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Exercise 3

Read the article about water balls, and then complete the notes.

Water balls
An exciting new product from a company called Skipping Rocks Lab

Water is essential for life, so you may not be surprised to learn that one million plastic bottles of
water are bought globally every minute. However, less than half of these are recycled, with the
majority ending up in our oceans or buried underground, causing pollution and creating problems
for future generations. But what’s the alternative? Two students, Pierre Paslier and Rodrigo Garcia
Gonzalez, who met while studying design engineering in London, believe they’ve come up with a
solution: water balls!

The two students wanted to use their knowledge and skills to develop a different kind of water
container. It took three years of working on the technology to come up with the unique water ball
design. They have now set up their own company, Skipping Rocks Lab, which aims to eventually
prevent 1 billion plastic bottles from entering the oceans each year.

So what do these water balls look like? They’re small and round and look like a transparent bubble.
They have a thicker outer skin which you peel off. This reveals a thinner skin which contains the
water. Both skins are made from 100% natural plant material. You can either put the whole ball in
your mouth, because it can be eaten, or tear a hole in it and drink the water that way. Whichever
you choose, there’s no harmful waste. The water balls only come in three sizes at present (20 ml,
55 ml and 150 ml). However, the company says that it intends to develop a bigger product at some
stage.

One disadvantage of the water balls is that, because the skin is a natural product, it only keeps the
water fresh for a few days. The plus side of this, however, is that the skins naturally decay within
four to six weeks, the same time as a piece of fruit takes to decay.

When the two students came up with the idea of water balls, they used the internet to advertise for
money to finance their project and managed to raise £850 000 in just 72 hours – more than double
their initial target of £400 000. It seems that a water container that takes nine times less energy to
make than plastic is an idea that gets people and businesses interested. To make the most of this
interest, the company wants to provide fast food chains with machines for producing water balls
themselves.

However, Skipping Rocks Lab is thinking big. Their aim is to replace a whole range of plastic objects
like cups and plates with plant-based materials. And as the manufacture of water balls produces
five times less carbon dioxide than plastic bottles, the company is confident that it can become one
of the world’s principal producers of environmentally friendly packaging.

© UCLES 2020 0510/23/O/N/20

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7

You are going to give a talk about water balls to your class at school. Prepare some notes to use as the
basis for your talk.

Make short notes under each heading.

11 Why water balls are environmentally friendly:

• not made of plastic

• .............................................................................................................................................

• .............................................................................................................................................

• .............................................................................................................................................

• .............................................................................................................................................

• ....................................................................................................................................... [5]

12 What the company’s future plans are:

• .............................................................................................................................................

• .............................................................................................................................................

• .............................................................................................................................................

• ....................................................................................................................................... [4]

[Total: 9]

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8

Exercise 4

Read the article about Lion Encounter which offers people the chance to walk with young lions, and
then complete the notes on the following page.

Lion Encounter – walking with lions

Mauritius is an island in the Indian Ocean, 2000 kilometres from Africa. It has no native lions, but
it is one of the few places on earth where you can walk with them. The Casela Nature Park on the
island includes a large area of woodland and grassland which is similar to the landscape that many
lions inhabit in Africa. The park provides a home to young lions from various parts of Africa who
would not survive in the wild because their mothers have abandoned them.

Soon after I arrive, Graeme Bristow, the head of Lion Encounter, goes through some basic
information and rules. The two lions we will walk with are both about 18 months old and are very
excited to be let out into the open landscape. I feel very nervous when I first catch sight of them –
they already weigh one hundred kilogrammes.

Graeme and his assistants always accompany visitors on lion walks, and they ensure that all
regulations are followed. You have to carry a large stick, which enables a young lion to understand
its relationship with you. You do not normally use the stick to hit the lions, but it shows them who is
in charge.

During the walk, the lions behave like normal wild cats. They are incredibly agile and I watch one
jump easily high up into the branches of a tree. We always have to stay behind them so they are in
our sight. If we let them get behind us, they might well attack. Sometimes we get close enough to
be able to touch them, but it must only be from the neck down – definitely not the head.

After a while, I ask Graeme if I can lie on the ground to take a photograph of the lions. “Sure,” he
jokes, “if you want it to be your last ever photo.” He’s only half-joking, however. Graeme says: “If
lions see that you’re smaller than them, they may think you’re food.” This is why visitors are not
allowed on the walk unless they are at least 1.50 metres tall. What’s more, if the lions decide to
chase you, running won’t help because over short distances they can easily reach forty kilometres
per hour. As I get into position to take the picture, Graeme and his assistant stand close by holding
big sticks.

Some people criticise projects like these. They say that close contact with humans is unnatural
for wild animals, and point out that the animals in the park can never be returned to the wild. They
argue that it is better to protect wild animals in their natural environment than in parks like these.
Graeme Bristow admits that a park is not ideal, but he claims that seeing the lions close-up helps
non-experts like me to understand them better. He is also confident that the experience of walking
with lions encourages people to do more to help protect lions’ natural habitat.

The rights and wrongs of projects like these are complex, but there is no doubt that walking with
lions is a thrilling experience.

© UCLES 2017 0510/21/O/N/17

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9

You are going to give a talk to your class about Lion Encounter. Prepare some notes to use as the
basis for your talk.

Make short notes under each heading.

The young lions – some physical facts:

• 18 months old

• ...............................................................................................

• ...............................................................................................

• ...............................................................................................

Rules for visitors going on lion walks:

• ...............................................................................................

• ...............................................................................................

• ...............................................................................................

Arguments supporting the Lion Encounter project:

• ...............................................................................................

• ...............................................................................................

• ...............................................................................................

[Total: 9]

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8

Exercise 4

Read the article about WWF (The World Wildlife Fund), and then complete the notes.

WWF
The World Wildlife Fund, usually called WWF, is the first global green organisation. It was set up
by a small group of people in 1961 in Switzerland, and national WWF offices gradually opened
across the world after that. The aim of the organisation is to protect the environment and the future
of wildlife.

WWF focuses on conducting research to establish the extent of environmental problems. The
organisation recently published a report which revealed three worrying findings. It established
that wildlife populations worldwide have declined by 52% since 1970. It also showed that humans
are using the world’s natural resources far too quickly. As a result, our future on this planet is
threatened.

Their extensive research enables WWF to come up with solutions to the environmental problems.
One method of dealing with global threats to the environment is by running conservation projects
all around the world. As the human population is growing, more land is being used for farming.
This has reduced the natural habitat of many wild animals, and as a result wildlife and people are
now living closer together, which can cause problems. For example, villagers in parts of India have
been cutting down trees to use for fuel, but this destroys the natural habitat of tigers. Therefore,
WWF is donating biogas stoves to help people cook and heat their homes without the need to cut
down trees. Another endangered animal in parts of east Africa is the mountain gorilla, which looks
for food on farmers’ land. WWF is providing head torches for mountain rangers, so they can patrol
farmland by night, and return mountain gorillas to the safety of the forest. And in Nepal, WWF is
supplying fences so that farmers can protect their land and prevent endangered snow leopards
from attacking their farm animals.

In addition to these projects, WWF is working with businesses and industries in many countries
to encourage them to work in more environmentally friendly ways. WWF also believes strongly in
raising awareness through advertising, so that people around the world are better informed and
understand the threats to the environment. An example of successful advertising at a local level
has been to highlight the dangers faced by turtles which get caught in fishing nets. WWF has been
working with fishermen in Tanzania, to help them see the importance of turtle conservation. In
the past, if they had to cut a trapped turtle free, their nets could not be used again. So WWF has
been replacing fishing nets, which makes it more likely that fishermen will release turtles. Another
successful project run by WWF in Africa has focused on reducing potential conflict between
humans and elephants. Elephants love to eat crops, so they come on to farmland which puts them
and the villagers at risk. WWF has encouraged farmers to set up beehives away from their land, as
elephants are even more attracted to honey. WWF provides farmers with bee-keeping equipment
so they can manage these hives, and therefore live safely alongside elephants.

WWF also works with young people of all nationalities to inspire them to care about nature, and
to help them to make positive choices for their future on this planet. Whether WWF is working at a
local or global level, the aim is the same – to protect our planet for future generations.

© UCLES 2018 0510/22/M/J/18

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9

You are going to give a talk about WWF to your class. Prepare some notes to use as the basis for your
talk.

Make short notes under each heading.

What WWF is doing globally to protect the environment:

• .......................................................................................................................

• .......................................................................................................................

• .......................................................................................................................

• .......................................................................................................................

• .......................................................................................................................

Examples of what WWF is giving local people to try to protect wildlife:

• .......................................................................................................................

• .......................................................................................................................

• .......................................................................................................................

• .......................................................................................................................

[Total: 9]

© UCLES 2018 0510/22/M/J/18 [Turn over