12. 13. 14. 15.PART IV

11. 12. 13. 14. 15.Part IV: Read the following passage, choose the best answers, and write them in the box below. (8 points)CONSERVATION- OR WASTED EFFORT?The black robin is one of the world's rarest birds. It is a small, wild bird, and it lives onlyon the island of Little Manger off the coast of New Zealand. In 1967, there were aboutfifty black robins there; in 1977 there were fewer than ten. There are only black robinsleft in the world. The island has many other birds, of course, of different kinds, large andsmall; these seem to multiply very happily. Energetic steps are being taken to preserve the black robin- to guard thoseremaining and to increase their number. Detailed studies are going on, and apublic appeal for money has been made. The idea is to buy another island nearlyas a special home, a "reserve", for threatened wild life, including black robins. Theorganizers say that Little Manger should then be restocked with the robin's food- it eatsonly one kind of seed-and so renewed for it. Thousands of required plants are at presentbeing cultivated in New Zealand. The public appeal is aimed at the conscience ofmankind, so that the wild black robin will not die out and disappear from the earth in ourtime at least. Is all this concern a waste of human effort? Is it any business of ours whether the blackrobin survives or dies out? Are we losing our sense of what is reasonable and what isunreasonable? In the earth's long, long past hundreds of kinds of creatures have evolved, risen to adegree of success- and died out. In the long, long future there will be many new anddifferent forms of life. Those creatures that adapt themselves successfully to what theearth offers will survive for a long time. Those that fail to meet the challenges willdisappear early. That is Nature's proven method of operation. The rule of selection-''the survival of the fittest"-is the one by which man has himselfarrived on the scene. He, being one of the most adaptable creatures the earth hasyet produced, may last longer than most. Some creatures, certain small animals,insects and birds, will almost certainly outlast man, for they seem even more adaptable.You may take it as another rule that when, at last, man shows signs of dying out; noother creature will extend a paw to postpone his departure. On the contrary, he will behurried out; for Nature, though fair, is a hard-heard mistress. She has no favorites. Life seems to have grown too tough for black robins. I leave you to judge whether weshould try to do anything about it.