PASSAGE 1 :

MORE CAVITIES NEEDED

Bluebirds live in cavities, but they can't make their own cavities. Like woodpeckers, bluebirds prefer
trees in open areas. The best habitat for bluebirds is an open area with scattered trees such as an
old garden. By clearing sections of forest to create more fields, early settlers happened to improve
bluebird habitat. Bluebirds feed on insects on the ground, and insects were abundant in the fields.

In the early 1900s, eastern bluebirds were one of the most common songbirds, but by 1969 fewer
than 100 bluebirds nested in Minnesota. Other states also reported severe declines in the populations
of all three bluebirds species.

Why did the population decline? One factor may have been the widespread use of insecticides, but
the most important factor was probably the loss of habitat. Af first, fences were built with wooden
posts, and wooden posts develop cavities. While bluebirds life fence posts with cavities, farmers do
not. Cavities make the fence posts weak, and cattle escape through weak fences. After World War II,
most farmers replaced wooden posts with new posts made of steel.

With less suitable habitat, the bluebirds were forced to compete with other birds for the few
remaining nesting sides. More aggressive birds such as the tree swallow and the house wren often
drive the bluebirds from their nests. Starlings and house sparrows - both introduced to this country
from Europe - also compete with the bluebirds for nesting sites.

All three bluebird populations - eastern, western, and mountain - declined nearly 90 per cent
between 1935 - 1985. The North American Bluebird Society and others are working to increase the
number of bluebirds. The most successful method is to improve the habitat by providing the
bluebirds with boxes as living places. Thousands of boxes are placed and being managed by
individuals interested in helping the little bird.

If placed in the right environment, the boxes do attract bluebirds. Bluebirds prefer boxes placed next
to open areas. If placed near a brushy area, the boxes are more likely to attract house wrens. Tree
swallows would compete for isolated sites in open areas. Competition from tree swallows will
decrease if the boxes are placed in pairs, less than three feet apart. Boxes for mountain and western
bluebirds must have slightly larger holes than those for eastern bluebirds, but if the holes are too
large, starlings will take the boxes.

Another cavity programme helped the wood duck population. When seeking for houses, the female
wood duck looks for a cavity in a tree that is in or near the water . Often she chooses a cavity with a
hol;e too small for a racoon to enter. Human activities - logging matute trees and hunting - threaten
the wood duck population. In 1918, the United States and Canadian governments banned the
hunting of this species. Groups of citizens and conservation organisations built living boxes and
placed them on poles or in trees that are in or near the water. Today the wood duck population is
greater than one million, and hunting is once again permitted.

Questions 1-6
Look at the following list of nesting sites for birds (Questions 1-6) and the list of their uses
Classify the following nesting sites to the correct use based on the information given in the passage
Write the correct letter, A-D, in boxes 1-6 on your answer sheet.
NB: you may use any letter more than once.

A. if they are likely to attract bluebirds;

B. if they are likely to attract tree

swallows;
 C. if they are likely to attract starlings;

D. if they are likely to attract wood ducks;

1. boxes with very large holes C

2. boxes on poles by the river D

3. fence posts with holes A

4. boxes next to an open area A

5. trees with cavities in the pond D

6. a single box in an open area B

PASSAGE 2 :
The Science of Yoga
The Science of Yoga The term yoga comes from the Sanskrit word ‘yuji’ meaning yoke or union.
Yoga is said to unite the mind and body. There are many different forms but all include physical
poses, meditation and breathing exercises intended to bring relaxation and stress reduction. It’s
physical and mental benefits have been lauded for centuries and now science can back up some of
these claims. A number of studies have looked at the effect of yoga on stress. Research carried out
in 2005 by Andreas Michalsen of the University of Duisberg- Essen in Germany, followed 24 women
suffering from emotional distress on a three-month yoga programme. Findings showed a significant
reduction in their levels of cortisol which is the primary stress hormone. Their levels of anxiety, stress,
fatigue and depression also dropped considerably. A comparable study was carried out in 2007 at the
University of South Australia by researcher Caroline Smith, in this case, comparing the effect of yoga
and relaxation on stress and anxiety. Smith’s work with 131 people over a period of 10 weeks
showed similar results. In addition, yoga did appear to provide a comparable improvement in stress,
anxiety and health status compared to relaxation. Another area of health that has been subject to
research is heart health. Scientists at the Department of Physiology, Government College, Nagpur,
focused their research on the effect of yoga on the cardiovascular system in subjects over 40 years
old. The results were encouraging with Vijay Bharshankar reporting that, “participants over 40 years
of age who practiced yoga for five years had a lower blood pressure and pulse rate than those who
didn’t”. Other research suggests that making yoga a part of a healthy lifestyle can actually help to
slow the progression of heart disease. A study on 113 patients with heart disease conducted by Dr J.
Yogendra of The Yoga Institute, Santacruz, Mumbai, looked at the effects of a lifestyle change that
included one year of yoga training combined with dietary modifications and stress management. The
encouraging results showed an average decrease in cholesterol of 23% and the progression of heart
disease stopped in 47% of patients. While it was unclear how much of a role yoga had versus other
factors like diet, yoga was shown to reduce stress which is one of the major contributors to heart
disease.
Questions 1–4

Look at the following ideas (Questions 1–4) and the list of researchers below.

Match each idea with the correct researcher, A, B, C or D.

Write the correct letter, A, B C or D, in the boxes 1–4 on your answer sheet.

List of Researchers

A Caroline Smith

B Jayadeva Yogendra

C Andreas Michalsen

D Vijay Bharshankar

1 the importance of yoga in decreasing the main hormone linked to stress C

2 the advantage of yoga compared to relaxation in decreasing stress and anxiety A

3 the significance of yoga in relation to existing cases of heart disease B

4 the connection between practicing yoga and improvements in the circulatory system D