PREDATORS

The living things in an ecosystem affect each other in many ways. The consumers that kill other animals for food are called predators. The word predator usually brings to mind pictures of lions and wolves, but such creatures as owls, frogs, and humans are also predators. Some predators, carnivores such as lions, depend entirely on the animals they kill, while many others, such as foxes and humans, eat plants too.
Some people think of predators as 'bad', though humans themselves are the greatest predators the world has known. Sometimes individual predators attack farm animals, and so they have to be controlled. Too often, however, people try to exterminate entire populations of predators, with the mistaken idea that they are doing good.
People usually believe that predators have an easy time killing defenceless prey. But studies of predators and they prey show that this isn't so. After observing tigers in Africa, Dr George Miller wrote: "Their acute senses, great speed, strength and size, and formidable claws and teeth have given many naturalists the impression that they can kill whenever they want… My experience shows quite the contrary: the tiger has to work quite hard for its meals."

(A) COMPREHENSION (4 points)

a) ANSWER QUESTIONS 1-2 ACCORDING TO THE INFORMATION GIVEN IN THE TEXT. USE YOUR OWN WORDS. (1 point per answer)
1) Are all living animals predators? Explain.
2) What is the difference between Dr Miller's experience and other naturalists' opinion?

b) ARE THESE STATEMENTS TRUE OR FALSE? JUSTIFY YOUR ANSWERS WITH WORDS OR PHRASES FROM THE TEXT. (0.5 points per answer)
3) A predator is an animal of great strength and size.
4) An animal that eats plants can also be a predator.
5) People are doing good when trying to exterminate entire populations of predators.
6) It is very easy for a tiger to kill defenceless prey.

(B) USE OF ENGLISH (3 points)

7) Find in the text one opposite for WEAKNESS (noun) (0.25 points)
8) Give an adjective with the same root as IMPRESSION (noun) (line 12). (0.25 points)
9) Fill in the gap with the correct preposition:
She knocked ________ the door but nobody answered. (0.5 points)
10) Turn the following sentence into reported speech: (0.5 points)
The young lady said: "I did not make such a mistake."
11) Give a question for the underlined words. (0.5 points)
Predators depend on animals.
12) Turn the following sentence into the passive voice: (0.5 points)
Great predators rarely eat plants.
13) Join the following sentences using a relative pronoun. Make changes if necessary.
I could not move my car. It had no petrol. (0.5 points)

(C) PRODUCTION (3 points)

14) WRITE A COMPOSITION (80-100 WORDS). CHOOSE ONE OF THE FOLLOWING OPTIONS. SPECIFY YOUR OPTION.
a) Hunting animals for sport.
b) Are you for or against keeping animals in zoos?

  
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