Efforts To Save A Special Bird — The Spoon-billed Sandpiper — IELTS Reading Answers

Section A

“But it is the only one to have developed a flattened bill that flares out into a 'spoon' at the end, and that makes it special”

Section A matches vii: it is the only species 'to have developed a flattened bill that flares out into a spoon at the end', its unique feature.

Section B

“So the organisation 'Birds Russia' decided to produce a photographic and audio record of this imperilled bird with the help of experts round the world. In May of last year, I joined the international expedition to one of the species' last breeding strongholds in North-East Russia.”

Section B matches iv: 'Birds Russia decided to produce a photographic and audio record of this imperilled bird', the recording project described.

Section C

“You might wonder why birds like the spoon-billed sandpiper travel such great distances, about 8,000 km in total, from their wintering grounds on the tropical coasts of Bangladesh, Burma and Vietnam in South-East Asia to breed on the low land, commonly called tundra, in North-East Russia,”

Section C matches ii: it explains why the birds 'travel such great distances, about 8,000 km in total ... but from the birds' point of view it is worth it'.

Section D

“Two main factors are responsible for the sandpiper's recent rapid decline: the ongoing destruction of stopover habitat on its migration route and hunting on its wintering grounds”

Section D matches vi: 'Two main factors are responsible for the sandpiper's recent rapid decline', namely habitat destruction and hunting.

Section E

“This was a stark reminder of the vulnerability of a tiny population to natural events, such as storms or predation.”

Section E matches iii: the loss was 'a stark reminder of the vulnerability of a tiny population to natural events, such as storms or predation'.

Section F

“The complex rescue plan does give some grounds for hope”

Section F matches viii: 'The complex rescue plan does give some grounds for hope', a note of optimism about the species' future.

What was the main purpose of the international expedition?

1. Ato add sandpiper eggs to an international frozen egg bank
2. Bto maintain a small group of sandpipers for future generationscorrect
3. Cto make an audiovisual record of the Russian sandpiper colony
4. Dto protect a colony of wild sandpipers through a breeding season

“The primary aim of the two-and-a-half month expedition, however, was to collect eggs from wild sandpipers; those eggs would then be hatched in captivity nearby”

Option B fits: the 'primary aim ... was to collect eggs from wild sandpipers' so they 'would then be hatched in captivity', keeping a breeding group alive.

What do we learn about the drop in the sandpiper population?

1. AThe birds are increasingly being hunted on their way north to Russia.
2. BScientists are managing to reduce deaths from netting considerably.
3. CEfforts are being made to protect some of their coastal habitat sites.
4. DEconomic growth is one of the underlying causes of the decline.correct

“Two main factors are responsible for the sandpiper's recent rapid decline: the ongoing destruction of stopover habitat on its migration route and hunting on its wintering grounds”

Option D fits the causes given, 'destruction of stopover habitat' and hunting; option A misplaces hunting on the northward journey rather than the wintering grounds.

Which feeling did the writer express when the sandpiper chicks hatched?

1. Arelief that his long wait was over
2. Bsurprise at the sound of their song
3. Cworry about birds of the same speciescorrect
4. Damazement that they could walk so soon

“Difficulties on their migration route and in their wintering areas meant that other tiny creatures like these faced immense dangers”

Option C fits: the writer notes that 'other tiny creatures like these faced immense dangers' from difficulties on migration and in wintering areas, so he worried about the species.

The writer describes the sandpipers’ unit at WWT Slimbridge to emphasise

1. Ahow much care is being devoted to their welfare.correct
2. Bhow much money is being spent on the project.
3. Chis surprise at how fragile the young birds are.
4. Dhis confidence in the technology available.

“To minimise the risk of infections, staff change into full-body overalls and rubber shoes and wash their hands before entering. Hygiene is crucial: even a single strand of human hair could harm the chicks by becoming twisted round their legs or bills”

Option A fits: staff wear 'full-body overalls', wash hands and guard against 'a single strand of human hair', showing how much care goes into the chicks' welfare.

“commonly called tundra”

The gap names the low land where the birds breed, described as 'the low land, commonly called tundra, in North-East Russia'.

“the abundance of insects that emerge during the brief but intense Arctic summer creates ideal conditions for raising their chicks”

The gap is the food that makes the Arctic summer ideal: 'the abundance of insects that emerge during the brief but intense Arctic summer'.

“there are relatively few predators there”

The gap is what the breeding grounds lack: 'there are relatively few predators there', so chicks are safer.