Appendix (for reading content...etc)
Writing based on reading and listening
Read the passage. On a piece of paper, take notes on the main points of the reading passage.
Reading time: 3 minutes
In the 1950s Torreya taxifolia, a type of evergreen tree once very common in the state of Florida, started to die out. No one is sure exactly what caused the decline, but chances are good that if nothing is done, Torreya will soon become extinct. Experts are considering three ways to address the decline of Torreya.
The first option is to reestablish Torreya in the same location in which it thrived for thousands of years. Torreya used to be found in abundance in the northern part of Florida, which has a specific microclimate. A microclimate exists when weather conditions inside a relatively small area differ from the region of which that area is a part. Northern Florida's microclimate is very favorable to Torreya's growth. This microclimate is wetter and cooler than the surrounding region's relatively dry, warm climate. Scientists have been working to plant Torreya seeds in the coolest, dampest areas of the microclimate.
The second option is to move Torreya to an entirely different location, far from its Florida microclimate. Torreya seeds and saplings have been successfully planted and grown in forests further north, where the temperature is significantly cooler. Some scientists believe that Torreya probably thrived in areas much further north in the distant past, so by relocating it now, in a process known as assisted migration, humans would simply be helping Torreya return to an environment that is more suited to its survival.
The third option is to preserve Torreya in research centers. Seeds and saplings can be moved from the wild and preserved in a closely monitored environment where it will be easier for scientists both to protect the species and to conduct research on Torreya. This research can then be used to ensure the continued survival of the species.
Now listen to the passage. On a piece of paper, take notes on the main points of the listening passage.
[audio|src:'\listening\toefl_blue\Test_4_121.mp3?20220420']
Narrator
Now listen to part of a lecture on the topic you just read about.
Professor
You've just read about three ways to save Torreya taxifolia. Unfortunately, none of these three options provides a satisfactory solution.
About the first solution, reestablishing Torreya in the same location. That's unlikely to be successful because of what's happening to the coolest, dampest areas within Torreya's microclimate. These areas are being strongly affected by changes in the climate of the larger region. This could be because global warming has contributed to an increase in overall temperatures in the region or because wetlands throughout Florida have been drained. Either way, many areas across the region are becoming drier. So it's unlikely that Torreya would have the conditions it needs to survive anywhere within its original Florida microclimate.
Now, about the second solution, relocating Torreya far from where it currently grows. Well, let's look at what happened when humans helped another tree, the black locust tree, move north to a new environment.
When they did this, the black locust tree spread so quickly that it killed off many plants and trees in the new environment -- and some of these plants and trees were themselves already in danger of becoming extinct. So assisted migration can have unpredicted outcomes for the new environment.
Third, research centers are probably not a solution either. That's because the population of Torreya trees that can be kept in the centers will probably not be able to resist diseases. For a population of trees to survive a disease, it needs to be relatively large and it needs to be genetically diverse. Tree populations in the wild usually satisfy those criteria. But research centers would simply not have enough capacity to keep a large and diverse population of Torreya trees, so trees in such centers will not be capable of surviving diseases in the long term.
Narrator
Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to explain how they cast doubt on the specific solutions presented in the reading passage.
You should understand the reasons presented in the lecture for why the different methods to save the Torreya tree might not work. The lecturer qucstions each of the solutions proposed in the passage: planting Torreya in areas where it used to grow, planting it in new areas, and preserving it in research centers.
A high-scoring response will include the following points made by the lecturer that address the points made in the reading passage.
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Point made in the reading passage:
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Contrasting point from the lecture:
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| Torreya trees could be planted in areas where they used to grow because those areas have a favorable cool and wet microclimate. |
Unfortunately, global warming and human activities have made the locations where Torreya used to grow warmer and drier. |
| Torreya trees could be introduced in other areas whose environmental conditions are suitable for Torreya growth. |
Introducing a tree in a new area can endanger other plants that already grow there. This has happened previously when the black locust tree was introduced in a new area. |
| If Torreya trees are grown in research centers, they can be both preserved and studied there. |
Since research centers are small, the population of Torreya trees grown there would not be large and diverse enough to resist diseases. |
Responses with scores of 4 and 5 generally clearly discuss all three main points in the table.
Question:
Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to explain how they oppose specific points made in the reading passage.
Sample Answer:
Giving that Torreya started to die out in its naturel location, three solutions were be proposed, but none of them worked.
The first solution is to reestablish the tree in Florida, its naturel home, because historicaly this kind of tree lives thanks to the microclimat of this state. But the plan fall because of the changing of the climat in this area. Benefits of the microclimat, which is specific climat of an area, do not exist yet. So Torreya loose its natural environnement.
The second solution is to establish the tree in a completely different climat, meanning in the north. But as the professor explains, this solution fall in the past with the black locust tree. This historical exemple explains how it is dificult to change the ecosystem, because it is very dangerous to provoc a migration.
Eventually, the last solution is to preserve Torreya in reserch centres. One more time this proposition is not good, because all experiences of capted population show that every preserve population lost its capacity to resist to deseas and external atacs. Then even if humans try to recreat a reel diversity, it is not possible, because the recreat area can not be enought to be large and diverse as the nature is.
Rater Comments
This response earns a mid-level score. The writer may have understood most of the passage's points and the lecturer's arguments, but errors of usage and grammar are more than minor and are more frequent throughout the response ("were be"; "fall" for "fail"; incorrect use of tense; "capted"). The errors result in vagueness as well as obscured meanings in conveying ideas and connections. Some important information is also missing. The writer conveys that the microclimate has changed (though no mention is made, specifically, that it is drier or warmer). The sentence "Benefts of the microclimate ... do not exist yer" is unclear, probably because the writer mistakenly wrote "yet" instead of "anymore." While the black locust is cited as a historical example, the writer is vague and unclear in explaining the rest of the argument: the lecturer did not say that "it is difficult to change the ecosystem," and it is unclear what "provoc a migration" means. If a reader correctly interprets some erroneous expressions ("capted population"), important parts of the third argument become clear; however, it is not the "area" that cannot be large and diverse enough, but the captive tree population.
Torreya taxifolia is an evergreen tree that was once common in Florida region. From 1950's it is in danger of becoming extinct and scientists are considering different ways to save it.
Plans to reestablish Torreya in Florida has been ruled out by the professor in the lecture because global warming has resulted in a worse climate in that area for the tree to grow and flourish. Wetlands in Florida area have also dried up so these changes in the climate has caused the decreased growth of the tree and it is very hard to reestablish in the same area.
The second option could be very dangerous for the native species of that area. The professor explains by citing another example of black locust tree. When it was taken to a new environment, it grew to such an extent that it killed a large number of local plants and trees and hence they became endangered. So, it's not wise to grow one species by eliminating others. So it is at risk to experi
The third solution is again not appropriate because for a population to be successfull it should be relatively large and genetically diverse so that it is able to resist diseases, Research centres cannot provide a large space for the population to be reestablished.
Rater Comments
This response earns a high score because it successfully conveys most of the important information from the lecture and the reading passage. The subject -- saving a tree that is in danger of extinction--is introduced in the first paragraph, and the writer goes on to discuss the weakncsses of cach solution that has been proposed. While the writer focuses mainly on discussing what the lecturer said about the weaknesses, it remains quite clear what the solutions described in the reading passage were. The response is generally well organized. The incomplete sentence at the end of the third paragraph does not really take away from the quality of the response. Since we consider responses to be first drafts, minor problems of this kind are not evaluated harshly. There are some minor errors ("plans ... has been ruled out") and some ideas are not expressed as well as they could be ("it's not wise to grow one species by eliminating others" would be better put as "il's not wise to grow one species at the expense of others"), but the Scoring Guide allows for some minor problerns in high-level responses.
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