The Importance of Pollinators and the Pollinator Crisis - IELTS Listening Answers & Explanations
From Expert on Cambridge IELTS 09 Academic Listening Test 3 · Part 3 · Questions 21–30
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Questions
Questions 21–23 Sentence Completion
Complete the sentences below.
Write NO MORE THAN TWO WORDS AND/OR A NUMBER for each answer.
- People domesticate bees for 21 and 22.
- Commercial crops such as almond, cherry, 23, water melon, cucumber, depend on pollination.
- Animal pollination contributes <input> dollars a year to world agriculture.
Questions 24–25 Two Choices
Choose TWO letters, A-D.
Questions 26–29 Matching
What are the features of each pollinator?
Choose the correct letter, A-F.
A. It pollinates four out of five food crops in North America.
B. It has been mistaken for a similar animal.
C. It feeds on the nectar of lavender.
D. It has been affected by environmental alteration.
E. It has been smuggling traded.
F. It returns to the specific site every year.
Questions 30–30 One Choice
Choose the correct letter, A, B or C.
Answers & Explanations Summary
| # | Answer | Evidence | Explanation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q21 | honey; beeswax | A main reason for the domestication of bees has always been the production of honey and beeswax | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains directly that the biggest reason people keep and domesticate bees is to produce honey and beeswax. Answer Explanation: The answer means that humans raise and keep bees mainly to make sweet honey and beeswax. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is supported by the professor's statement about why humans tame bees. The professor explicitly mentions that a primary reason for the "domestication of bees" is to produce "honey and beeswax." |
| Q22 | avocado pear | Many crops of commercial importance such as almond, cherry, avocado pear, water melon, cucumber, rely on pollination by insects | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that valuable farm plants like almonds, cherries, avocado pears, watermelons, and cucumbers need insects to pollinate them. Answer Explanation: The answer means a type of fruit, commonly called an avocado, which grows on trees. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is confirmed because the professor lists several "crops of commercial importance" that "rely on pollination". In this list, between "cherry" and "water melon", the professor specifically names "avocado pear". The phrase "rely on" means the same thing as "depend on". |
| Q23 | 200 billion | The economic value of animal pollination to world agriculture has been estimated to be 200 billion US dollars per year | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that animal pollination provides an estimated value of 200 billion US dollars to global farming every year. Answer Explanation: The answer "200 billion" is the amount of money in US dollars that animal pollination gives to farming around the world each year. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is "200 billion" because the professor states that the financial worth of animal pollination to world agriculture is about 200 billion US dollars annually. The sentence in the question has the word "dollars", so only the number and unit "200 billion" is needed to complete it. |
| Q24 | — | — | |
| Q25 | A / D | It's true. An outbreak of parasitic mites has caused a steep decline in North American populations of honeybees. But parasites aren't the only factor. Alicia: What about the pesticides used on farms? All those chemicals must have an effect. Professor: Most definitely, yes. Pesticides are a major factor. Both wild and domesticated bees are in serious trouble because of pesticides. In California, farm chemicals are killing around 10% of all the honeybee colonies | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript explains that harmful tiny bugs (parasitic mites) caused a large drop in the honeybee population. It also confirms that chemicals used on farms, such as pesticides, are another big problem that harms and kills bees. Answer Explanation: The answer means that tiny harmful organisms living on animals (parasites) and chemicals sprayed on crops (farm chemicals) have reduced the number of pollinators. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is A and D because the professor directly states that both parasites and farm chemicals are harming pollinators. When talking about parasites, the professor points out that an outbreak of "parasitic mites" caused a large drop in honeybee numbers. Right after, the professor confirms that "Pesticides" and "farm chemicals" are another major cause killing bees. |
| Q26 | F | The monarch is the only butterfly that returns to a specific site year after year | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript clearly states that no other butterfly except the monarch comes back to the exact same location each year. Answer Explanation: The answer "F" means that this butterfly goes back to the exact same place every year. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is F because the professor explicitly states that the monarch butterfly is the only butterfly that goes back to a particular place every single year. The phrase "returns to a specific site year after year" directly matches choice F, which says "returns to the specific site every year." |
| Q27 | D | There are over 1,500 species of butterflies in the Indian subcontinent, but their population is dwindling because of environmental changes | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that butterfly numbers in the Indian subcontinent are shrinking because of changes happening in their environment. Answer Explanation: The answer 'D' means that changes in nature and the environment have harmed these butterflies. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is D because the professor explains that butterfly populations in the Indian subcontinent are decreasing because of environmental changes caused by humans. In this context, the phrase 'environmental changes' means the same thing as 'environmental alteration', and 'dwindling' means their numbers are going down because they are affected. |
| Q28 | E | Many of the most spectacular and endangered species have various levels of protection under local legislation. However, there is a major trade in the spectacular tropical species for incorporation in ornaments and souvenirs | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that even though many beautiful and endangered butterfly species are protected by laws, people still actively trade and sell them to make decorative items and souvenirs. Answer Explanation: The answer choice E means that these butterflies are bought and sold illegally across borders. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is E because the professor mentions that although these rare butterflies have legal protection under local laws, there is still a large worldwide business or "major trade" where they are caught and sold for decorations and souvenirs. Buying and selling protected animals internationally is trade smuggling. |
| Q29 | B | Some desert ranchers mistake them for vampire bats, and they've tried to poison them, or dynamite the caves where they roost | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript shows that some farmers wrongly think long-nosed bats are vampire bats and try to harm or kill them. Answer Explanation: The answer B means that people have confused this animal with a different animal of the same kind. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B because Alicia explains that some desert ranchers confuse long-nosed bats with vampire bats. In her statement, the keyword "mistake" matches "been mistaken for," and "vampire bats" represents the "similar animal." |
| Q30 | B | gardeners, orchard growers, farmers and urban dwellers can switch to more pollinator-friendly organic methods of cultivation to reduce wildlife exposures to insecticides, herbicides and fungicides | Excerpt/Transcript Explanation: The transcript states that people who grow plants can change to organic farming ways that are friendly to pollinators, which helps keep these creatures safe from dangerous chemicals. Answer Explanation: The answer means that people should start using natural, chemical-free farming ways to grow plants. Reason For Correctness: The correct answer is B because Alicia explains what people can do to protect pollinators. She notes that gardeners, farmers, and city dwellers can change to "organic methods of cultivation" that are safe for pollinators so that wildlife is not harmed by harmful farm chemicals like insecticides and herbicides. Option A is incorrect because the professor says beekeepers should change focus away from honey production, not focus on it. Option C is incorrect because exploiting more wild plants is not recommended. |
Transcript
Professor: Until recently, we knew almost nothing about how important bees are in maintaining natural diversity. Now we know more about them. We know, for example, that bees fall into two categories: wild bees and domesticated honeybees. A main reason for the domestication of bees has always been the production of honey and beeswax. We also know that honeybees are the dominant pollinators. In addition to bees, wasps, moths, butterflies, flies and beetles, as many as 1,500 species of birds and mammals serve as pollinators. Many crops of commercial importance such as almond, cherry, avocado pear, water melon, cucumber, rely on pollination by insects, and of these insects, bees are by far the most important. Animals and insects provide pollination services for over three-quarters of the staple crop plants and for 80% of all flowering plants in the world. The economic value of animal pollination to world agriculture has been estimated to be 200 billion US dollars per year. Pollination is one of nature's services to farmers. So think about this: if you eliminated the pollinators, it would take the food right out of our mouths. We biologists never imagined we'd see the day when wild plants or crops suffered from pollinator scarcity. But, unfortunately, that day has come. In fact, farmers in Mexico and the U.S. are suffering the worst pollinator crisis in history. So... what happened? Any ideas? Alicia?
Alicia: Is it...um... because of natural enemies? I read something about a kind of parasite that's killed lots of bees.
Professor: It's true. An outbreak of parasitic mites has caused a steep decline in North American populations of honeybees. But parasites aren't the only factor.
Alicia: What about the pesticides used on farms? All those chemicals must have an effect.
Professor: Most definitely, yes. Pesticides are a major factor. Both wild and domesticated bees are in serious trouble because of pesticides. In California, farm chemicals are killing around 10% of all the honeybee colonies. Agriculture in general is part of the problem. Another example is the monarch butterfly. Millions of monarchs from all over the U.S. and southern Canada fly south every year in late summer. The monarch is the only butterfly that returns to a specific site year after year. Unfortunately, the herbicides in the milkweed in the Great Plains are taking a toll on monarchs, and fewer of them are reaching their winter grounds in Mexico. In a recent field study at Cornell University in the U.S., it was found that monarch butterfly caterpillars eating corn toxic pollen blown on to milkweed plants near corn fields had suffered significant adverse effects leading to death of nearly 20% of the caterpillars.
Alicia: Wow, 20%, that's so tragic!
Professor: And it's more than that. There are over 1,500 species of butterflies in the Indian subcontinent, but their population is dwindling because of environmental changes. Many manmade environmental changes like deforestation, extension of farming and unrestricted urbanization are threatening some species of butterflies to extinction by destruction or disturbance of their larval as well as adult food plants, feeding grounds and shelters. Many of the most spectacular and endangered species have various levels of protection under local legislation. However, there is a major trade in the spectacular tropical species for incorporation in ornaments and souvenirs. The international demand for insects is greater than most people realize.
Alicia: Yes, indeed. I once read an article about another important pollinator - the long-nosed bat. These amazing animals feed on cactus flowers. But they are having a tough time, too. Some desert ranchers mistake them for vampire bats, and they've tried to poison them, or dynamite the caves where they roost.
Professor: Yes, we must recognize that pollination is not a free service, and that investment and stewardship are required to protect and sustain it, so what can be done about this situation?
Alicia: Well, wildlife farming, you know, based on sustainable exploiting wild creatures, can help to save endangered species like butterflies and their habitats. Besides, gardeners, orchard growers, farmers and urban dwellers can switch to more pollinator-friendly organic methods of cultivation to reduce wildlife exposures to insecticides, herbicides and fungicides.
Professor: That's right! Actually, the focus of beekeeping needs to change from conventional honey production to crop pollination.