1. Skimming

Read through the text very quickly and now choose the sentence which, in your opinion, best describes the subject of the passage.

(a) Islands are all threatened by destruction.

(b) The Amazonian rainforest is being gradually destroyed.

(c) Man must do something to protect wildlife.

(d) Through the study of actual islands we can learn how to pro­vide the best wildlife reserves.

(e) Animals and plants on islands are in great danger.

2. Understanding the text: True or False?

From the information contained in the text, decide whether the statements are true or false.

(a) The study of island biogeography is a recent phenomenon.

(b) Islands provide good environments for evaluating theories.

(c) Only real islands surrounded by water are suitable for study.

(d) Nobody knows what is happening to the world's rainforests.

(e) Studying islands may help to preserve some endangered species.

(f) When the immigration rate rises, there is a decrease in the extinction rate in an island community.

(g) The size of an island has no effect on the extinction rate of species.

(h) There is a correlation between the immigration rate and the

degree of isolation of an island

(i) Community assembly can best be studied in a laboratory

(j) MacArthur and Wilson were the first scientists to work on an

analytical theory of island biogeography.

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

communities of plants and animals the net extinction rate

the natural reserves and wildlife a degree of isolation

particular fluctuation

to be set aside from to be correlated with

rain forest to affect

to point out utilizable resource

to give insight into to establish

3. Scanning

Read through the text and look for these details.

(a) What are the biogeographical advantages of islands for the researchers?

(b)How can islands look like?

(c)What are the basics of the species balance on an island?

(d)Is there any correlation between the geographical position of the island and the number of species on it?

(e)How does area affect on immigration and extinction?

3. Grammar Reference

In the article you can see the underlined sentence fragments. Can you translate them into Russian?

The rule:

the + comparative…, the + comparative

The easier the exam, the higher your marks will be.

Чем легче экзамен, тем выше будут ваши оценки.

The more people who use buses, the better it is for the environment.

Чем больше люди пользуются автобусами, тем лучше это для окружающей среды.

Practice exercises

Open the brackets giving the correct forms of the comparative construction and translate the sentences into Russian

Example: (Much) you read, (well) you will know English. – The more you read, the better you will know English

1. (Interesting) the book is, (fast) you read it.

2. (Early) you come, (quick) we finish the work.

3. (Hot) the weather is, (bad) I feel.

4. (Soon) he takes the medicine, (well) he will feel.

5. (Little) she ate, (angry) she was.

6. (Late) you come, (little) you will sleep.

7. (Cold) the winter is, (hot) the summer will be.

8. (Much) you study, (clever) you will become.

9. (Near) you come up, (well) you will be.

10. (Long) the children saw the film, (frightened) they felt.