ................ [1]
(f) says they were pleased to make some new friends? ................ [1]
(g) mentions that a family member suggested they join the club? ................ [1]
(h) explains that they joined the club to have a break from studying? ................ [1]
(i) describes being surprised about the result of an activity they did? ................ [1]
[Total: 9]
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Exercise 3
Read the webpage about an activity called ‘forest bathing’ where you spend time in a forest, and then
complete the notes.
Forest bathing
‘Forest bathing’ is an activity which has been popular in Japan since the early 1980s but has
become known in different countries around the world due to its many health benefits. The idea
of forest bathing sounds as if you do it in water, but this isn’t true. In fact, forest bathing involves
spending time outside in a natural environment where there are a lot of trees. Although we don’t
all have access to large areas of forest, experts tell us that we should visit areas with as many
trees as possible in order to get the greatest benefits. Wherever you decide to go, it’s a sensible
idea to check the weather forecast before you set out in order to fully enjoy the experience.
There are many reasons why forest bathing is recommended. Some people say that the activity
stops you feeling anxious, and there have been many studies into its possible advantages. For
example, one piece of research discovered that if you spend time in a forest, it can lower blood
pressure, something that is very positive for our health. It is perhaps no surprise, therefore, that
in Japan, forest bathing is considered to be part of the official health system.
If you decide to try forest bathing for yourself, an important thing to remember is that you should
make sure you use a range of senses while you’re among the trees, like looking at and listening
to the birds. According to various research projects, being near trees lets our bodies fight disease
better. This is because trees produce helpful chemicals which may help us with this.
You might expect that being in a beautiful area of forest is a great chance to take lots of wonderful
photos, but actually, many forest bathing experts suggest that you leave your camera behind. We
all know that when we have our cameras, we often spend a lot of time trying to take a perfect
picture. Instead, what we should really do is pay attention to what’s around us. Another study has
shown that when we spend time in a forest environment, it allows us to slow down our breathing.
So what are you waiting for? After all, many people have described seeing the benefits of
spending time in the forest, so there are lots of reasons to try it!
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Imagine you are going to give a talk about forest bathing to your classmates.
Use words from the webpage to help you write some notes.
Make short notes under each heading.
Question 8
Health benefits of forest bathing:
• ........................................................................................................................................................
• ........................................................................................................................................................
• ........................................................................................................................................................ [3]
Question 9
Advice for people who want to try forest bathing:
• ........................................................................................................................................................
• ........................................................................................................................................................
• ........................................................................................................................................................
• .................................................................................................................................................. [4]
[Total: 7]
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Exercise 4
Read the article about collecting shells on the beach, and then answer the questions.
Collecting shells – a harmless or harmful activity?
For many people, a walk along the beach is the perfect opportunity to collect beautiful shells
of different colours and sizes to take home as souvenirs. But shells are more important than
just being attractive to look at: plants attach themselves to the hard surfaces of the shells,
and fish often use shells to hide from other creatures which are looking for them, for example. 4
And larger shells can even protect the land around the coast, as they help prevent it from
being washed away by the sea.
Between 1978 and 1981, scientist Michal Kowalewski and his team carried out research along
Llarga Beach on Spain’s northeastern coast. They were conducting monthly surveys of shell
numbers because they wanted to know what happened to shells on the beach after the
animals living in them had died. While scientists were carrying out the research, they started
wondering whether changes in the numbers of shells on the beach were also contributing to
wider environmental changes. Some years later, Kowalewski and his team realised they had
a lot of useful data from their previous research. They decided to use this to observe changes
in the number of shells on Llarga Beach, which was becoming increasingly popular with
tourists.
More recently, the scientists returned to Llarga Beach, where they had started their research
thirty years before. Kowalewski discovered that tourism there had increased by 300 per cent
and, worryingly, the number of shells had decreased by 60 per cent. Anyone looking at these
results might decide that tourists picking up shells was the reason why the numbers had
declined. But Kowalewski is quick to say that there might be many other activities connected
to tourism that also have a negative effect. One example is the use of large machines to make
the sand flat and level for visitors to walk on. Doing this has the result of breaking the shells
into tiny pieces.
An interesting point came from the later research: the decline in the number of shells recorded
by the scientists had not previously been seen during their first visits from 1978 to 1981.
Kowalewski believed that the large machines were the problem. As summertime is the most
popular tourist season, it is also the only time of year when the large machines are used. But
back in the late 1970s, these machines were not frequently used on the beaches. It seemed
likely, therefore, that it was not individual tourists picking up one or two shells that was causing
the decline, but the machines themselves.
Although research data are still being discussed, Professor Karl Flessa from the University of
Arizona explains that the information does give an important warning. He suggests that it is
better to assume that both taking shells from the beach and using large machines cause
problems. He therefore argues that preventing people from shell collecting and limiting the
use of such machines is preferable to waiting for scientists to agree on the data results. By
then, it may be too late.
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Question 10
What does them refer to in line 4 of the first paragraph?
A shells
B fish
C plants [1]
Question 11
The original purpose of the study mentioned in the second paragraph was to
A highlight environmental problems caused by removing shells from beaches.
B encourage tourists to record what they saw on the beach.
C examine any changes in shells when they become empty. [1]
Question 12
In the third paragraph, Kowalewski suggests that
A the problem mentioned has more than one possible explanation.
B the level of tourism in the area was particularly unusual.
C the length of time between the two visits meant the results were unreliable. [1]
Question 13
Why are the dates given in the fourth paragraph important?
A They provide support for a theory about what was damaging the beach.
B They give information about the busiest holiday times through the year.
C They show how long it took for people to realise the shells were disappearing. [1]
Question 14
In Karl Flessa’s opinion
A more research is needed into the results of collecting shells.
B it is better to act now to prevent a possible problem.
C conversations about the study have been very useful. [1]
Question 15
Why has the writer written this article?
A to remind the tourism industry about a problem
B to describe how scientists are preventing shell collection
C to provide readers with an article of general scientific interest [1]
[Total: 6]