Page 108 - 3 STEPS YDT ENGLISH

ENGLISH 2 STEP
ND

Emperor penguins begin to breed for the first time at around The Aral Sea, located in the deserts between Kazakhstan and
three years of age. Their yearly reproductive cycle begins at the Uzbekistan, has been facing one of the largest human-made
start of the Antarctic winter, in March or April. They do not build environmental disasters of modern times. Poor agricultural
planning has caused it to shrink to a salty, lifeless lake by virtually
nests like other species of seabirds. In May or early June, the
robbing all its inflowing river water. In 1960, the Aral was the fourth-
female emperor lays a single egg on ice, unlike most penguins,
largest inland water in the world; however, some experts predict
which lay about three eggs. Later, she transfers the egg to the
that the Aral will dry up completely by the 2050s. What led the Aral
male and leaves the colony to return to the sea to feed. The Sea to shrink to less than half its size? Not only the weather but
male spends the winter incubating the egg covering it with his also human involvement has contributed to the Aral’s shrinkage.
plumage. During the winter storms, all the males in the colony From time to time, severe droughts were lowering the amount of
huddle closely together to keep warm. Approximately 65 days river water flowing into the Aral Sea. On the other hand, the main
later, starting in July, hatching begins. Newly hatched chicks cause of the Aral’s shrinkage was the massive amount of water
remain protected by their parents and go through a period called taken from its feeder rivers for farming. The area around the lake
has dried up as all the river water that once supplied Aral has been
'the guard phase'. Meanwhile, the males, who lose a third of
diverted to irrigate the surrounding cotton and rice fields. Therefore,
their weight, feed their young with a milky substance produced
very little river water has reached the lake since the mid-1980s.
by their own bodies until the females return with approximately Without any flow of new water, the lake is rapidly drying up.
three kilos of pre-digested fish.

7. What is the passage mainly about? 10. According to the passage, the weather conditions of the
area where the Aral Sea is located _______.
A) Reproduction of emperor penguins
A) mainly contributed to the shrinkage of feeder rivers of the
B) The deep-diving adaptation of emperor penguins
Aral
C) The scientific classification of penguins
B) can be considered as typical characteristics of continental
D) The habitat of emperor penguins
climate
E) The life cycle of emperor penguins
C) are of secondary importance in the Aral’s loss of water
D) cause the natural habitat to die
E) make farming impossible for the inhabitants of the land

8. According to the passage, emperor penguins differ from 11. It is clearly stated in the passage that _______.
other similar species in that emperor penguins _______. A) the Aral Sea robs all the irrigation water of the surrounding
A) entrust the male to guard their eggs area
B) live in their nests B) severe droughts can be considered as the main reason for
C) lay only one egg at a time the Aral’s shrinkage
D) lay their eggs on ice C) cotton and rice are the primary sources of income for the
E) breed at around three years of age inhabitants of the area around the Aral Sea
D) the Aral Sea has been salty and lifeless since the beginning
of its existence
E) the environmental disaster that the Aral Sea has been
struggling is due to the human being

9. According to the passage, it is impossible to say that 12. It can be inferred from the passage that _______.
_______. A) the Aral Sea came up against the threat of drying up
A) males strive together to survive the cold because of poor agricultural planning
B) emperor penguins have different characteristics from other B) severe droughts lowered the amount of river water in the
species of seabirds Caspian Sea as well
C) emperor penguins are the only ones that breed in winter C) the drying up of the Aral has been going on for more than
D) males lose weight during the period called the guard phase thirty years because of a lack of agricultural planning
E) females digest the fish they have caught in advance D) it is normal for the Aral Sea to shrink since it is located
between deserts
E) Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan governments should take the
Aral’s drying up seriously and prevent it

108