Peter Crane — The Gingko Tree - Test 6
B2 First · Listening Multiple Choice Interview · Cambridge English First 2, Cambridge University Press
You will hear an interview with a scientist called Peter Crane, who is talking about an ancient tree called the gingko. For questions 1–7, choose the best answer (A, B or C).
An interview with Peter Crane, a scientist who studies the ancient gingko tree. He discusses why the gingko fascinates him, when it was first cultivated, its medical uses, why it thrives in cities, the benefits of street trees, and what the gingko teaches us about conservation.
What first interested Peter about the gingko tree?
how its leaves grow
the family it belongs to
what's known about its history
What does Peter say about the gingko tree in ancient China?
It wasn't originally grown for its nuts.
It wasn't common before people started growing it.
It was one of the earliest plants to be grown there.
When asked about the medicinal uses of gingko, Peter says
researchers in different parts of the world disagree about it.
scientists have failed to identify any positive effects.
some parts of the plant help the brain to function.
Why are there so many gingko trees in cities all over the world?
They don't suffer from problems that usually affect trees there.
Other trees can't survive if they are too close to the species.
People take more trouble to look after them than other trees.
Peter says that street trees benefit people by providing
some protection from the sun.
a reduction in traffic noise.
increased privacy.
Peter says people can help other species of plant to survive by
leaving plants to grow in the wild.
protecting them from plant-eating animals.
growing them in many different places.
How does Peter's work influence the way he thinks about the world?
It makes him feel concerned about the future of human beings.
It reminds him that human beings are a relatively new species.
It allows him to understand why human beings focus on the present.
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