Hunters in the sky

In the vast grasslands of Kazakhstan in Central Asia, nomadic huntsmen (“burkutchi”) still follow their passion for hunting with golden eagles. For many centuries, these huge birds of prey have been trained to protect sheep from wolves and foxes. The skins of the dead animals then used for furs. It is said that a trained eagle is worth twelve horses.

The fifty pure-bred eagles which remain in Kazakhstan have been trained to hunt by the skilled “burkutchi”. Female eagles are both larger and stronger than the male and can have a wingspan of up to two meters. A young female is taken from the nest just after it has learnt to fly. The bird is hooded to keep it calm and is kept on a lead which is gradually lengthened. It is taught to feed from the huntsman’s gloved hand. The eagle must be taught to hunt only the prey which has been identified by its master and to return to his cry “Kel! Kel! Kel!”. For this it is rewarded with all kinds of delicacies and special grooming for its feathers. Hunting is done from horseback with the hooded eagle riding on the burkutchi’s right forearm. When the burkutchi sights the prey, for instance a fox, the bird is unhooded and immediately takes off in pursuit. The fox is grabbed by the bird’s claws and held until the burkutchi catches up, leaps off his horse and kills the prey. A good hunting -eagle can catch up to fifty foxes in one season. A twelve-year-old bird is believed to have captured fourteen wolves in a single day many years ago.

Exercise 2. Read the text and write a suitable heading to each paragraph.

E xercise 3. Look at these expressions and idioms connected with some of the animals and birds. Try to give their explanations. Do you have equivalent expressions or idioms in your language? Give their equivalents in your language.

Matthew may look innocent but in reality he’s a sly old fox.

I’m afraid my Uncle Bruno was always getting into trouble. He was the black sheep of the family.

You can lead a horse to water but you can’t make it drink.

E xercise 4. Why are birds of prey, particularly eagles, often used as symbols of trademarks?

Do you think that the hunting of wild animals can be justified in any way?

E xercise 5. Listen [Part III p. 177], [2,T. 25] to two people debating the following topic: “We worry about protecting wild animals and not enough about protecting people”. Decide if the sentences are T (true) or F (false).

The wildlife journalist …

1. says 18:38 a7/p7 documentaries don’t influence people at all.

2. thinks these documentaries don’t tell the whole story.

3. says that Gorillas in the Mist is about a woman who was killed by gorillas.

4. says that the woman conservationist was helping the animals and the people.

5. thinks we must solve local people’s problems first.

The biologist …

6. says an ecosystem only involves the relationship between animals and plants.

7. gives two reasons for the destruction of our ecosystem.

8. doesn’t think it is a serious problem when a species becomes extinct.

9. says that animals becoming extinct will cause world starvation.

10. agrees with the journalist about how to save the environment.

Exercise 6. Retell the main idea of the listened text.

E xercise 7. This is an extract from a letter you have received from your pen friend. Read it. Following the rules for an informal letter and using information about Australia write an informal letter to your pen friend.

….We’re doing a project at university about different Sydney Parks, Australia’s natural diversity, its birds and animals. Could you write me a short report about Australian wildlife to include in the project? Write as soon as you can. I wish you luck in your exams.

Best wishes

Andy

Australia’s plants and animals are special. Most of them occur nowhere else and our networks of protected areas are crucial for their long-term survival. Some protected areas can cope fairly easily with different types of human activities. However, the environments of others are more fragile, and their plant and animal populations can take a long time to recover even from the smallest amount of human interference    National parks are relatively large areas protected for their unspoiled landscapes and their native plants and animals. They are set aside for public education and recreation, and usually offer visitor facilities. Situated near large population centers, they offer open space and recreational and cultural opportunities for urban residents. Marine parks are unique and outstanding marine areas set aside to conserve aquatic plants and animals. Historic sites can include buildings, objects, monuments or landscapes. They have national cultural importance, and are generally open to visitors.

Exercise 8. Writing for-and-against essay “Keeping animals in zoo”. What are the advantages and disadvantages of keeping animals in zoo?

1. Choose the right variant: It … that a trained eagle is worth twelve horses (say).

1. are said

2. is said

3. is saying

4. were said

2. Choose the right variant: People say that one elephant is killed every minute of the day.

a) It were said …

b) It was said…

c) It is said ….

d) Its is says …

3. Choose the right variant: A lot of people nowadays consider fox-hunting to be very cruel.

1. Fox –hunting nowadays is consider …

2. Fox –hunting nowadays is believed…

3. Fox –hunting nowadays is said …

4. Fox –hunting nowadays is considered…

4. Choose the correct variant: The drill sergeant … the orders.

a) barked down

b) barked out

c) barked up

d) barked off