Task 11. Listening.

11.1 You are going to listen to a talk about forest fires. Before listening, match the words to their definitions:

1. devastating	a) the hard outer covering of a tree
2. fatal	b) to be strong enough not to be hurt or damaged by extreme conditions, the use of force, etc.
3. injury	c) causing a lot of damage or destruction
4. bark	d) the quality of being easily influenced, harmed or infected
5. tree trunk	e) capable of being physically or emotionally wounded or hurt
6. susceptibility	f) causing death or very serious damage and having an important bad effect in the future
7. to determine	g) physical damage or hurt
8. vulnerable	h) to shape or influence; give direction to
9. to withstand	i) to continue to live or exist despite a dangerous event or time
10.to survive	j) the thick main stem of a tree, from which its branches grow

 

11.2 Listen to the talk and fill in the gaps:

Forest fires have a devastating 1) _______ trees. Often, as would be expected, trees are killed 2) _______ fire. 120 degrees centigrade for one or more hours is, 3) ________, enough to cause fatal injury. Some trees, however, like the redwoods, have 4) _______ thick bark and can take higher temperatures 5) _______ before the inner layers of their tree trunks are damaged. Trees with thick bark are not always killed in a fire.

 

Bark thickness is only one of many factors affecting a tree's susceptibility 6) _______. A tree's leaf type is also important in determining fire damage. Trees with a lot of large leaves burn 7) _______ trees with only a few small leaves.

A tree's rooting habit is also important. Trees whose roots grow 8) _______ the surface are more vulnerable to fire damage. These trees may be killed by a ground fire even if a fire does not develop in the treetops.

 

The tops of trees are called their crowns, and fires that take place in treetops are called 9) _______. Crown fires are very common and are especially 10) _______ trees that carry most of their leaves at the top.

 

As you can see, there are a number of factors that 11) _______ a tree's ability to withstand fire. No tree, however, can survive a serious hot fire that 12) _____ more than a few hours.

 

11.3 Answer the following questions choosing from the four options. There is only one best answer to each question:

1. What would be a good title for this talk?

a) Preventing forest fires.

b) Factors Affecting a Tree’s Resistance to Fire.

c) The Redwoods Ability to Withstand Fire.

d) Ground Fires and Crown Fires.

2. What fire temperature causes fatal injury to most trees?

a) 100 degrees centigrade.

b) 20 degrees centigrade.

c) 40 degrees centigrade.

d) 120 degrees centigrade.

3. Why do redwoods sometimes survive forest fires?

a) They have deep roots.

b) They have few leaves.

c) They have thick bark.

d) They grow close together.

4. What does the speaker say about trees with roots growing close to the surface of the ground?

a) They are more likely to have large leaves.

b) They are susceptible to ground fires.

c) They have a high resistance to all types of fire.

d) They usually fall down during a fire.

5. According to the speaker, what is a crown?

a) The top of a tree.

b) A very hot fire.

c) Tree roots that grow close to the surface.

d) The highest flame in a fire.

(Based on The Heinemann ELT TOEFL Preparation Course by M. Kathleen Mahnke and Carolyn B. Duffy)

 

Task 12. Watch the video presentation on global warming given by a former USA vice-president AlGore and answer the following questions: