Integrated Listening and Reading — 14
Источник задания: Всероссийская олимпиада школьников 2017/18, региональный этап
Read the text, then listen to part of a lecture on the same topic. You will notice that some ideas coincide and some differ in them. Answer the questions by choosing A if the idea is expressed in both materials, B if it can be found only in the reading text, C if it can be found only in the audio-recording, and D if neither of the materials expresses the idea.
Antarctica
Antarctica, on average, is the coldest, driest, and windiest continent, and has the highest average elevation of all the continents. Antarctica is a desert and the temperature there sometimes reaches - 89.2 C. In spite of this, from 1,000 to 5,000 people reside throughout the year at the research stations scattered across the continent.
Antarctica and the ocean that surrounds it constitute 40 percent of the planet, but in spite of its vast area, it has remained a frontier with no permanent towns or transportation networks. Between 1895 and 1914, explorers planted their flags, claiming various sectors and the raw materials in them for their countries. Nevertheless, the remote location and the harsh environment have encouraged a spirit of cooperation among nations who maintain claims. Furthermore, because Antarctica plays a crucial role in the global environmental system, the exploitation of resources could have unpredictable consequences for the entire world. The Antarctic Treaty, signed in 1961 and expanded in 1991, ensures scientific collaboration, protects the environment, and prohibits military activities.
It's also worth mentioning that Antarctica is vitally important to the balance that 's maintained in the environment worldwide. So, in addition to all the difficulties that would have to be overcome to take advantage of the resources in their claims, individual nations also recognize the danger to the global environment and, at least for now, they're not pursuing their national interests.
Now listen to part of a lecture on a similar topic and then do the tasks, comparing the text above and the lecture. You will hear the lecture twice.
1. Individual nations recognize the global environmental value of Antarctica.
A
B
C
D
2. The need in raw materials used by humankind on other continents is growing.
A
B
C
D
3. Military activities are prohibited in Antarctica by the treaty which is no longer valid.
A
B
C
D
4. The continent is divided into sectors belonging to different countries.
A
B
C
D
5. Antarctica is a huge desert where the temperatures are so low that people cannot live there.
A
B
C
D
6. Ecological balance in Antarctica plays an important role in the global environmental system.
A
B
C
D
7. Fuel, minerals and proteins of the continent are covered by a two-miles-thick layer of ice.
A
B
C
D
8. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries national flags were installed over the continent to mark that a territory and its raw materials belonged to a certain country.
A
B
C
D
9. Nations are not ready to give up their territorial claims in Antarctica.
A
B
C
D
10. Whales and seals attract today's explorers more than mineral resources of the continent.
A
B
C
D