Insect Extinction In The 21st Century - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations
From IELTS Trainer 2 Academic Listening Test 1 · Part 4 · Questions 31–40
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Questions
Questions 31–36 Note Completion
Complete the notes below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS for each answer.
Insect Extinction in the 21st Century
The reasons why insect populations are declining
- In Europe, important plants are no longer found in fields or 31 .
- In the Amazon rainforest, 32 might be the cause of butterfly and beetle loss.
- Globally, pesticides are affecting the spatial skills and 33 of bees.
The consequences of declining insect populations
- Insects are an essential part of the 34 in all places apart from Antarctica.
- Crop production will fall dramatically.
- Researchers can’t discover any new 35 based on plants.
The possible ways to prevent insect extinction
- Governments must restrict the sale of pesticides.
- People must reduce their consumption of 36 .
Questions 37–40 Sentence Completion
Complete the sentences below.
Write ONE WORD ONLY for each answer.
- Sand from the Antioch Dunes was used to make 37 for houses in the early 1900s.
- The metalmark butterfly requires one type of Antioch Dunes plant for its 38 .
- In recent years 39 has led to the loss of wildlife in the Antioch Dunes.
- The Antioch Dunes project shows how 40 does not always require much land.
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q31 | gardens | This is partly because farmers no longer allow certain plants to grow in their fields. But farmers are not entirely to blame. The gardens that people have nowadays don’t always contain the kind of plant that insects need | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that the loss of insects in Europe is caused by a lack of plants in two areas: farmland "fields" and people's "gardens." Because these gardens do not have the right kinds of plants, insects cannot find what they need to survive. Answer Explanation: The answer "gardens" refers to the private outdoor areas at people's houses where flowers, grass, and trees are grown. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "gardens" because the student identifies two specific places in Europe where plants important for insects are no longer found. The first place mentioned is "fields" (used by farmers), and the second place mentioned is "gardens" (owned by ordinary people). The student explains that modern gardens often lack the specific types of plants that insects require to live, which contributes to the decline in insect populations. |
| Q32 | climate change | In more tropical regions of the world, for example, the Amazon rainforest, scientists have noticed that the number of beetle and butterfly species also appears to be diminishing. They put this down to climate change, rather than say, the fragmentation of habitat – but more research has to be done | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that in areas like the Amazon rainforest, the number of beetle and butterfly types is going down, and scientists believe this is happening because of climate change. Answer Explanation: The answer "climate change" refers to the shift in global weather patterns that scientists believe is causing insects to disappear in tropical areas. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is identifies the specific cause mentioned by the student for the loss of insects in the Amazon rainforest. The student notes that in tropical regions like the Amazon, the populations of beetles and butterflies are "diminishing" (getting smaller) and explains that scientists "put this down to" (blame) climate change. |
| Q33 | memory | Pesticide might not kill bees directly, but we know that it impacts on their spatial skills – meaning they cannot make sense of what they see around them – and also their memory | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that while pesticides do not always kill bees right away, they harm a bee's sense of direction and its memory. Answer Explanation: The answer "memory" refers to the ability of a living thing to keep and remember information in its brain. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "memory" because the student discusses how pesticides affect bees. The student explains that these chemicals harm two main things: the bees' spatial skills (how they understand the world around them) and their memory (which they need to find their way back home). |
| Q34 | food chain | Pretty much everywhere on the planet, with the exception of Antarctica, insects are at the bottom of the food chain | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that in nearly every place on Earth, besides Antarctica, insects are the basic food source that supports the rest of animal life. Answer Explanation: The answer "food chain" refers to the series of living things where one eats another. It shows how energy moves from small creatures to big animals. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "food chain" because the student explicitly mentions that insects are located at the bottom of this system in almost every part of the world, except for one continent. If insects are at the bottom, they are the foundation for other animals like birds and mammals to survive. The notes use the word "essential," which matches the transcript's use of "absolutely vital" to describe why being in the food chain makes insects so important. |
| Q35 | medicine | It’s also worth remembering that scientists are now studying plants to find out whether they might be a source of medicine in the future | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that experts are looking at plants right now to see if they can be used to create new ways to treat illnesses in the years to come. Answer Explanation: The answer "medicine" refers to drugs or treatments used by doctors to help sick people get better. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "medicine" because the speaker explains how insect loss affects the future of health. Scientists are Currently researching plants to see if they can be a source of medicine. If insects go extinct, the plants they support will also disappear, and the opportunity to find these new treatments will be gone. |
| Q36 | meat | If we cut down on how much meat we ate, some of the land now used for grazing could be turned back into insect-friendly environments | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that eating less meat allows land that was once used for farm animals to become a safe and helpful place for insects to live. Answer Explanation: The answer is meat, which refers to the food that comes from animals. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is meat because the speaker explains that regular people can help insects by eating less of it. If people eat less meat, the land used for farm animals (grazing) can instead be turned into habitat for insects. In the task, 'reduce their consumption' means the same thing as the speaker's phrase 'cut down on how much meat we ate.' |
| Q37 | bricks | In the 1900s, people looked at the dunes and the sand that formed them and thought ‘that sand is a great raw material’. And because they needed to build houses, they removed tons and tons of the sand and turned it into bricks | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript says that in the early 20th century, people used sand from the dunes as a building material, specifically turning it into bricks to construct houses. Answer Explanation: The answer "bricks" refers to the rectangular blocks used by people to build houses and other buildings. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "bricks" because the speaker mentions that during the early 1900s, builders took large amounts of sand from the Antioch Dunes to create the blocks needed for building homes. The text clearly states that they "turned it [the sand] into bricks" for this purpose. |
| Q38 | eggs | The metalmark butterfly. And a major problem for the metalmark was that it required a certain plant to survive –something called the naked-stem buckwheat. It was on this plant that it laid its eggs, so yes, you can see why the buckwheat was important | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that the metalmark butterfly could not survive without a specific plant known as naked-stem buckwheat. The main reason it needs this plant is to have a place to put its eggs. Answer Explanation: The answer eggs refers to the small round objects that female insects produce, from which baby insects are born. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is eggs because the transcript identifies a specific relationship between the metalmark butterfly and a plant called naked-stem buckwheat. The speaker explains that the butterfly needed this plant to survive because it 'laid its eggs' on it. This means the plant is essential for the butterfly's reproduction and the birth of new butterflies. |
| Q39 | fire | In the last decade, a significant number of butterflies and plants have been destroyed in the Antioch Dunes by fire | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that during the past ten years, fire has caused a lot of damage to the butterflies and plants living in the Antioch Dunes. Answer Explanation: The answer is 'fire', which is the reason why many plants and insects in the Antioch Dunes were killed or lost lately. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is supported by the part of the transcript that discusses why the butterfly and plant populations have decreased recently. The phrase 'In recent years' matches the transcript's use of 'In the last decade'. The 'loss of wildlife' is described in the text as butterflies and plants being 'destroyed'. The transcript explicitly states that this destruction happened 'by fire'. |
| Q40 | conservation | when we think about the concept of conservation we often assume we need to set aside a large amount of it. And that might be true for some large species. But in this case, relatively little land was required | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that although people often believe that successful nature protection (conservation) needs a lot of land, the Antioch Dunes project showed that only a small amount of land was needed to help the species there. Answer Explanation: The answer "conservation" refers to the work of protecting nature, plants, and animals to keep them safe and prevent them from disappearing. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "conservation" because the student discusses a plan to save the Antioch Dunes. The student explains that while people usually think protecting nature (conservation) needs a very large area of land, this specific project proved that a small amount of space can also work. |
Transcript
Student: So today I’m going to be talking about the way that different insect species are being threatened. In other words, the reasons why some insect populations are declining – and might even become extinct in the 21st century. I’ll also talk about the consequences – if extinction occurs – and some possible ways to prevent that.
Let’s start with the reasons. First of all, when we look at what’s going on in Europe, we can see a huge decline in certain species of insect. This is partly because farmers no longer allow certain plants to grow in their fields. But farmers are not entirely to blame. The gardens that people have nowadays don’t always contain the kind of plant that insects need. So perhaps we need to rethink what we’re putting there. In more tropical regions of the world, for example, the Amazon rainforest, scientists have noticed that the number of beetle and butterfly species also appears to be diminishing. They put this down to climate change, rather than say, the fragmentation of habitat – but more research has to be done. And then, there’s the use of pesticide, and of course, this happens everywhere in the world. Pesticide is designed to kill a range of insects that farmers don’t like, but it also kills bees, which they need. Pesticide might not kill bees directly, but we know that it impacts on their spatial skills – meaning they cannot make sense of what they see around them – and also their memory. This means that they cannot remember how to get back to their hive.
So why worry about whether insects become extinct? Well, the consequences would obviously be terrible not just for them, but for us. Pretty much everywhere on the planet, with the exception of Antarctica, insects are at the bottom of the food chain. They’re absolutely vital, because if there were no insects, there would also be no birds or lizards or mammals. Then there’s the role that insects play in crop production. We use them to pollinate our fruit and vegetables, and it would be impossible to manage without them. It’s also worth remembering that scientists are now studying plants to find out whether they might be a source of medicine in the future. If these plants disappear because of insect extinction, that would be another lost opportunity.
So, there’s some possible ways we could prevent insect extinction, some more controversial than others. I think it’s a given that governments have to do something about the sale of pesticides; in fact, some countries have already passed laws to ban certain products. That’s a good move forward. But ordinary people can also make a difference. If we cut down on how much meat we ate, some of the land now used for grazing could be turned back into insect-friendly environments.
I’d like to finish with a positive story. There’s a place in California called the Antioch Dunes. In the 1900s, people looked at the dunes and the sand that formed them and thought ‘that sand is a great raw material’. And because they needed to build houses, they removed tons and tons of the sand and turned it into bricks. It wasn’t really until the 1960s that biologists suddenly realised that the Antioch Dunes had actually been home to some unique species of plant and insect. But by this time, there was only one species of butterfly left. The metalmark butterfly. And a major problem for the metalmark was that it required a certain plant to survive –something called the naked-stem buckwheat. It was on this plant that it laid its eggs, so yes, you can see why the buckwheat was important. Well, in the end, the only way that the biologists could get the buckwheat to start growing properly was to replace the sand. That was a great first step, but the metalmark butterfly is still endangered.
In the last decade, a significant number of butterflies and plants have been destroyed in the Antioch Dunes by fire. So now, the biologists are limiting the number of visitors who can wander around the dunes. That’s fair enough, I think. All right, the final point I want to make about the project to restore the Antioch Dunes area is to do with how much land is required: when we think about the concept of conservation we often assume we need to set aside a large amount of it. And that might be true for some large species. But in this case, relatively little land was required. But the important thing is to leave it undisturbed. OK...