1 In the late 1990s scientists began to notice changes in Yellowstone National Park, in Wyoming.

Trees that had

2 stopped growing decades ago began to grow again. Animals started behaving differently. What caused these mysterious
3 changes?
4 Wolves used to live in Yellowstone, which is in the northern U.S. Rocky Mountains. But many people thought
5 wolves were pests that killed livestock and harmed crops. In 1926 the last wolf in Yellowstone was shot and killed.
6 For the next 70 years Yellowstone did not have any wolves. Scientists decided to bring them back to the area in
7 1995.
8 “Wolves were reintroduced because historically wolves lived in Yellowstone,” explained William Ripple, a forest
9 ecologist at Oregon State University. Ripple studies wolves’ effects on Yellowstone. “Now with the reintroduction of wolves,
10 Yellowstone has all of the predators it has had for thousands of years.”
11 Today between 250 and 300 wolves live in Yellowstone – and they have already left their mark.
12 “The effect has been dramatic,” said Douglas Smith, leader of the Yellowstone Wolf Project.
13 For example, wolves have been hunting and eating elk, a member of the deer family. The elk leftovers provide food
14 for animals such as ravens, eagles, and bears. With fewer elks near the water, plants that grow there, such as willows, can
15 grow taller.
16 “Benefits of this new plant growth include more habitat for birds and more plant food for beaver,” Ripple
17 explained. “The number of beavers in northern Yellowstone has increased dramatically since wolves were reintroduced.”
18 Wolves have such a big effect on Yellowstone because scientists believe wolves are a keystone species. “The
19 removal of a keystone species can lead to the extinction of other species,” Ripple said.
20 According to Smith, the reintroduction of wolves has affected more than 25 species in Yellowstone. “We think that
21 Yellowstone will be a different place in 20 years because of wolves,” Smith said.
22 Some farmers say that wolves kill their animals.
23 “Ranchers want to limit the number of wolves in the area, because if there are too many wolves, they always get in
24 trouble,” said Jennifer Ellis of the Idaho Cattle Association. “Many people who live in wolf-inhabited areas have had not
25 only their cows, calves, and sheep killed by wolves, but also their cats, dogs, and horses.”
26 Ripple noted that there is a program in place to pay farmers for any money they lose due to wolves killing cattle.
27 Some farmers may not be happy, but many scientists believe that Yellowstone is starting to look more like it did
28 before people began to interfere with the animals there.

1) Read the passage through and decide where the following sentences go. Indicate your choice by giving the
number of the line you think the sentence should begin in.

a) Scientists believe they have found the answer  wolves.

b) The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service brought in 15 grey wolves from Canada.
c) Wolves also scare elks from streams.
d) Keystone species are species on which a large number of other plants and animals depend.
e) Not everyone is happy with the wolves’ return, however.

2) Provide the referent for the following words and phrases.

a) mysterious changes (lines 2-3)

b) the area (line 6)
c) there (line 14)
d) they (line 23)

3) Decide whether the following phrases are TRUE or FALSE, or there is NO EVIDENCE for them in the passage.
Justify your opinion in one or two well-formed sentences.

a) Yellowstone is a natural environment for wolves.

b) The number of beavers has doubled in northern Yellowstone.
c) Wolves are the keystone species of Yellowstone.
d) Farmers get compensation for the cats and dogs killed by wolves.

4) Find words or expressions in the text that correspond with the following meanings and explanations.

a) animals kept on a farm

b) bring back
c) a scientist who studies the relationship between animals and their environment
d) an animal that kills and eats other animals
e) food that hasn’t been eaten
f) place to live
g) extremely important

5) Choose the sentence which gives the main idea of the passage.

a) In Yellowstone wolves cause many problems because they kill and eat livestock.
b) Scientists cannot explain the changes that have occurred in the flora and fauna in Yellowstone.
c) Since grey wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone, the park’s plants and animals have changed.
d) There are many endangered species living in Yellowstone