Unit 9: Humans and nature
Listening 1: Polar bears at risk
Narrator: Here on Wrangel Island, a team of scientists watches three polar
bears that 1………… the edge of the ice. To these scientists, the polar bears’
2………… hold on the ice is a symbol of their 3………… hold on a
4………………. Wrangel Island is part of Russia, and is located in the
5………………. It is home to one of the largest 6………… of polar bears in the
world. This team of scientists has been doing research on the polar bears in this
area for more than a 7…………. They hope to 8……………… from their
research that will help the polar bear in the future.
The information they have gathered so far is 9…………. Their research suggests
that not only is the population of polar bears 10…………, but the size of the
bears themselves is also decreasing. The scientists have concluded that the polar
bear is facing a 11………… as a result of 12………………. Their research
shows that climate change is having a 13……………… on the polar bear
14…………—the ice.
Most people have read that the 15……………… are 16………… because of
climate change, but for most of us, this problem feels very 17…………. But it is
not for the polar bear. The polar bear is a 18………… of the ice. The ice is its
home. Its body is 19……………… to the cold, with a double layer of fur and
20……………… that work to trap the animal’s 21……………… to keep warm
in the 22………………. Pregnant polar bears build 23………… in the ice, often
far from dry land.
Polar bears also hunt on the ice, usually for 24………………. Polar bears do not
truly 25…………. They are active year round. However, they can only hunt
while there is plenty of sea ice, during the winter and early spring. To hunt, the
bear usually finds an active 26………………, a gap in the ice used by seals to
take a breath. The bear crouches above the breathing hole, and as soon as a seal
surfaces, the bear dashes to the hole and drags the seal out of the water with its
27………………. Although polar bears are 28………………, they are not fast
enough to catch the seals in 29………………. They have to stay on the ice, and
move quickly a soon as the seal shows its head. During the late summer and
early fall when the ice is melted, they cannot hunt, and so they have to live off
their 30……………… and the 31……………… of food that is available.
But the ice is not as 32………… as it once was. As temperatures rise, the ice is
melting earlier in the year. This means that the bears have a shorter
33………………. They enter the summer thinner and less prepared to
34…………. And as the ice melts, it 35…………, creating greater distances
between one hunting area and another. A 36………… polar bear can swim at
least 50 miles. But as the distance between hunting areas increases, and as the
bears get thinner, they sometimes 37………… trying to reach a
38……………….
At the moment, the polar bear 39………… is around twenty to twenty-five
thousand worldwide. In some places the number of polar bears has gone down
significantly over the last 15 to 20 years. Why are there fewer bears? One reason
is that the 40………… is decreasing. Polar bears used to have two or three
41………… at one time, and two-thirds would survive. Now one cub is the
42…………, and not as many of the cubs survive to 43………….
Polar bears are also smaller than they used to be. In the past, an adult male polar
bear might weigh up to 44…………. Now most weigh less than 45…………,
about half the size. Females might be only three to four hundred pounds. So both
males and females have become much smaller. This could be because the bears
are thinner, losing weight as their food becomes harder to find. But their
46………………. are smaller too, suggesting the changes are more
47…………, not simply a result of a short-term change in food supply.
The problems facing the polar bear are 48………………. Scientists are working
to better understand the role humans are playing in climate change, and what
actions can be taken to 49………… its impact. 50………… are also trying to
come up with ways to help the bears survive despite the shorter winters. A short-
term solution may be to create 51……………… for them, because their
52………… at the moment depends on the 1………… of ice and food. If people
can provide these 53………… animals with a safe place to live and find food for
a short while, hopefully the polar bear can adapt to its 54……………….
