A group of green charities called Rewilding Britain wants to return a large area of Scotland to how it was a thousand years ago. The group wants forests and lost animals, birds and fish to return. One of the animals the group aims to put back into the wild is the wolf. This died out in Britain in 1680 after hunters and farmers killed them all. Other species that could return to Scottish mountains, rivers and seas include the lynx (a wild cat), beavers, bison, sea eagles, bluefin tuna and grey whales. The charities want the government to return one-twentieth of the country to its natural state. The area it wants is the United Kingdom's cleanest region. It hopes much of this can happen by the year 2030.

Not everyone thinks the reintroduction of animals like the wolf and lynx is a good idea. Farmers are worried it would cause them many problems. A farmer's group said it was a crazy idea to bring back predators to the country because they would start killing farm animals. They also say that dams built by beavers would increase the risk of flooding farmland, while sea eagles kill lambs. Rewilding Britain spokeswoman Rebecca Wrigley said: "Re-wilding is really for everyone who cares about our future." She added: "Our ecosystems need us." Ms Wrigley said it was important to re-wild Britain for, "native forests to regenerate" and to give "the seas a chance to recover from industrial fishing".

1. TRUE / FALSE: Read the headline. Guess if a-h below are true (T) or false (F).

a.A green charity wants the whole of Scotland to return to the wild.T / F

b.The last wolf in Scotland died in 1860.T / F

c.The charity wants to see the return of whales to Scottish seas.T / F

d.The charity wants to see a lot of its wishes in place by 2030.T / F

e.Farmers are very happy about a possible return to the wild.T / F

f.Beavers are a potential danger to farms.T / F

g.A charity spokeswoman said our ecosystems needed us.T / F

h.The charity said seas have recovered from industrial fishing.T / F

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS

1.What is the name of the charity mentioned in the article?

2.When did the wolf die out in Britain?

3.What kind of whales does the charity want to see again in Scotland?

4.What fraction does the charity want the country to become wild again?

5.When does the charity hope it can achieve its aims by?

6.Who is worried about problems caused by a return to the wild?

7.What animal would be a risk to farmland flooding?

8.What did a charity spokeswoman say needed us?

9.What did the spokeswoman say needed to regenerate?

10.What did the spokeswoman say seas needed to recover from?

ANSWERS

TRUE / FALSE (p.4)

aFbFcTdTeFfTgThF

SYNONYM MATCH (p.4)

1.returna.restore

2aimsb.plans

3.died outc.became extinct

4.stated.condition

5.regione.area

6.likef.such as

7.worriedg.concerned

8.increaseh.heighten

9.caresi.is concerned

10.chancej.opportunity

COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS (p.8)

1.Rewilding Britain

2.1680

3.Grey whales

4.One-twentieth

5.2030

6.Farmers

7.Beavers

8.Our ecosystems

9.Native forests

10.Industrial fishing