MasterMind 2

Just Animals?

A Draw arrows between the parts of the ecosystem that you consider to be directly linked in some way.

For example: • You could draw an arrow going from the fish to the water plant because fish provide fertilizer to help the plants grow.

• You could draw an arrow from the water plant to the fish because plants provide shelter, and sometimes food, for the fish.

B

Work in groups. Discuss the possible relationships among the different items in the picture. Also discuss whether you think all of the things in the picture are important to people.

Unit In this unit you will: • talk about animal protection and rescue • discuss the interdependency and endangerment of species • give opinions on having wild animals as pets • give opinions on zoos

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1

Grammar: indefinite pronouns

Pronunciation: final consonant clusters

A Language in context Read the article. Why do you think the group is called Rescue Ink?

A

Simone DiCarlo Features Writer

Sunday, July 11

Somewhere in New York right now, one of a group of tattooed, tough-looking guys is taking a dog or a cat from its owner. Stealing? No. He is rescuing the animal from someone who doesn’t take care of it. Each of the members of Rescue Ink is a motorcycle enthusiast. Most look a little scary, but everything they do helps animals. Some of the animals are rescued from abusive owners; others are homeless strays. A few are victims of criminal activities such as dog fighting, and those cases are turned over to the police. Rescue Ink has plenty of work to do because lots of people call them to report suspected animal abuse. None of the calls are ignored by the group, and many result in rescues. These “bad” bikers are doing good work!

2

L isten to the words and notice the sounds in the consonant groups in bold.

Then listen again and practice the words.

CC: hives, paths, mask, pest, expect, length, width CCC: absorbed, urged, swarmed, warned, involved, tastes, masks, risks, instincts

B

Listen to the text. Then practice reading it.

We were absorbed as we watched the men in safety masks approach the bee hives. The bees swarmed the length of the paths to the hives as their instincts urged them to attack. We were warned of the risks involved in watching, but we wanted to see how fresh honey tastes!

Language use: listening to a story

3

Information source: www.rescueink.org

A Read the synopsis from a radio show guide. What do you think probably happens in the story?

Type

1 To refer back to previously mentioned people, places, or things: In general, pet owners are kind to animals, but some are not.

Singular

2 To refer to unknown or unspecified people, places or things: Someone mistreated this kitten.

Plural

Singular or plural

Indefinite pronouns some any every no

one body + thing where

another one each either neither

both, (a) few, many, several, others all, plenty, lots/a lot, most, some, none

Examples One of a group…

(1)

Others are homeless…

(2) Some of the animals…

(3)

With pronouns that can be both singular or plural, the form of the verb depends on whether the pronoun refers to a noncount or a plural count noun, e.g.

None of this pet food is good. (food = noncount)

None of the kittens have been fed today (kittens = plural count)

C Practice Circle the correct verb forms.

The Animal Hour December 8, 9:00 a.m.

Writer Margaret Nelson reads a short story called Lena, from her collection of stories about animals. Ms. Nelson is active in several animal rescue programs, and last year she traveled to the island of Borneo to visit an orangutan sanctuary. This story is based on the life of an orangutan named Lena. This is not just another feel-good animal story with a happy ending; Ms. Nelson hopes that people will listen not only to the story, but also to the messages within the story.

B Vocabulary: animal rescue Read example sentences A–F from the story Lena. Write the words in bold next to their definitions below.

A Lena’s natural habitat, the Indonesian rainforest, is being destroyed at a frightening rate of speed, and over half of the rainforest has already been destroyed.

B The humans helped the young apes learn other essential orangutan skills that they would have learned from their mothers if they had not grown up in captivity.

C In the wild, young orangutans stay with their mothers for eight years.

D Today, orangutans are an endangered species.

E On the day of their release, they were taken deep into the forest.

F Smugglers sell the young apes to people who don’t care that these animals are not meant to be pets.

1

: n, a situation in which wild animals are kept by people

Everyone (1) (know / knows) that no one should have a pet if they can’t take care of it properly, but a lot of people (2) (ignore

2

: n, the type of place where a particular animal or plant lives naturally

/ ignores) this simple rule. Some of the animal abuse in the world (3) (is / are) related to criminal activities, but most (4) (is /

3

: n, a type of animal or plant that may soon become extinct

are) unintentional and due to ignorance or financial problems. Although neither of these problems (5) (is / are) the owner’s

4

: n, the act of freeing a person/animal; v, to free a person/animal

5

: n, people who take things into or out of a country illegally to earn money

6

: adj, not raised by people; n, a place where people do not live

fault, both (6) (result / results) in animals living in poor conditions. Anyone thinking of getting a pet should make sure they are prepared. Plenty of time, space, and money (7) (is / are) needed to care for an animal. Pets vary a great deal in type, breed, and personality, but all (8) (need / needs) somewhere nice to sleep, good food, and lots of love and attention. Nothing (9) (is / are) sadder than a lonely, unloved pet. Everyone at Rescue Ink (10) (urge / urges) people to think carefully before getting a pet.

D

N ow you do it Work in groups. Discuss these questions.

Lots of people have pets. In your opinion, are most of them good pet owners or not? What would you recommend to owners of different types of pets?

Fish need lots of … and plenty of …

Anyone who has a parrot should …

Something cats and dogs both need is …

Some pets …, but others …

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C

Listen to the story. Take notes to help you remember the important points.

D

ork in pairs. Discuss these questions. Use information from the story and your own ideas.

W Include as many words and phrases from Exercise B as you can.

5

Use

Unit

B Notice Read the information in the table. Look back at the article and find examples to complete the table. Then underline other examples in the text.

1 Why are orangutans becoming an endangered species?

2 Why do you think the rehabilitation of orangutans to their natural habitat often takes several years?

3 In your opinion, does it really matter if orangutans or other species become extinct? Why or why not?

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4

Grammar: passive modals

Speaking: summarizing

L anguage in context Listen to the conversation below.

A

To give an oral summary of a text, you have to identify the main ideas, decide on the clearest order for presenting them to your listener, and then explain the main ideas in your own words.

What do Lee and Larissa agree on? What do they disagree on?

Larissa: Hey, the zoo is open, so it must not be closed for renovation. Let’s go in!

5

A

Lee: No way. I hate zoos because wild animals shouldn’t be kept in captivity.

In fact, I think zoos ought to be banned.

Work in pairs. Read the forum question. Student A, read Jake’s answer. Student B, read Diane’s answer.

Larissa: I disagree. A lot of good things can be done at zoos. For example, some

species may have been saved from extinction because of zoo breeding programs.

Lee: Well, endangered species could be bred anyway and then released into their natural habitats.

Larissa: But their natural habitat may have been destroyed, so where would they be released?

Lee: Yeah, I know what you mean. People shouldn’t have been allowed to destroy those habitats, but the president says that stronger laws will be passed to help prevent that in the future.

Question

B Notice Read the information. Complete the table with examples from the conversation in Exercise A.

Present

modal + be + past participle

Future

Past

Use

modal + be + past participle

modal + have been + past participle

1 Speculation/assumption: might/may, could, must, can’t

(1)

2G eneral fact: might/may, could, can, must

A lot of good things can be done at zoos.

3O bligation/criticism: should, ought to, must

(2)

1P rediction/speculation: will, might/may, could

Endangered species could be bred anyway.

2 Promise: will, would

(3)

3R ecommendation/suggestion: should, must, ought to

Zoos ought to be banned.

1D eduction/speculation: might/ may, could, must

(4)

2 Criticism: should

People shouldn’t have been allowed to destroy those habitats.

shouldn’t (3) can (4)

Diane_Flint: I know that most of the wild animals sold in pet stores are bred in captivity, and in most

Zoos should be banned.

Zoos should ban.

(realize) that wild animals

(keep) in captivity. Zoo proponents argue that animals bred in zoos

Adapted from www.humanesociety.org

(save) species from extinction. However, the responsibility for the survival of wildlife

cannot (6)

(give) to zoos. Governments must (7)

(hold) responsible for the

well-being of the planet. Too often, politicians promise that the environment will (8) but this does not happen. Many species that are now extinct could (9) had acted responsibly at the time. The public must (10)

(protect), (save) if governments

(demand) action from their elected

officials. That is the only answer to environmental problems.

D

N ow you do it Work in groups. Discuss whether you agree or disagree with the ideas in Exercise C.

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cases these animals could never be released into the wild, but that does not mean that they make good pets. Animals like dogs and cats have been domesticated over centuries, but a wild species cannot be domesticated so easily. Many people buy cute baby animals and then do not know what to do with them when they grow up and begin to exhibit instinctual behaviors like biting or scratching. Furthermore, many wild species must be given specialized diets; for example, snakes need to eat live mice. Animals also have social needs, and while a dog or a cat may be satisfied by human companionship, most wild species are not. Animals should not be kept in solitary confinement. Finally, many animals are still caught in the wild, which damages wild populations and causes trauma and suffering for the animals that are caught. All of these factors should be considered by anyone who is thinking of buying a wild animal as a pet.

Watch out!

(use) to increase wild populations and that these breeding programs can

(5)

or other illegal sources. Almost all animals sold in pet stores are raised in captivity, and wild populations are not affected. Furthermore, pet stores do not sell endangered species. If people buy animals in pet stores, and if pet stores buy from authorized breeders, the illegal capture and sale of wild animals can be eliminated, or at least cut down. It is also a fact that reputable pet stores help educate people about animals, both domestic and wild. Anyone who buys an animal at a good store will be given detailed instructions for taking care of it. I have a boa constrictor, and the pet store where I bought her gave me a lot of information about snakes and their habitats. When people have some contact with wild animals, they are much more likely to support efforts to preserve habitats and save endangered species.

Answer

(visit) zoos more often. If they

spent more time observing zoo animals, they might (2)

Answer Jake509: If pet stores are not allowed to sell wild species, wild animals will be bought from smugglers

C Practice Complete the paragraph with active or passive forms of the verbs in parentheses.

Supporters of zoos ought to (1)

animals they had for sale, many of them wild species like ferrets and mice. They especially had a lot of birds and reptiles. I felt kind of sorry for the larger birds like parrots and cockatoos because they were all in cages by themselves. All of the animals had certificates to show that they had been bred in captivity, so none had been taken from their natural habitats, but even so, do you think pet stores should be allowed to sell wild species as pets?

Example

B Re-read the answer you read in Exercise A. Make sure you have a good understanding of the text. Underline the main ideas. Decide whether the writer is for or against the sale of wild species as pets.

C Study the ideas you underlined and decide the following things.

1 Are the ideas you underlined main ideas?

2 Are the ideas already in the best order for summarizing the writer’s opinion?

3 Should any details or examples be included in your summary?

4 How can you state the main ideas in your own words?

D

5

Form

Unit

Tense

SallyW: When I was at a mall yesterday, I went into a pet store. I was amazed at how many different

ork in pairs. Give your partner a summary of the answer you read.

W Then discuss which point of view you agree with.

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aspen wolf

Language use: writing a letter to the editor

beaver trout

A Vocabulary: adverb–adjective collocations Match the adverbs to the words they are commonly used with. Notice that some words are repeated.

Domino Effect

1 over / under

Whenever there’s a major change in the diversity of animals or plants

for removing them, but little understanding of what effect this might

in an area, a domino effect may occur, which means that if something

have on the overall biodiversity (meaning variety of organisms

happens to one species, there is an effect on another species

(10

(1

), and so on. This is what happened in Yellowstone

1990s, and the effects of their population expansion in the northern

National Park in the 20th Century. All wolves, which are large, wild

portions of the park were documented, did it become clear that the

canines (2

), were removed from Yellowstone Park by 1926.

importance of the wolves had been under-appreciated, and that this

Over the following decades, adverse changes occurred in the park

had been one of the least successful, most poorly done wildlife

that scientists couldn’t explain. However, with the reintroduction of

management programs in history.

2 highly

b) populated/estimated/utilized

3 well/badly/poorly 4 most/least

a) organized/effective/successful

c) successful/dangerous/effective d) organized/done/thought out

B Read the letter and check your answers to Exercise A.

– S e pte mb er 1 8

wolves in the 1990s, some areas in the park began to see a return to more “natural” conditions, and scientists saw that they had

)) of the park. Not until wolves were reintroduced in the

The wolves were no longer preying on elk, so the elk became overpopulated, and they were able to congregate in larger herds to feed

Dear editor,

underestimated how important wolves were to the health of the park.

I am writing in the hope that I can motivate other people in our city to pressure the City Council to do something about our mosquito problem. I know that there are supposedly arguments for why mosquitoes should be allowed to exist. They provide food for fish, turtles, and birds. They pollinate flowers. They spread bacteria and viruses, which are part of the ecosystem.

Scientists now know that wolves affect elk, which are a type of large

the aspen/willow population was dramatically reduced, and beavers

deer (3

left the park because they had relied on these trees as food and

(4

Nevertheless, everyone knows that mosquitoes are one of the most dangerous insects on Earth; the number of diseases they carry should not be underestimated. Our ponds are overpopulated with mosquito larvae, and the city does nothing about it.

There are now a number of highly effective pesticides that are not dangerous to birds or fish, and there needs to be a well-organized effort to get rid of mosquitoes once and for all.

Scott Stewart, Cool Springs

); elk affect trees, specifically aspen and willows ); aspen/willows affect beavers, and beavers affect trout

streams with cold water for trout, a kind of fish (12

results for a wide range of organisms (5

Furthermore, areas around the ponds that had been moist and had

) such as trees, fish,

).

tangled web of organisms that rely on each other. With any changes to that web, other areas may be affected in ways that can’t be predicted, and yet humans continue to manipulate the natural environment to suit their own needs/wants. Most of us also know

D

When a number of predators, including wolves (9

A

about the highly organized system of food pyramids, in which different levels of organisms depend on those on the lower levels for food.

1 In general terms, what is the meaning of the domino effect?

2 How do you think the term is used in the areas of biology and ecology?

3 Look at the drawing in the article. When wolves were removed from Yellowstone Park, how do you think the ecosystem may have been affected?

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). For example, wolves eat elk, and elk eat plants

(8

). Although predators are at or near the top of these

The reason for this was the reduction of the trees near the water (13

). Therefore, songbird populations also were dramatically

reduced. These things didn’t happen overnight, but as this domino effect unfolded, scientists were puzzled as to exactly what was causing the changes. Not until the wolf was reintroduced, and researchers saw a change in elk feeding patterns, then a return of trees, then beavers, then trout and songbirds, did they figure it out.

The wolves are integral to keeping the park ecosystem healthy and whole. Let’s hope we can learn from this graphic lesson and employ well-thought out environmental management policies!

environmental effects can be from the top of the pyramid down as well as from the bottom up. ), were

eliminated from Yellowstone there were many well-meaning reasons

Adapted from Domino Effect, www.enaturalist.org

B Read the article again. Write Eg (example), Ex (explanation), or D (definition) in the blanks next to the underlined phrases.

Circle the signal word(s) used in each case.

C

Work in pairs. Discuss these questions. Then read the article on the page 53 to check your ideas.

(7

pyramids, the “story” that unfolded in Yellowstone showed that

“Post” your letter on the classroom wall. Read the other letters on your topic. With your partner, decide which letter has the best arguments.

Being able to recognize examples, explanations, and definitions helps you to understand both concepts and specific words in a text. Definitions give the meaning or synonyms of specific words or phrases. Explanations give further information or reasons. Examples list specific members of a general class.

).

had abundant trees in the past could no longer support many trees.

1 Choose one of the following topics: • Animals in captivity in zoos • The sale of wild animals as pets • The eradication of “pests” such as mosquitoes 2 State your opinion in a topic sentence.

3 Give one or two examples of arguments from “the other side.”

4 State your arguments/opinions.

5 Write a concluding sentence which re-states your topic sentence in different words.

Reading: definitions, explanations, and examples

). With the beavers gone, the valleys

domino effect had been set in motion that had totally unexpected and birds (6

ork in pairs. Use the guidelines below to write a W letter to the editor stating your opinion. Include at least one phrase from each group in Exercise A.

building materials (11

where beaver ponds used to exist dried up and no longer fed the

Work in pairs. Answer these questions as quickly as you can.

1 According to the article, what is a domino effect in ecology?

2 What examples of organisms were mentioned in the case study, and what are they?

3 What is a food pyramid?

4 What is the explanation for why beavers left the park and trees near water disappeared?

5

C

placidly and heavily on aspen and willows along the waterways. Soon,

and songbirds. This is to say that with the removal of wolves, a true

Most of us are aware that in any healthy natural system there is a

7

songbirds

Unit

6

elk

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masterSkills

Society and culture: understanding decisionmaking styles A Write a word or phrase from the box below next to each description of a decision-making style.

• Understand the advantages and disadvantages of different decisionmaking styles.

• Determine which decisionmaking style is most appropriate for a given situation.

• Carry out the decisionmaking process, and reflect on whether it went well.

C

ork in pairs. Discuss which decision-making style you would W recommend in each situation below, and why.

1 A family—parents and two children—are discussing whether to get a pet.

2 The family has decided to get a pet, and they are deciding what kind of pet to get.

3 A zoo needs to hire a new veterinarian.

4 There is a proposal to turn a large city park into an open-air arts and crafts market.

D

Work in groups of five (or another odd number). Read the biology assignment, and then follow the steps below.

BIO 101 • Due: Tuesday, April 7th

As we have discussed, we would like to motivate the school to help animals. You have brainstormed ideas, and now a proposal has to be made to the school. Your group will evaluate the suggestions that have been made and will decide on one idea to present to the school. Each group will then explain to the class which idea they have chosen and why. The final decision on which idea to work up as a proposal will be decided by class vote.

2 : in a large organization or group, people choose a smaller group of people to make the decision. The large group agrees to accept the decision made by the smaller group. : one person makes the decision for the whole group.

3

4 : everyone in the group agrees on the final decision. If there are different opinions, people talk and compromise until disagreements are resolved.

B

Check characteristics of each decision-making style. (In some cases, you can check more than one item.) Discuss your answers with a partner or small group.

Authoritarian

a) It’s a slower method. b) It’s a faster method. c) Everyone’s opinion is heard. d) It’s fair to everyone. e) Power is not equal. f) It’s common in my country.

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Committee

Consensus

Majority rules

• Start a campaign to educate students about ecology issues in your country. Encourage students to join reputable ecology groups in your country. Some of these are branches of international organizations like the World Wildlife Fund, and others are country-specific.

• Start a responsible pet owner movement. Local vets can usually be persuaded to go to a school to talk about how to care for pets. Ask for volunteers to help in animal shelters and in finding homes for abandoned animals.

1 Choose the leader of your group.

2 Individually, decide which idea you like.

3 As a group, decide which decision-making style you would like to use in deciding on one of the ideas. Then use that style to make a group choice.

Does anyone have any more comments?

E

The most/least popular/effective idea was …

Tell the class about your decision-making process.

• Which idea did your group choose?

• Which decision-making style did your group choose? Why? • What was easy about that decision-making style?

What was challenging?

• If you had to do it again, would you choose the same decision-making process? Why or why not?

How to say it Some of us wanted to use the … method, but most wanted to use the … method, so we did.

We thought this method was highly/wasn’t very effective because …

We probably overestimated/underestimated the difficulty of/time needed for this method.

The decision probably should have been made/ could have been made more easily using …

Reflect …

What are some types of decisions that have to be made quickly by vote or by an authority? What are some types of decisions that ought to be made by consensus or committee?

5

1 : people who need to decide between two choices conduct a vote. Each person gets one vote, and the choice that receives the most votes wins.

• Get the school to join the World Wildlife Fund (www.worldwildlife.org), which is an international organization that works for the protection of endangered species and habitats in many different countries. Decide how money could be raised in your school and/or town to donate to the organization.

Unit

authoritarian committee consensus majority rules

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Language Wrap-up 1

Vocabulary Complete the letter with the words and phrases in the box. (10 points) thought out endangered species under in captivity released most over effective wild natural habitat

Dear editor, 8–10 correct: I can use words related to animal rescue, and I can use adverb– adjective collocations.

plan for it. We have a highly (3) be wildlife rescue program, and many of those rescued animals could

Look again at Sections 3 and 6 on pages 49 and 52. /10

a (2) well-

(4)

0–7 correct:

Score:

I believe that the Coldwater Wilderness Area outside our city is (1) if the city had -utilized and could be used in a number of different positive ways

into the (5)

of being given to zoos and kept (6) for a number of (8) is a (7)

in Coldwater instead all their lives. Coldwater , and the area

as well could be used to help educate the public about environmental issues successful and as provide recreation. I know that one of the (9) s, and maybe popular programs at the zoo is their class on local plants and animal y that a trip to Coldwater could be included in their program. I feel strongl be the importance of educating people about our local resources cannot -estimated. Why can’t people have fun and learn (10) at the same time?

Frederick Missottio

2

Grammar Fill in the blanks with appropriate indefinite pronouns. Circle the correct modals. (10 points)

Dear editor,

8–10 correct: I can use indefinite pronouns and passive modals correctly.

Coldwater is a wilderness area precisely because there are not (1)

of people walking around in it. There are some areas where people can picnic or swim, but people should not (2) allow / be allowed to walk all over the park and disturb

0–7 correct:

the wildlife.

Look again at Sections 1 and 4 on pages 48 and 50.

Score:

I completely disagree with the idea of making more use of the Coldwater Wilderness Area.

I do agree that Coldwater could (3) use / be used as part of the zoo’s program to teach people about local wildlife, but (4)

from the zoo ought

to (5) take / be taken videos and pictures for this purpose. I believe that the state should /10

(6) pass / be passed a law so that (7) (8)

can disturb the animals or take

like plants or rocks from Coldwater. Furthermore, Coldwater

should never (9) designate / be designated as a recreation area. We have two large beautiful parks, and (10)

are excellent for recreational purposes. Let’s keep

Coldwater wild.

August Philips 56

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