▶ Your Answer :
The reading passage covers three major
points concerning opposition about using tamarisk beetles to control spread of
tamarisk trees and conserve water supplies. The listening passage, however,
clearly states that why these points are debatable.
The first point made by the writer is that
spread of tamarisk beetles is impossible to control. But, the speaker
challenges this by mentioning that the beetles food source is only tamarisk
tree, hence, they only live where people want to eradicate the trees. Also,
since there are many natural predators that feed on the beetles, population
size is under control. Thus, the uncontrollable spread of the beetles might not
be an effective reason to oppose the method; using the beetles.
Another point made in the reading is that
the beetles would take long time to eliminate the trees. On the contrary, the
lecturer asserts that this is not true due to the fact that there will be an
immediate effect. As these insects eat up the trees' leaves, trees are not able
to do photosynthesis, which requires significant amounts of water so the
insects reduce water consumption and conserve the scarce resource. Hence, the lengthy
period may not be a persuasive reason to tackle the use of the insects.
Lastly, the author claims that the beetles
elevate a risk of wildfires due to left debris from dead tamarisk trees. The
professor debunks this by saying that government prevents wildfire by eliminating
debris and intentionally set fire on gathered left overs before they spread
out. Therefore, the risk is probably not a viable reason. |