Writing based on reading and listening

You will have 3 minutes to read a passage about an academic topic. While you read, you may take notes on scrap paper.

Then you will listen to a lecture about the same topic.

You may take notes while you listen.

After the lecture is over, you will have 20 minutes to write a response to a question that asks you about the relationship between the lecture and the reading passage. Try to answer the question as completely as possible using information from the reading passage and the lecture.

Your response will be evaluated on the quality of your writing and on how well your response presents the points in the lecture and their relationship to the reading passage. Typically, an effective response will be 150 to 225 words.

The Reading

Torreya taxifolia, once a very common evergreen tree in the state of Florida started to die out in the 1950s. If nothing is done soon, there is a possibility that Torreya could become extinct altogether because no one knows exactly what caused the trees to die out. In order to save Torreya from extinction, experts are considering three solutions.

The first solution is to reestablish Torreya in the same location in which it thrived for thousands of years. Torreya used to be found in abundance in the northern part of Florida, which has a specific microclimate. When weather conditions inside a small area are different from the region it is a part of, then a microclimate exists. Northern Florida’s microclimate is very favorable to Torreya’s growth because it is cooler and wetter. Meanwhile the surrounding region has a very warm and dry climate. Scientists have been working to plant Torreya seeds in the dampest and coolest areas of the microclimate.

A second solution is to move Torreya far from its microclimate in Florida. Possibly move it to an entirely different location. In fact Torreya seeds and saplings have been successfully planted and grown in forests further north, where the temperature is significantly cooler. Some scientists believe that Torreya probably thrived in areas much further north in the distant past. They can use a process called assisted migration to help relocate the special evergreen trees. Humans would simply be helping Torreya return to an environment that is more suited to its survival.

The third solution is preserving Torreya in research centers. Seeds and saplings can be moved from the wild and preserved in a closely monitored environment where it will be easier for scientists both to protect the species and conduct research on Torreya. The research done in these centers can then be used to ensure the continued survival of the species, as well as, help to understand the factors that caused them to die out.

Listening Script

You’ve just read about three ways to save Torreya taxifolia. Unfortunately, none of these three options provide a satisfactory solution. In the first solution, reestablishing Torreya in the same location, that doesn’t seem like a successful idea. This is mainly because of what’s happening to the dampest and coolest areas within Torreya’s micro-climate. Unfortunately, these areas are strongly affected by changes in the climate of the larger region. It’s possible that climate change has contributed to an increase in overall temperatures in the region because wetlands throughout Florida have been drained. In any case, many of the areas across the region are becoming drier, so it’s highly unlikely that Torreya would have the most productive and safest conditions for it to survive, within its original Florida micro-climate. Moving on to the second solution, assisted migration by relocation. Relocation actually failed another tree, the Black Locust Tree when it was moved north to a new environment. In fact, when this happened, the tree spread so quickly that it killed off many of the trees and plants in that environment. This also includes some of the species that were already in danger of becoming extinct. This proves that assisted migration can have unpredictable outcomes for the new environment. Not to mention that relocating the Torreya could also have an undesired effect on the species, itself. Lastly, research centers don’t sound like a good solution either. That’s because the population of Torreya trees that can be kept in the centers will probably not be able to resist diseases. For a population of trees to survive disease, it needs to be relatively large and it needs to be genetically diverse. This is how tree populations thrive in the wild, successfully, because they satisfy that criteria. Research centers, however just wouldn’t have the capacity to keep a diverse, large population of Torreya trees. This means it is doubtful that the evergreen trees would be able to survive diseases in the long run.

My response

The lecture and the reading are both discussing how to save the Torreya taxifolia tree. While the reading claims that it is possible to preserve the Torreya taxifolia by planting the seeds and saplings, the lecture contradicts it by dismissing each point made in the reading.

First of all, the reading states that it could be possible to save the Torreya taxifolia tree by planting it in a microclimate located in North Florida, the same location in which it survived for thousands of years. The lecture however refutes this by saying that it will not work due to the changes in the weather because of global warming. The original microclimate has changed a lot since Torreya taxifolia existed. Nowadays this microclimate is drier and that may not allow the Torreya tree to survive.

Secondly, the reading gives another solution which is to plant the Torreya trees in a different location. The lecture refutes this argument because it will problably kill the plants and animals of the other location. The lecturer explains that when a human modifies the natural properties of an environment it generates undesired effects on the species living there.

Finally, the last solution the reading gives is to plant Torreya trees in research centers. The lecturer refutes this by arguing that Torreya trees will not be able to survive diseases. The lecturer says that research centers do not have enough capacity for a large group of Torreya trees. Besides, trees grown in laboratories are not able to survive long term diseases.

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Writing Based on Knowledge and Experience

DirectionsRead the question below. You have 30 minutes to plan, write, and revise your essay. Typically, an effective essay will contain a minimum of 300 words.

Students are more influenced by their teachers than by their friends

Seeking the best way to teach is a big question. Students are continuously learning, not only from the teacher, but also from their classmates. In order to give the best quality of eduation we need to know if students are more influenced by their teachers than by their friends. Answering this question can make us understand how students learn.

First of all, students in a class are not only learning the subject that the professor is teaching them, they are also learning background skills from the teacher. It is quite difficult for a teacher not to express his personal opinion, morals or ethics. A teacher is a reference for a student, specially in the subject that the teacher is an expert in, and also in other aspects of life. The children know that if they have a question in maths, thay have to go to the maths teacher for a response. They consider the math teacher as a reference in the subject. Besides, children are very influenced by their teachers because they consider the teacher as a reference.

Often when we have a problem with the computer we ask someone close to us who knows about IT. In other words, we rely on someone that knows more than us. This example can be used in all of aspects of our lives. When a classmate gets good marks, we tend to see this person as a reference. For students it is easier to talk to a classmate than to a teacher, because they can understand a student faster than a teacher.

In conclusion, teachers are a reference for the students, however friends can also be a reference in some aspects. We are influenced by people that we rely on. Students are influenced from their teachers because they are their reference in the subject. However, we can also have a classmate as a reference.