The Isles of Scilly (pronounced Sill-ee) form an archipelago off the southwestern tip of Cornwall.

They
are comprised of 140 islands and islets, the most significant of which are St Mary's, Tresco, St Martin's
(with White Island), St Agnes (with Gugh), Bryher (with Gweal), Samson, Annet, St Helen's, Teãn and
Great Ganilly. The total population of the Isles of Scilly is just over two thousand. Scientific evidence
suggests that the isles were likely much larger in ancient times and that many of them would have been
joined into one island. Rising sea levels over time have led to the current geography.

Up until the early twentieth century, the residents of the Isles of Scilly practiced subsistence living,
raising their own livestock and crops and catching fish to eat. Today, things are quite different. The Isles
are well known for their flowers, particularly daffodils, which are their chief agricultural product.
Otherwise, the Isles today depend largely on food and other products imported from the mainland,
though fishing remains a popular pastime, if not a significant source of income.

The main industry on the isles today is tourism, making up 85% of the islands' total income. The
favorable summer climate, conducive to flowers and holidays, facilitate the large amount of tourism in
the area. The bulk of tourists visit St Mary's, the only island with a significant road network and airport,
though the island of Tresco also has a number of timeshare resorts and a heliport. The holiday season on
the Isles of Scilly, unlike many other tourist destinations in England, extends through October, when the
isles are a top destination for bird watchers who come to see the many exotic birds who make the first
stop of their migration on the isles.

The dominance of the tourism industry on the island has caused some political problems. Sixty-three
percent of the island's jobs come from the tourism industry, but the vast majority of these offer only
seasonal or part-time work. Thus, the isles employ a number of guest workers. Currently, the average
income on the islands is only 70% that of the national average in the UK, whereas housing prices are, on
average £5,000 more expensive than in the rest of the country. These factors make life difficult for those
who make the isles their home, though they continue to be very popular among tourists.

Questions 1-5

Choose the correct answer: A, B or C.

1. The geography of the Isles of Scilly was shaped by _________

A. changing sea levels.

B. a decline in farming.

C. a rise in population.
ANSWER: Answer

2. A political issue on the islands is that there are not enough _________

A. places for islanders and tourists to live.

B. full-time, year-round jobs.

C. roads and shops to accommodate the seasonal visitors.

ANSWER: Answer

3. Today, the Isles of Scilly are renowned for producing and selling _________

A. fish.

B. livestock.

C. daffodils.

ANSWER: Answer

4. Houses in the Isles of Scilly are _________

A. cheaper than houses in England.

B. costlier than houses in the UK.

C. owned mostly by part-time residents.

ANSWER: Answer

B
5. A chief reason that tourists visit the Isles of Scilly is to see _________

A. the many airports and helicopters.

B. the historical church on the main island.

C. unusual birds that are passing through.

ANSWER: Answer

Worker bees are between 8-19mm in length. They are divided into three distinct parts; head, thorax,
abdomen. They have an almost completely black head, a thorax that is golden brown and black with
patches of orange, and yellow bands can be easily seen on the abdomen. At the front of the head are
two antennae for sensing their environment. They have four single wings. The largest are called
forewings and the smallest hindwings. The hind legs are specialized for collecting pollen - each leg is
flattened to form a pollen basket near the end of each leg.

Love them or hate them, we need bees to pollinate many important food crops, including most fruit and
vegetables. Bee pollinated crops are important sources of vitamins A and C, and minerals like calcium.
By pollinating attractive wildflowers like bluebells and poppies, bees also help support the natural
environment that people love – benefitting us culturally and economically, as well as ecologically.
Calculations from the University of Reading show that £510 million of annual total crop sales in the UK
are pollinated by bees and other insects.

What would happen if there were suddenly no more bees to pollinate these crops? This is a question
being asked by farmers, beekeepers, and scientists because bees are now dying in their millions and
they want to know why.

It’s widely recognized now that changes in agriculture are the main cause of bee decline across Europe.
For example, hay meadows, which are full of many different plant species, have declined by 97 per cent
since the 1930s, removing an important source of food for bees.
This has happened because of the trend towards growing the same crop (monocultures) over large
fields. This has reduced the diversity of flowers available and resulted in the removal of hedges. Species
that have more specialized food needs, like the Shrill Carder Bee, have been particularly hard hit. It is
now listed as an endangered species.

With less hedges bees find it more difficult to move between feeding and nesting sites. This is because
hedges act as corridors for bees to move along, but with less hedges movement becomes more difficult.

Pests and diseases are also a major threat to honey bees and other managed bees. The Varroa mite is
thought to be one of the main causes of native honey bee loss. The impact on wild bees is harder to
assess but ‘spill-over’ of diseases and pests between wild and managed bees has increasingly been
observed.

Climate change has an effect as it can alter the timing of plant flowering, or the time that bees come out
of hibernation, which means bees may emerge before there is enough food available.

Apart from pollinating crops how else do bees help us?

A. economically

B. culturally

C. ecologically

D. all of the above

ANSWER: Answer

2. Why have the variety of flowers available for bees to pollinate fallen?

A. conservation measures

B. less hedges

C. fertilizers

D. urban development

ANSWER: Answer
3. There are many reasons for the decline in bees but what is one of the major reasons for shrinking
numbers of native honeybees?

A. Varroa mites

B. spill-over

C. managed bees

D. hard to assess

ANSWER: Answer

4. Why might bees end their hibernation at a different time?

A. to pollinate more flowers

B. to get more food

C. climate change

D. to emerge with other bees

ANSWER: Answer

Vision of Lifelong Learning Put at the Heart of OECD Target

Jane Marshall, Paris

Governments must step up their efforts to encourage lifelong learning, according to a report by the
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development.
The conclusions of the latest edition of the organization’s Education Policy Analysis were on the agenda
at this week's meeting of OECD education ministers, for discussions on how citizens could benefit from
opportunities to upgrade education and skills throughout their lives.

The report reviews the achievements of OECD member states-the world's 30 richest countries—since
1996, when ministers committed themselves to a “cradle-to-grave” vision of lifelong learning.

John Martin, director for education, employment, labor and social affairs, said investment in lifelong
learning “must be a top priority for OECD countries in the years ahead”.

The consensus on education and training “shared by politicians from George W. Bush to Tony Blair” was
based on “a belief that investing in high-quality education and training is the key determinant in an
increasingly globalized world economy; that education has a key role to play in fostering citizenship and
social cohesion; and, in the context of ageing populations, there is growing pressure on individuals and
firms to upgrade their competencies and skills”.

Reviewing progress, the report finds “grounds for optimism and grounds for caution”. Though “many
pieces of the lifelong learning jigsaw can already be widely observed in OECD countries ... no country has
yet put them together to complete the jigsaw”, it says.

It identifies education inequalities that are “compounded by inferior access among traditionally
disadvantaged groups to computers and the Internet, especially at home,” though schools play an
important part in reducing the digital divide.

Increased public spending does not always produce good education systems, it says, though countries
with strong all-round performances—in particular Denmark, Finland, Norway and Sweden-are high
spenders.

Spending trends in tertiary education from 1990 to 1996 show that only Australia and Spain increased
expenditure per student by more than 10 percent in the face of substantial student expansion. Extra
students elsewhere were financed through flexible, cheaper options such as part-time courses, distance
learning or private colleges.
The report presents six scenarios for the school of the future, setting out the policy issues and strategic
choices that face ministers for shaping schooling in the long term. It places the possibilities in three
categories:

• Status quo-schools continue as they are, possibly with greater reliance on market approaches that
could have positive effects by introducing innovation, or negative results such as increased risks of
exclusion.

• Re-schooling—development of social links and community leadership could strengthen public

recognition, support and autonomy of schools, which could become “learning organization” with a
strong focus on knowledge and highly motivated teachers.

• De-schooling-dismantling school institutions and systems and replacing them with non-formal learning
networks driven by information and communications technologies. In the worst case, policies would fail
to prevent severe teacher shortages (faced by many OECD countries), and retrenchment, conflict and
falling standards would lead to more or less extensive “meltdown”.

Questions 5-9

Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.

1. OECD stands for _________.

A. Overseas Education for Community Development

B. Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development

C. Organization for Education Cooperation and Development

D. Overseas Economic Community Development

ANSWER: Answer

2. Which of the following is NOT given as one of the reasons for encouraging lifelong learning?

A. The puzzle urgently needs to be solved.

B. Work skills need to be continually improved.

C. The world economy is globalizing.

D. It contributes to good citizenship.

ANSWER: Answer

3. The digital divide means differences in _________.

A. mathematical ability

B. quality of computers available in schools

C. ability to use the Internet

D. opportunity to access information technology

ANSWER: Answer

4. Four Scandinavian countries are mentioned as examples of countries that _________.

A. spend a lot on education

B. continually increase public spending

C. provide modern technology in schools

D. have poor education systems

ANSWER: Answer

5. Australia and Spain are mentioned as countries that _________.

A. provide part-time courses for extra students

B. spent 10% more in 1996 than in 1990

C. increased funding per student by more than 10%

D. reduced tertiary education spending

ANSWER: Answer