Practice Exercise: Reviving Britain's Big Cats

There is a poem, written around 598 AD, which describes hunting a mystery animal called a llewyn. But what was it? Nothing seemed to fit, until 2006, when an animal bone, dating from around the same period, was found in the Kinsey Cave in northern England. Until this discovery, the lynx – a large spotted cat with tasselled ears – was presumed to have died out in Britain at least 6,000 years ago, before the inhabitants of these islands took up farming. But the 2006 find, together with three others in Yorkshire and Scotland, is compelling evidence that the lynx and the mysterious llewyn were in fact one and the same animal. If this is so, it would bring forward the tassel-eared cat’s estimated extinction date by roughly 5,000 years.

Nonetheless, this is not the final appearance of the animal in British culture. On the Isle of Eigg, a 9th-century stone cross portrays a spotted cat with tufted ears, alongside deer, boars, and aurochs being chased by a mounted hunter. The lynx's distinctive stubby tail is unmistakable, though it has worn away over time. Even without this crucial feature, it is challenging to identify the creature as anything else. The lynx is now becoming the symbolic animal of a movement that is reshaping British environmentalism: rewilding.

Rewilding involves the extensive restoration of damaged ecosystems. It includes allowing trees to return to deforested areas, enabling parts of the seabed to recover from fishing impacts, and allowing rivers to flow freely once more. Above all, it means reintroducing species that have gone missing. One of the most notable discoveries of modern ecology is that ecosystems lacking large predators function differently from those that include them. Some predators drive dynamic processes that resonate throughout the entire food chain, creating habitats for hundreds of species that might otherwise struggle to survive. These predators, it turns out, are life-givers.

Such discoveries pose a significant challenge to British conservation efforts, which have often chosen arbitrary combinations of plants and animals and, with considerable effort and expense, attempted to prevent any changes. Conservation has aimed to preserve the natural world as if it were a jar of pickles, allowing nothing to enter or exit, maintaining nature in a state of suspended animation. However, ecosystems are not merely collections of species; they are also dynamic and ever-evolving networks of relationships between them. And this dynamism often depends on the presence of large predators.

At sea, the potential is immense: by safeguarding vast areas from commercial fishing, we could witness scenes reminiscent of 18th-century literature—huge schools of fish pursued by fin and sperm whales, visible from the English coastline. This approach would also significantly enhance catches in surrounding waters; the fishing industry’s insistence on scouring every inch of seabed, neglecting breeding sanctuaries, proves highly detrimental to its own interests.

Rewilding stands out as an uncommon instance within the environmental movement, where advocates articulate what they support rather than just opposing. One reason rewilding is gaining traction so rapidly in Britain is its ability to inspire with a vision far more compelling than the usual green movement’s pledge of 'Follow us and the world will be slightly less dreadful than it would otherwise have been.'

The lynx poses no threat to humans: there is no documented case of one attacking people. It specializes in preying on roe deer, a species that has thrived in recent decades in Britain, impeding efforts to restore forests through intense browsing. It also targets sika deer, an exotic species nearly impossible for humans to manage, as it hides in dense young tree plantations. Reintroducing this predator aligns well with the goal of reforesting parts of our barren uplands. The lynx requires dense cover and therefore poses minimal risk to sheep and other livestock, which, as a condition of farm subsidies, are supposed to be kept away from wooded areas.

During a recent visit to the Cairngorm Mountains, several conservationists suggested the possibility of reintroducing the lynx there within the next 20 years. If trees return to other bare hills in Britain, these big cats could soon follow. Such proposals are not extraordinary when viewed from elsewhere in Europe. The lynx has already been successfully reintroduced to the Jura Mountains, the Alps, the Vosges in eastern France, and the Harz Mountains in Germany, and has re-established itself in numerous other locations. The European population has tripled since 1970, reaching approximately 10,000. Similar to wolves, bears, beavers, boars, bison, moose, and many other species, the lynx has expanded its range as agriculture has receded from the hills and people realize that protecting charismatic wildlife can be more profitable than hunting it, given that tourists are willing to pay for the chance to see these animals. Large-scale rewilding efforts are underway nearly everywhere—except in Britain.

Here in Britain, attitudes are just beginning to shift. Conservationists are starting to acknowledge that the old model of preservation in a jar is failing, even on its own terms. Already, initiatives like Trees for Life in the Scottish Highlands provide a glimpse of what might be on the horizon. An organization is being established to catalyze rewilding efforts across British lands and seas, with the goal of reintroducing hope—the rarest species in British ecosystems.

Questions 14-18

Write the correct letter, A, B, C or D, in boxes 14-18 on your answer sheet.

14   What did the 2006 discovery of the animal bone reveal about the lynx?

A   Its physical appearance was very distinctive.

B   Its extinction was linked to the spread of farming.

C   It vanished from Britain several thousand years ago.

D   It survived in Britain longer than was previously thought.

15   What point does the writer make about large predators in the third paragraph?

A   Their presence can increase biodiversity.

B   They may cause damage to local ecosystems.

C   Their behaviour can alter according to the environment.

D   They should be reintroduced only to areas where they were native.

16   What does the writer suggest about British conservation in the fourth paragraph?

A   It has failed to achieve its aims.

B   It is beginning to change direction.

C   It has taken a misguided approach.

D   It has focused on the most widespread species.

17   Protecting large areas of the sea from commercial fishing would result in

A   practical benefits for the fishing industry.

B   some short-term losses to the fishing industry.

C   widespread opposition from the fishing industry.

D   certain changes to techniques within the fishing industry.

18   According to the author, what distinguishes rewilding from other environmental campaigns?

A   Its objective is more achievable.

B   Its supporters are more articulate.

C   Its positive message is more appealing.

D   It is based on sounder scientific principles.

Questions 19-22

Complete the summary using the list of words and phrases A-F below.

Write the correct letter, A-F, in boxes 19-22 on your answer sheet.

Bringing back the lynx to the UK

There would be many advantages to reintroducing the lynx to Britain. While there is no evidence that the lynx has ever put 19 …………………….. in danger, it would reduce the numbers of certain 20…………………….. whose populations have increased enormously in recent decades. It would present only a minimal threat to 21…………………….., provided these were kept away from lynx habitats. Furthermore, the reintroduction programme would also link efficiently with initiatives to return native 22……………………… to certain areas of the country.

Questions 23-26

Do the following statements align with the writer’s assertions in Reading Passage 2?

In boxes 23-26 on your answer sheet, write

YES              if the statement agrees with the claims of the writer

NO               if the statement contradicts the claims of the writer

NOT GIVEN if it is impossible to say what the writer thinks about this

23   Britain could become the first European country to reintroduce the lynx.

24   The large growth in the European lynx population since 1970 has exceeded conservationists’ expectations.

25   Changes in agricultural practices have extended the habitat of the lynx in Europe.

26   It has become apparent that species reintroduction has commercial advantages.

Answers

14. D (Đoạn 1, “If this is so, it would bring forward the tassel-eared cat’s estimated extinction date by roughly 5,000 years.” → Loài này tồn tại từ khoảng 5000 năm trước, lâu hơn so với dự đoán là 6,000 năm)

15. A (Đoạn 2, “The killers turn out to be bringers of life” → tăng cường sự đa dạng sinh học)

16. C (Đoạn 4, “ which has often selected arbitrary assemblages of plants and animals and sought, at great effort and expense, to prevent them from changing.” → tập hợp động thực vật không tuân thủ theo quy tắc nào)

17. A (Đoạn 5, “This policy would also greatly boost catches in the surrounding seas;” → việc đánh bắt cá với mục đích thương mại cũng đem lại một số lợi ích)

18. C (Paragraph 6, “helps to create a more promising and captivating plan” → a plan that holds more promise and is more captivating) 

19. E – humans  (Đoạn 7, “The lynx presents no threat to human beings: there is no known instance of one preying on people.”)

20. D – Wild animals (Đoạn 7, “It is a specialist predator of roe deer, … as it hides in impenetrable plantations of young trees.”)

21. F – Farm animals (Đoạn 7, “The lynx requires deep cover, and as such presents little risk to sheep and other livestock, which are supposed, as a condition of farm subsidies, to be kept out of the woods.”)

22. A – trees (Đoạn 7, “The attempt to reintroduce this predator marries well with the aim of bringing forests back to parts of our bare and barren uplands.”)

23. NO (Đoạn 8, “The lynx has now been reintroduced to the Jura Mountains, the Alps, the Vosges in eastern France and the Harz mountains in Germany, and has re-established itself in many more places.” → Không chỉ có British mà nhiều nơi khác cũng đang mang lynx quay trở lại.)

24. NOT GIVEN (Không có thông tin về việc số lượng lynx vượt quá mức kỳ vọng của các nhà bảo tồn)

25. YES (Đoạn 8, “As with wolves, bears, beavers, boar, bison, moose and many other species, the lynx has been able to spread as farming has left the hills”)