READING COMPREHENSION:
A Match the numbers to what they represent.
25 / tons of carbon dioxide grabbed from the atmosphere by a single whale
37 / the value of a whale in dollars
33 / the current number of elephants in Gabon
1,500 / the value of the seagrass carbon sequestration service in dollars
3 million / the length of the speaker’s boat in feet
2.6 million / the potential number of elephants in Gabon
2.3 trillion / the number of trees that would grab the same amount of CO2 as a whale
57,000 / gigatons of carbon dioxide grabbed from the atmosphere by phyto
195,000 / the value of an elephant in dollars
Alternatively, do the exercise in interactive form, here:
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B Choose the correct answer:
1 What is the speaker’s field of expertise?
A biology
B economics
C environment
D chemistry
2 What is the whales’ main source of nutrition?
A phytoplankton
B seagrass
C carbon dioxide
D krill
3 In order to highlight the whale’s contribution to keeping CO2 down in the atmosphere, the speaker compares it to
A trees
B elephants
C seagrass
D phytoplankton
4 Who eats the whales’ poop?
A the krill
B other fish
C the phytoplankton
D the seagrass
5 In order to convince the audience about the value of a whale, the speaker
A assessed the whale’s ability to absorb carbon
B calculated how much the meat of a single whale is worth
C took into account how many babies a whale produces
D measured how much oxygen a whale releases
6 The words “share”, “stock” and “dividends” used by the speaker are associated to the science of
A biology
B economics
C chemistry
D environmental studies
7 What do whales and elephants have in common according to he speaker?
A They are worth more dead than alive.
B They both eat tons of plants.
C Through their daily activities they increase carbon sequestration in their respective habitats.
D They are ruthlessly hunted by people for the wrong reasons.
8 According to the speaker, which of the following has the highest monetary value in terms of grabbing carbon?
A Elephants
B Whales
C Seagrass
D Krill
9 How can Gabon benefit from its elephants?
A It can fertilize its forests.
B It can create national parks where visitors can watch them roam.
C It can export the animals to other African countries.
D It can sell its negative carbon footprint to industrial countries.
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Alternatively, play it in Kahoot mode here: