1. Skimming

Read through the passage very quickly. Do not try to understand every word; just try to get a general idea. Now choose a new title for the passage, from this list:

(a) Why whales sing

(b) The song of the humpback whale

(c) A study in animal communication

(d) Whales of the North Atlantic

(e) Animal radar

2. Understanding in detail

Choose the correct answer, according to what you have read in the text

(a) How does a single male whale probably communicate with a suitable mate?

(i) by singing a complicated song

(ii) by fighting with rival males

(iii) by swimming hundreds of kilometres

(b) What is the highest number of sounds heard in one whale "song"?

(i) thirty

(ii) six

(iii) eighteen

(c) How might an individual whale be identified?

(i) by the area in which it lives

(ii) by the song it sings

(iii) by the distance it swims

(d) In which season of the year can North Atlantic whales be seen off Bermuda?

(i) summer

(ii) winter

(e) What was discovered about the songs of whales in one lo­cality?

(i) They all had eighteen sounds in them

(ii) They were all very similar to each other.

3. Find in the text the following words and expressions and translate them into Russian

a whale minor differences

to vary from one to another the northern hemisphere

in high latitudes suitability

to feed on desirability

the calving season a purely cultural phenom­enon

composed of to be based on

4. Scanning

Read through the text and look for these details.

(a) What did scientists originally believe was the purpose of the whale's song?

(b) In which locality did the whales have songs similar in charac­ter to those of the West Indies?

(c) In species where a couple stays together for a long time, what seems to be expected during their courtship?

(d) How is a whale's hearing described?

5. Grammar Reference

In the article you can see the underlined words and word expressions. Can you translate them into Russian?

The rule:

Articles:

a/an is used before

- only countable singular nouns to talk about indefinite things.

-jobs (an engineer), nationalities (an Austrian) and beliefs (a Muslim)

THE is used before

- singular and plural nouns, countable and uncountable nouns, to talk about something specific or when the noun is mentioned for a second time

• names of rivers (the Mississippi), seas (the Red Sea), oceans (The Pacific), canals (the Panama Canal), groups of islands/states (the Virgin Islands/the USA), mountain ranges (the Urals)

• the equator, the North/South Pole, the South/West/North/East, the north of England

• morning, afternoon, evening (in the morning). But: at night

• historical references/events (the French Revolution, the Dark Ages) But: World War 1

• physical environment (the country, the town)

• newspapers (the Times)

• in front of superlatives and first, lat, next, only, same, right, wrong

No article is used before

• names of countries (Portugal), cities (Lisbon), streets (Regent Street), squares (Constitution Square), bridges (London Bridge), parks (Regent’s Park), Stations (Waterloo Station), individual mountains (Everest), islands (Malta), Lakes (Ontario), continents (Asia)

• substances, liquids and gases

• materials (silk)

• transport with by(by train)

A/an or the is used before

singular countable nouns refer to the group of people, animals or things. (A/The tiger lives in the jungle.(We mean all tigers))

Practice Exercises

1. Find the rule for the underlined words and word expressions in the article.

II. Fill in “the” where necessary

1. …Manila is the capital of … Philippines.

2. …Andes is a mountain range in …South America.

3. A tunnel has been built beneath …English Channel.

4. …. longest river in the world is… Nile.

5. Many people have climbed …Everest.

6. …Sicily is an Italian island.

7. The capital of …Italy is …Rome.

8. …Panama Canal joins …Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.

9. Do you know where …Rocky Mountains are?

10. …North Sea is between …Britain and …Norway.

11. I usually go to …work by … bus.

12. They are flying to …. Seychelles.

13. We all need …oxygen.

14. Let’s have a weekend in … mountains.

15. Sorry –it’s ….wrong answer.

16. It’s …best solution.

17. Can you ski on…. Mont Blanc?

18. It appeared in … New York Times.

19. …Australia is in …southern hemisphere.

20. …Trafalgar Square is in …London.