TOEFL PRACTICE ONLINE
TPO 73
Pause Test
Exit Section
Help
Review
Back
Next
Writing||Question 1 of 2
00:00
Hide Time
Directions:You have 20 minutes to plan and write your response.Your response. will be judged on the basis of the qualit 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
Summarize the points made in the lecture, being sure to explain how they challenge the specific theories presented in the reading passage.
The yellow crazy ant is one of the world's most destructive invasive species (species that are not native to an area but rather introduced to it).It has spread to many regions of Earth and caused great damage to native ecosystems.In recent decades, the crazy ant has invaded part of a unique palm forest on one of the Seychelles Islands off the coast of Africa.Some strategies are being considered to stop the ant from spreading farther and damaging the unique ecosystem of the palm forest. One of the strategies proposed to stop the ants is to use traps containing a low concentration of chemicals that are toxic to the ants.These ant traps have been successfully used in other locations,such as an island near Australia,where up to 99 percent of the invasive ant population has been killed by traps. Another strategy would be to cut down broad-leaved trees,which are the ants favorite habitat.Broad-leaved trees host a type of insect that provides food (a sugary substance)for the yellow crazy ants.The broad-leaved trees are not native to the palm forest;they were introduced there recently.Removing the trees would not damage the palm forest ecosystem,but it would reduce the extent of the habitat preferred by the invasive ants,which might reduce their population. Finally,it has been noted that ant populations are significantly denser near areas with human activity.Recently,a sharp increase in yellow crazy ants has been observed at one edge of the palm forest where a new visitor center was built,which suggests that more ants were transported to the area with construction material used for the center and that the ants have been eating food left behind by visitors there.Limiting human activity near the palm forest could help reduce ant populations.
Word Count:1