Do the Listening part 2 task
Read the "exam tips"
Track 029
Narrator: Now turn to part 2
You will hear a student called Matt Brady giving a presentation on the subject of wildlife repopulation.
For questions 1-8, complete the sentences with a word or short phrase.
You now have 45 seconds to look at part 2.
Matt Brady: Hi. I'm Matt Brady and I've been doing some research recently into rewilding.
Now, I've found a number of different definitions of rewilding but, essentially, it's a way of carrying out conservation that involves returning areas to their natural state - without any buildings, cultivation or anything.
It often includes bringing back the wild animals that used to live in an area before they were either killed off or forced out because the habitat became unsuitable.
The term rewilding has been in use in print for the last 30 years, although interestingly it still seems to be absent from dictionaries.
But with its raised profile in the media, I imagine this will change before long.
In many cases, rewilding happens in the kind of locations not usually associated with a good ecological balance.
One recent example is the area of Knepp in England, where land around an old castle has been left for nature to take over again.
I think that, given Knepp's proximity to a major airport, this is an impressive achievement and really shows what can be done.
On the Knepp estate, many species are now extremely common.
Deer are one example, and the barbastelle, a species of bat described as Europe's rarest mammal, has been seen flying overhead.
The estate also now boasts more of the purple emperor - a kind of butterfly - than anywhere else in the country.
And while the approach at Knepp was to repopulate with diverse wildlife, other projects have targeted one specific species.
Examples include successful attempts to bring back one of Wales's most loved birds of prey, the red kite.
A working farm in Raeder was set up as a feeding station for kites, and now thrives as a tourist attraction.
Rewilding can sometimes teach us new things.
After successful reintroduction in Poland in the 1950s, the Dutch have reintroduced bison.
What nobody was expecting was to find that these animals have all but abandoned the forests that have been their traditional stomping ground, and are now making their homes among the sand dunes of the Dutch coastline.
It's probably fair to say these projects are popular, on the whole. They are set up, I think, for idealistic reasons.
But some can prove controversial, such as the reintroduction of the grey wolf population to Yellowstone National Park in the US in the 1990s.
This was based on experts anticipating the number of elk and other animals that would be killed on average by each wolf, but this figure turned out to be conservative, to say the least.
There seems to be growing public support for these rewilding programmes now, with funding being made available to support them.
And many of these initiatives, once set up, manage to carry on in the absence of any human involvement whatsoever.
And when that happens, then I think it shows the project achieved what it set out to do.
Vocabulary
rewilding noun /ˌriːˈwaɪldɪŋ/ [uncountable] the practice of helping large areas of land to return to their natural state.
E.g.
There is a proposal for the rewilding of the islands.
Rewilding represents a desire to return to the state in which humans existed before the advent of civilization.
a high/raised/low profile the amount of attention somebody/something has from the public.
E.g.
This issue has had a high profile in recent months.
Our raised profile in the local media and business community definitely increased the number of customers
I advised her to keep a low profile for the next few days (= not to attract attention).
The story was given a low profile in today's papers.
barbastelle: is a scarce bat that lives in woodland. Sp. murciélago de bosque.
boasts something: to have something that is impressive.
E.g.
The hotel also boasts two swimming pools and a golf course.
Rhodes boasts 300 days of sunshine a year.
This is a region which proudly boasts its own distinct culture.
The hotel boasts an Olympic-sized swimming pool, a sauna, and a gym. Sp. El hotel cuenta con una piscina olímpica, un sauna y un gimnasio.
purple emperor: a large butterfly of woodlands. Sp. mariposa emperador
approach: a way of dealing with somebody/something; a way of doing or thinking about something such as a problem or a task. A strategy. Sp. estrategia, enfoque, método.
E.g.
She took the wrong approach in her dealings with them.
It was time to take a different approach.
an alternative/innovative approach
a traditional/similar approach
The approach they were using no longer seemed to work.
approach to something: We need to adopt a new approach to the problem.
The therapy takes a holistic approach to health and well-being.
approach for something: a variety of approaches for the treatment of depression
approach for doing something: Will this be a successful approach for providing high-tech offices?
bird of prey: /ˌbɜːd əv ˈpreɪ/ a bird that hunts and kills other creatures for food (a predator). Sp. ave de presa.
E.g.
Eagles, hawks (Sp. halcones) and owls are all birds of prey.
red kite: a large European bird of prey (= a bird that kills and eats small birds and animals) with reddish brown feathers and a tail that is divided into two parts at the end. Sp. milano real.
E.g.
It has taken eighty years for the red kite to recover from near-extinction.
Red kites are now a familiar sight alongside stretches of the M40 motorway.
working farm: a farm whose agricultural land and buildings are in active use for crop production and/or the raising of livestock.
E.g.
Experience life on a working farm.
thrive: to become, and continue to be, successful, strong, healthy, etc.
E.g.
New businesses thrive in this area.
These animals rarely thrive in captivity (/kæpˈtɪvəti/)
bison: /ˈbaɪsn/ (plural bison) a large wild animal of the cow family that is covered with hair.
E.g.
There are two types of bison, the North American (also called buffalo) and the European.
a herd of bison
all but: almost.
E.g.
The party was all but over when we arrived.
It was all but impossible to read his writing.
stomping ground (also stamping ground) a place where someone regularly spends time; a favourite haunt.
E.g.
They fear that rich trendsetters will encroach on (invade) their favourite stamping ground
grey wolf
elk: (plural elk, elks) a large deer that lives in the north of Europe, Asia and North America. In North America it is called a moose (/muːs/ plural moose).
conservative: (of an estimate) lower than what is probably the real amount or number. Sp. moderado.
E.g.
At a conservative estimate, he'll be earning £50 000.
The gloomy forecasts are based on overly conservative projections of growth.
to say the least used for saying that you could have expressed something in a much stronger way. Sp. cuando menos.
E.g.
I was surprised, to say the least.
I found the flight rather uncomfortable, to say the least.
whatsoever: used to emphasize a negative statement. Sp. en absoluto.
E.g.
It had no effect whatsoever.
I have no doubt whatsoever.
They received no help whatsoever.
He’s had no luck whatsoever.
set out: to begin a job, task, etc. with a particular aim or goal. Sp. pretender, tener la intención de.
E.g.
She set out to break the world record.
They succeeded in what they set out to do
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