Reading Comprehension.

Read the following text:

Climate change is linked to mass extinctions of

the past

Climate change could wipe out half of all species of animals and plants, according to a
study that has found a link between past climate change and some of the greatest mass
extinctions in the Earth's history.
Scientists said it was the first time they had established a close association
between the Earths climate over the past 520 years and mass extinctions. Future
projections for rising temperatures are likely to trigger the same sort of events, said
Professor Tim Benton of the University of Leeds. In a study published in Proceedings of the
Royal Society, Benton and his colleagues show that four out of five mass extinctions can be
linked to climate change. For instance, of the 394 species of primates from South America
to Indonesia, 29 per cent are now in danger of disappearing due to climate change.
The long-term association has not been seen before, as previous studies have
largely been confined to relatively short geological periods, limited geographical areas and
few groups of organisms. But the evidence is striking, Benton said.
The rises in temperatures expected to occur over coming centuries are within the same
range seen in the past when many species became extinct, said Peter Mayhew, a
population ecologist at Leeds.

Our results provide the first clear evidence that global climate may explain substantial
variation in the fossil record in a simple and consistent manner, Mayhew said. If our
results hold for current warming, the magnitude of which is comparable with the long-term
fluctuations in the Earths climate, they suggest that extinctions will increase, he added.
I. Answer the following questions using your own words but taking into
account the information in the text
a. Why hadnt the link between climate change and mass extinctions been found
before?
__________________________________________________________________________________
b.

Can rising temperatures lead to another mass extinction? Why?

___________________________________________________________________________________

II. Are the following statements true (T) or false (F)? Identify the part of the text
that supports your answer.
a. Twenty-nine per cent of the species of primates have disappeared due to climate
change.
b. The temperatures expected for the future resemble the ones that led to extinctions
in the past.
c. Climate change may explain how fossils have changed in history.
III. Find a synonym for each of the four words below from these six
options
wipe out

close

rising

a. increasing

..
b.

trigger

striking

fluctuations

c. provoke
.
d. surprising

destroy

..

IV. Choose a, b, or c, in each question below. Only one choice is correct

1. It is the first time that...
a) a connection has been found between climate and extinctions, but only in the past 520
years
although it is an unlikely connection in the future.
b) a connection has been found between climate and extinctions in the past 520 years and
it is a
probable connection in the future.
c) a connection has been found between climate and extinctions in the past 520 years, but
it is
only applicable to limited geographical areas.
2. The expected rises in temperatures for the coming centuries...
a) are within the same geographical area.
b) are the same as the ones that led to extinctions in the past.
c) are similar to the ones that led to extinctions in the past.

3. The results of the study...

a) prove that extinctions will increase in the future.
b) indicate that extinctions are more likely in the future.
c) suggest that extinctions will take place in the next 520 years.