Yellowstone Wolves and Trophic Cascades

Yellowstone Wolves and Trophic Cascades

 

Source:Wikipedia History of Wolves in Yellowstone

I came across this video through Facebook and thought it was so good for a TOEFL subject and so fascinating too, that I decided to make a little listening exercise out of it.

This time, I will give you multiple choice questions which makes it closer to the TOEFL exam, in particular, the PBT.

As in the TOEFL exam, look at the questions as you listen - ignore the visuals until after you have done the questions, then watch again and enjoy the images! It is such a lovely, feel-good video!

Click on the link to the video here:

Yellowstone wolves 

Here are the questions:

1. What is this talk mainly about?

A The damage to Yellowstone caused by wolves
B The changes attributed to wolves to the ecosystem and physical geography of Yellowstone
C The animals that live in Yellowstone
D The habitats of all the different species in Yellowstone

2. A trophic cascade is

A a high waterfall
B the flow of rivers through a valley
C an ecological process starting at the top of the food chain and going to the bottom
D an ecological process to describe the change to the plains

3.  The reintroduction of wolves to Yellowstone in 1995 caused

A the deer population to increase in number
B the decline in the number of beavers
C the vegetation to grow back and the number of different species to increase
D more soil erosion

4. The rivers have become less ________ and the banks more __________

A polluted:unstable
B straight:rocky
C deep:steep
D meandering:stable

How did you do? Scroll down for the answers.....

1 B, 2 C, 3 C, 4 D

 

Magnetism: Motors and Generators

Anyone who knew me at school may remember that I didn't really like Physics but studied it and passed final exams in it and there I stopped, thinking I had left it behind forever! Then TOEFL came along and those dreaded science reading and listening questions!

So, after trying a few practice questions for the AP Physics exam which I found online and realising I had not forgotton everything, I decided to post this pretty easy listening! If I can do it, so can you!

The video is introduced by a guy then changes to an American woman:

  


1 What are two of the most important applications of the relationship between electricity and magnetism?


2 What sort of energy does the electric generator convert into electrical energy?

3 Name the five parts of the motor described.

4 How does the commutator move?


5 What happens when current is passed through the circuit?


6 The electrical motor converts electrical c....................... into mechanical f.................

7 What two things were changed to convert the electrical motor into an electrical generator?

8 Did you notice these two idioms: "Like two sides of a coin" and "on the other hand"? Can you explain them?


This is easy to listen to but you do have to concentrate to understand the technical details which is so typical of TOEFL listening exercises.

Scroll down for answers below:

What are two of the most important applications of the relationship between electricity and magnetism?

The electric motor and the electric generator.

What sort of energy does the electric generator convert into electrical energy?

Mechanical energy is converted into electrical energy using electro-magnetic induction. 

Name the five parts of the motor described.

Battery, commutator, brushes, copper wire loop, permanent magnet

How does the commutator move?

It rotates freely rubbing against the brushes.

What happens when current is passed through the circuit?

It creates a magnetic field around the wire which interacts with the field of the permanent magnet to create a rotation of the loop.

The electrical motor converts electrical current into mechanical force.

What two things were changed to convert the electrical motor into an electrical generator?

A windmill rotor was attached to the copper wire loop and a bulb replaced the battery.

Did you notice these two idioms: "Like two sides of a coin" and "on the other hand"?

Can you explain them?

"Like two sides of the same coin" means two different ideas that are closely related. For example, reward and punishment are two different ways of controlling people.

"On the other hand" is used to introduce an alternative explanation of something that has just been explained.

Medieval and Byzantine Answers

Answers time!!

Here are the answers to the Medieval and Byzantine Art clip.

1 The first Empire that is described is the Roman Empire.

2 Who was the ruler who had to decide the "thorny question" of succession? It was Theodosius.

3 Who did he give it to and in which year? He split the Empire in two and gave one part to his son, Honorius and the other part to his other son, Arcadia, in 395 AD.

4 What did each part become known as and what languages did they speak? The west became known as the Western Roman Empire and they spoke Latin. The East became known as the Byzantine Empire and they spoke Greek.

5 Which groups of people invaded the Western Empire and how many years did the Empire survive after Theodosius's death? The Huns, Franks, Goths and Vandals invaded. The Empire only survived 81 years after Theodosius's death.

6 How long did the Byzantine Empire last? It lasted another 1000 years

7 What unified the empires?The Roman Catholic Church was the unifying force.

8 Based on a strict interpretation of the 10 commandments, what did Leo III decree in 730 AD?  He initiated a movement of iconoclasm which forbade the making and worshipping of graven images.

9 What was Pope Gregory II's reaction to this? He wrote a letter excommunicating the iconoclasts because he regarded iconoclasm as heresy.

10 As a result of having more creative freedom, what did Western artists produce and how was it different from the Byzantine artists who were allowed to produce art eventually? They produced art with religious themes and in wanting to create visionary experiences, their work developed more dimension and realism in the portrayal of people and the natural world. This was different from Byzantine art, which started again after the end of iconoclasm, because the Byzantine artists had strict rules and could only copy approved images from the past.

I don't know about you, but I certainly learnt something there!

Medieval and Byzantine Art

Joachim's sacrifice

Hi all

I love art - doing it and looking at it - so having experienced a Renaissance Festival, watched TV programmes on Medieval English Embroidery and Luxury in the Medieval times, and made Medieval Oatcakes, I thought it was high time that I did a listening exercise on Medieval Art!

I found this fantastic presentation about Medieval and Byzantine art. I found it very entertaining and informative and hope you do too.

Here is the link Medieval and Byzantine Art  and the questions are below:

1 The first Empire that is described is the ............................ Empire.

2 Who was the ruler who had to decide the "thorny question"* of succession?

3 Who did he give it to and in which year?

4 What did each part become known as and what languages did they speak?

5 Which groups of people invaded the Western Empire and how many years did the Empire survive after Theodosius's death?

6 How long did the Byzantine Empire last?

7 What unified the empires?

8 Based on a strict interpretation of the 10 commandments, what did Leo III decree in 730 AD?

9 What was Pope Gregory II's reaction to this?

10 As a result of having more creative freedom, what did Western artists produce and how was it different from the Byzantine artists who were allowed to produce art eventually?

Some of the vocabulary used in this recording is explained below:

*a thorny question - a question that is painfully controversial

To come down to - to result in

to break up - this is a multi-word verb with several meanings but here it means to destroy.

"Caught in the act" - found doing something which is not allowed


a scoundrel - a person who is disreputable, a rogue, a villain


Check your understanding (http://www.thefreedictionary.com):

Vandalism comes from the Vandals who invaded Western Europe. Nowadays, it refers to wilful or malicious destruction of public or private property.

Iconoclasm is the practice of destroying images, particularly of a religious nature.

Iconoclast is a person who destroys sacred images or seeks to overthrow popular beliefs, traditions or institutions.

That's all for today but drop by for the answers 

Baird's tapir answers - at last!

Aaagh! I am so late with the answers to the last quiz!

My excuses....the crazy end of semester report and exam marking took over and then suddenly it was the summer.....!

Here are the long-awaited answers to the Baird's Tapir:

1 How long has the tapir been around (on the Earth)?

35,000,000 years

2 For which country is it the official national animal and where is this country?

Belize. It is between Mexico and Guatamala.

3 What is its other name in the country above and what other animals is it actually related to?

Mountain Cow. It is actually related to the horse and rhinoceros.

4 How many toes does it have? How many on each foot?

 14 in total - 4 on each front foot and 3 on each rear foot.

5 How is its nose described and what is it perfect for?

Its nose is rubbery and flexible. It is perfect for eating leaves and aquatic vegetation.

6 What is the maximum it can weigh?

700 pounds (lbs)

7 What is happening to the population of tapirs and why?

Their numbers are dwindling and they are now endangered because their habitats are disappearing.

8 Why is it called Baird's Tapir? 

 It was discovered by a naturalist called Baird in 1843.

Normal service has been resumed! More new posts will be coming along regularly from now on.

Baird's Tapir

Baird's Tapir

The tapir is a strange animal and definitely worth an entry on the blog. I hope you enjoy it!

The Tapir

This is an easy video clip which gives 8 facts about the Baird's Tapir so all you need to do is listen and write down the facts as you hear them.

1 How long has the tapir been around (on the Earth)?

2 For which country is it the official national animal and where is this country?

3 What is its other name in the country above and what other animals is it actually related to?

4 How many toes does it have? How many on each foot?

5 How is its nose described and what is it perfect for?

6 What is the maximum it can weigh?

7 What is happening to the population of tapirs and why?

8 Why is it called Baird's Tapir?

That was a quick one for today.

SmartWater answers

 Here are the answers to the SmartWater post:

Which area in the US is the first to use SmartWater to fight crime? Southwater

What difficulties did the British ex-Police Officer talk about with regard to bringing criminals to court? When he was a police officer, he knew who his criminals were but if he didn't have enough evidence, he couldn't bring them to court.

What happens when a person breaks into a business that is protected by SmartWater? They get showered with SmartWater.

If that person is caught, what does the police officer do to show the effects of Smartwater CSI? He uses a blue light to show up the the speckles of green on the person's clothing.

How do they know if that particular person committed the crime they are investigating? Each droplet can be linked to one location only and no other.

How can SmartWater be used in the home? It can be used to mark valuable possessions.

Is Fort Lauderdale enthusiastic about using SmartWater? Yes. They have embraced the idea with gusto (lots of enthusiasm).

What is going to happen in the neighbourhood of South Middle River? Residents are going to receive kits to mark valuable possessions.

How is it going to be financed? Money from a Trust Fund will be used to pay for the kits.

"We're going to roll it out in Fort Lauderdale..." Can you explain this sentence? To roll something out is to introduce it gradually in a planned way. So this sentence means that they have a plan to gradually introduce Smartwater across Fort Lauderdale.

Give 3 synonyms of  "criminals" and which were mentioned in the commentary. Robbers, crooks, burglars.

More posts coming - remember to subscribe!!