Listening

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Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. biodiverse
    • ex. A biodiverse garden has many flowers, trees, and insects.
  2. underground
    • ex. The train moves through underground tunnels below the city.
  3. moisture
    • ex. Plants need moisture in the soil to grow well.
  4. a lifespan
    • ex. A butterfly has a short lifespan. It lives only for a few weeks.
  5. biodiversity
    • ex. The rainforest has high biodiversity because it has many kinds of plants and animals.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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In southern England, the Millennium Seed Bank is one of the world’s most biodiverse places. It is an underground facility where millions of plant seeds are kept safe from fire, floods, and other dangers. The main goal is to protect these seeds and preserve them for future use.

The seed bank was opened in 2000 by King Charles III. To celebrate its 25th anniversary, the King and scientist Elinor Breman explained via a podcast how the seeds are kept safe. The process starts by collecting seeds from wild plants in many countries. They are then dried in a room with low humidity to remove moisture slowly. Because of this, the seeds can live much longer. After that, clean and healthy seeds are placed in a cold room to increase their lifespan and ensure long-term protection.

According to biologist Dale Sanders, seed banks are very important for protecting biodiversity. Since opening, the Millennium Seed Bank has worked with 279 organizations in more than 100 countries. As a result, its collection has helped bring back native plants in the U.K. and other parts of the world.

This material was based on an article by The Associated Press.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Seed Banks

  • The Millennium Seed Bank has worked with different organizations in more than 100 countries. In your opinion, how important is it for countries to work together in creating and developing seed banks? Discuss.
  • Which do you think is better, saving seeds for the future or planting more trees and plants now? Why? Discuss.
  • Imagine that you started a seed bank in your country. What local plant seeds would you save and include in the bank? Why? Discuss.

Biodiversity

  • Biologist Dale Sanders says seed banks are very important for protecting biodiversity. Do you agree with him? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • What do you think is the biggest danger to the different animals and plants in nature (ex. fire, people)? Why do you say so? Discuss.
  • How can people help protect biodiversity in their daily lives? Discuss.