1. Read the texts. What is the common topic of the two texts?

(Đọc hai bài đọc. Chủ đề chung của hai đoạn văn là gì?)

1. Population

2. Extinction

3. Large creatures

Passage A:

The Tasmanian devil is found on the island of Tasmania, but it once had thriving populations on the Australian mainland* too, where it was widespread. The devil's extinction there 3,000 years ago was likely due to increasingly dry conditions with little rain to support plant and animal life. The Tasmanian population survived because of the wetter conditions and also because the dingo - a native* Australian wild dog - was unable to reach the island and hunt the Tasmanian devil.

Early European settlers* considered Tasmanian devils a danger to their farm animals and, in 1830, a plan was introduced to remove them from the island. For over 100 years, devils were caught and killed, and their extinction was imminent. But the population recovered after a 1941 law began to protect them. For over fifty years, all was well, until a disease epidemic* had a severe impact on the population, causing it to shrink considerably. The Tasmanian devil is now an endangered species, and as the disease cannot be cured, there are serious concerns about its continued survival.

Passage B:

The world’s largest bee, thought to be extinct, has been discovered by scientists in a group of Indonesian islands. Now, there is some hope for the survival of the species. However, it is threatened by deforestation - the region where the bees live lost seven percent of its trees between 2001 and 2017.

Part of the funding for the expedition* to find the bee was provided by Global Wildlife Conservation, In 2017, this organisation began a worldwide search for twenty-five species that have been ‘lost' for at least a decade, including a pink-headed duck and a tree kangaroo.

Though it is an exciting discovery, scientists worry that there may be a new threat. In 2018, a sample of the bee was sold on eBay for $9,100. They are concerned that people may attempt to find the bees for profit. To protect them, the exact location of the discovery has not been revealed. The team plans to return to the island to do more research soon.

2. Match statements 1 - 4 with texts A – B, you can choose each text more than once.

(Nối các phát biểu 1 – 4 với các đoạn văn A – B, bạn có thể chọn mỗi đoạn văn nhiều hơn một lần.)

This text ...

1. gives an example of a link between climate and extinction.

2. is about the man-made destruction of natural habitats.

3. is about a species that has faced extinction twice.

4. reports on a selfish reason to find a particular species.