Nature Books - Test 3

C1 Advanced · Multiple Matching · Cambridge English Advanced 1, Cambridge University Press

You are going to read four book reviews. For questions 1–10, choose from the sections (A-D). The sections may be chosen more than once.

WHY ELEPHANTS HAVE BIG EARS by Chris Lavers Chris Lavers has set out to produce a book that sits neatly between serious scholarship (he is a senior lecturer in animal ecology) and the need to satisfy the inquisitive potterings of children. Why are ants so small? Why can a bat fly and a shrew can't? And of course, why do elephants have big ears? The answer is no shocker – creatures have interacted with their habitats to evolve into the extraordinary forms they possess today. But once this principle is established, the book loses some of its charm. The book's most accessible sections are where we travel through the Jurassic and Cretaceous periods of prehistory to look at how nature made its primal decisions, which species would fly and which would swim, which creatures would be warm or cold-blooded? Lavers argues that it is here we find the true answers to our questions today and the principles to safely predict our future.

ORIGINS: The Evolution of Continents, Oceans and Life by Ron Redfern Shortlisted for the BP Natural World Book Prize, Origins comprises panoramas and a wide-ranging, accessible scientific insight to make this work a fresh interpretation of the Earth's fascinating evolution. The landscape photographs were shot specifically for the book, albeit by the author himself, after consultation with leading scientists to find the location of the best-known examples of various forms and processes. The writer manages to reduce the most complex theories to digestible nuggets of information. The text is an entertaining narrative that successfully weaves recent and ancient history with science. Origins is a heavyweight work in more ways than one, as a test for the legs of any coffee table and as a definitive guide to our planet's evolution. It is ideal for regular dipping into as much as for in-depth reference.

EARTH ODYSSEY by Mark Hertsgaard Worried about the effects of our expanding population on the world's resources, Mark Hertsgaard took a world tour to see for himself how bad things really were. Earth Odyssey is the culmination of seven years' work, during which time he visited 19 countries. To read it is to shadow him on his tour and to observe the condition of the planet through the eyes of the people he met along the way, their living conditions, their personal struggles and triumphs. He does not try to offer his own opinions; rather he lets us make our own minds up. Hertsgaard cleverly interweaves his observations with carefully gathered evidence as he seeks to answer questions about our environment. He takes us through the industrial and agricultural revolutions, then back to the origins of the human species, to see if the past can provide any answers. Although the answers we want to hear sit uneasily with the facts, Hertsgaard presents an elegant portrait of the human species, full of character, dignity, perseverance and strength. He leaves you with a strong conviction that it is ultimately a race worth saving.

THE VIKING ATLAS OF EVOLUTION by Roger Osborne Why are there no penguins in the Arctic, or polar bears in Antarctica? How is it that camels and llamas are so closely related, yet they live so far apart? The answers come down to the fact that evolution takes place according to geographical location as well as time. Using photographs, superb illustrations and more than 100 maps showing distributions of organisms, migrations, territories and biogeographic regions, the atlas graphically highlights the impact geography has had on the development of life on Earth. It charts the origins, evolution and spread of plants, reptiles, birds and mammals worldwide. It also investigates the way people have altered the world they live in, from the introduction of exotic species into fragile ecosystems to the destruction of habitats and the domestication of wild species. The accompanying text is highly informative. The atlas does not review the evolution of every 'important' life form on the planet. Rather, it chooses several case studies to highlight the evolutionary process in differing geographical settings.

Nature Books

It presents complicated material in manageable chunks of data.

The book failed to sustain the reviewer's interest throughout.

Readers are left to draw their own conclusions about some of the book's material.

Its author sought expert advice on certain aspects of the book.

The book is both instructive and visually appealing.

It looks both backwards and forwards in time.

Its author effectively brings together different fields of study.

It offers a selective, rather than comprehensive, coverage of its topic.

It is possible to feel a sense of involvement with the subject matter.

The text is a skilful mixture of data and personal comment.

Available as a free printable PDF worksheet with an optional answer key.

More C1 Advanced Multiple Matching practice · All C1 Advanced practice