PREPARATION FOR NEC 2021- No 18

SECTION 1: LISTENING
Part 1. For questions 1-5, listen to a report on Jupiter. What is said about Jupiter? Choose FIVE letters
from A-H. Write the correct letter in the corresponding numbered boxes provided. Your answers can be
written in any order.  
A. Jupiter is the only planet in the solar system born from primordial stardust 
B. The mass of other planets combined is half of that of Jupiter 
C. The leading position in the solar system has earned Jupiter the label “King” 
D. Jupiter’s enormous size and gravity have been accountable for the sizes of other planets in the solar system 
E. The Great Red Spot has been characteristic of Jupiter for over three centuries 
F. A solid center is not the feature of Jupiter 
G. Underneath the crusts of Calisto, Europa and Ganymede lies a huge amount of water 
H. The Galilean Satellites comprise the four largest moons that are least volcanically active. 
Part 2. For questions  6-10, listen to a report on an ecological disaster in Sri Lanka and answer the
questions. Write NO MORE THAN FIVE WORDS taken from the recording.
6. How is the condition of the ship when it is sinking off Sri Lanka’s west coast? Burnt-out
7. Who are ready to deal with possible risks? Oil dispersants and skimmers
8. What have waters been dirtied by? A green film of chemicals
9. What may cause plastic pellets to drift to Indonesia? southwest monsoon
10. What is the name of the ill-fated ship? ) MV X-Press Pearl
Part 3.  For questions 11-15, listen to a discussion in which two biologists, Ian Cartwright and Angela
Sharpe, talk about conservation and the public's perception of it and choose the answer (A, B, C or D)
which fits best according to what you hear. 
11 According to Ian, why aren't people easily convinced of the importance of protecting endangered species?  
A They find it difficult to understand the concept.  
B They are presented with information that is too vague.  
C They do not believe human activity causes extinction.  
D They think that conservationists are exaggerating the situation.  
12 Angela says that eco-tourism has been successful because  
A it provides locals with a long-term source of income.  
B it has been properly managed by governments in developing countries.  
C it encourages people to have more respect for nature.  
D it is affordable for a large number of people from developed countries.  
13 The story Ian tells about how economists determined the value of the environment highlights A what a
complex subject economics can be.  
B the ease with which false promises are made.  
C why companies get away with polluting lakes.  
D how ignorant people are of the role nature plays in their lives.  
14 What explanation does Angie give for people being indifferent to the destruction of the ecosystem?  
A They believe scientists will fix the problem.  
B The vast majority do not suffer too much when it happens.  
C They consider the exploitation of environmental resources necessary.  
D They think the cost of replacing unrecognised benefits has been overestimated.  
15 The species Ian refers to  
A indicate how fast an ecosystem is likely to collapse.  
B only live in one specific ecosystem.  
C are extremely sensitive to environmental change.  
D appear to be in the greatest danger of extinction. 
 Part 4. For questions 16-25, listen to a talk about climate change adaptation and  supply the blanks with
the missing information. Write NO MORE THAN FOUR WORDS taken from the recording for each
answer in the space provided. 
Climate change can exert a comprehensive impact on all aspects of life. In designing, therefore,
environmental issues such as aggravated deforestation, water scarcity, and (16) _multispecies
migration_____________________ must also be considered besides architectural factors  like built coast
and housing. In addition to those forces, the designing disciplines also have to encounter
intensified (17) _salinity____________________ and (18) __acidification___________________. Due to
the multifarious weather events involved, the indiscernibility of climate makes it increasingly onerous to
assume, to (19) _conceptualize_____________________, to respond, and to design for. To tackle climate
change in vulnerable areas, choosing to stay and fix the problem, which is in fact required by (20)
___regulatory environment______, economy, and policy, is far outperformed by deciding to move in terms
of resilience. In this fight against climate change, designers serve an extraordinary role with their ability to
serve both the land and the community in (21) _stewardship and advocacy_____________________.  
Location, elevation, and unremitting (22) _construction and speculation_____________________ are
among the factors that put Miami among the first sufferers from rising sea level. One architectural studio on
climate change in this city have to deal with multiple issues, including social justice, politics, (23) __climate
gentrification____________________  and climate justice because of such a reason. Another studio in
Virginia also focuses on designing for farms to move inland due to the replacement of farming by (24)
__aquaculture____________________ and severe salt intrusion. 
The designing disciplines might spread optimism about climate change and collaborate with (25)
___governance___________________ to figure out appropriate land-based practices for particular areas. 

KEY AND EXPLANATION

Part 1

1 – 5 (In any order): B – C – E – F – G

B: At approximately 11 earths wide,Jupiter has twice the amount of massas the other planets put
together 0.26

C: Apart from the sun,Jupiter has become the dominant figure in the solar system,thereby earning
its place at the topof the planetary heap as king2.45

E: Probably the most iconic feature of Jupiter,is a crimson brown storm that's been ragingfor over
300 years, the Great Red Spot 1.18

F: But, unlike Earth, and the three other terrestrial worlds,Jupiter has no solid surface.It may not
even have a traditionally solid core 0.34

G: Ganymede, the solar system's largest moon,even larger than the planet Mercury;and Callisto
and Europa, which along with Ganymede,may contain oceans of liquid water underneath their
crusts. 1.54

Part 2

6. Burnt-out 0.06
7. Oil dispersants and skimmers 0.32
8. A green film of chemicals 0.58
9. (The) southwest monsoon 1.44
10. (The) MV X-Press Pearl 1.54

Part 3

11 B

12 A

13 D

14 B

15 C

Interviewer: Today, we'll be talking to two biologists, Ian Cartwright and Angela Sharpe, about
conservation and the public's perception of it. Now, the message of how important it is to
conserve biological diversity is one that has been passed on to the public through education and
the media for some time and yet very little seems to have changed, Do you think you are fighting a
losing battle in trying to change the public's mindset, Ian?

Ian: I wouldn't go that far. But I will admit that it's been an uphill struggle to convince people of
the value of endangered species and what can happen if they become extinct because of human
activity. You see, although we know that the loss of a single species can trigger a chain reaction,
the impact of that loss is not always immediately apparent and can be unpredictable. As such, it's
an imprecise science, which makes it difficult to provide the public with the kind of information
they will be able to grasp and hopefully act on.

Angela: I agree it is difficult, but not impossible as we've been able to witness through eco-tourism,
which is particularly important in developing countries that cannot afford conservation
programmes. Because of its direct link to economic and social development, eco-tourism allows
local populations to see clearly the benefits of exploiting biological diversity to create a
permanent source of wealth rather than destroying it to satisfy short-term needs . The success of
eco-tourism shows that it is possible to conserve diversity when the benefits are clear and within
reach.

Ian: I think that's a fair point. Very often in the developed world, people who live in urban
sprawls are too far removed from nature to be able to appreciate the extent to which we rely on
what it has to offer. This was illustrated when economists were first requested to include the
environmental factor in their complicated calculations to determine whether a project was
economically feasible or not. To put a value on the environment, they visited some residents of a
city with a lake nearby and informed them that a company was interested in purchasing land next
to the lake to build a factory. They were also told the factory would probably pollute the lake and
in doing so kill every living thing in it. Then, they were asked how much they were willing to give to
prevent the company from building a factory and therefore conserve the area. The amounts were
noted, but when the researchers returned to the households to tell the residents the company
wanted to go ahead with the purchase, hardly anyone was prepared to pay the sum of money they
had pledged. As a consequence, the economists concluded that the environment was virtually
worthless and could not be factored into their analyses.

Angela: That story ties in with public perception of what are aptly known as the unrecognised
benefits of conserving biodiversity. These are the services we receive when ecosystems function
normally. By that I mean such benefits as chemical cycling - the oxygen produced by rain forests
for example, water purification and flood protection. These are the kinds of things we take for
granted, so we tend not to consider them until an ecosystem together with its ability to provide
these services is destroyed and we have to foot the bill to replace them. Naturally, you might
expect that the high cost of fixing such problems would be enough to make people sit up and heed
the warnings about ecological disasters, but you would be wrong. This is because of the relatively
low proportion of the population that is severely affected by such catastrophes.

Ian: Yes, again it's a case of people not having to care unless they feel the full effect of an
environmental malfunction. What they don't realise is that there is always a wider impact of any
ecosystem collapse than just the localised one. So, keeping all ecosystems intact is obviously the
primary aim of all conservation projects with the focus on prevention rather than cure.
Fortunately, this can be achieved because within any single ecosystem there are species that act
as indicators of environmental quality. The decline of bald eagles, for instance, told us of the
dangers of DDT. And more recently, in Florida, largemouth bass have relayed the message that
there is mercury contamination in freshwater ecosystems. Likewise, the disappearance of
sawgrass in freshwater marshes has informed us of nutrient problems in the Everglades. Without
such environmental monitors, we would not have realised there were contaminants until even
more damage was done.

Angela: So, in answer to your question, I think I can speak for both of us when I say that the key to
putting the message across is to get people involved in conservation even if that just means visiting
a reserve.

Thank you both.

Part 4.

16. Multi-species migration 0.26

17. Salinity0.39
18. Acidification 0.40
19. Conceptualize 1.09
20. Regulatory environment 1.57
21. Stewardship and advocacy 2.05
22. Construction and speculation 2.25
23. Climate gentrification 2.40
24.Aquaculture 3.40
25. Governance 4.18