3 Extra Exam Practice Name

Read the text and answer the questions that follow.

THE SEED BANK

I The agricultural industry has recently unveiled its very own insurance plan to protect future food supplies. A giant seed
vault is going to be built into a mountain on Svalbard, a Norwegian island in the Arctic. This vault is intended to serve as
a bank for over three million seed samples from all over the world. The seeds contain the genetic information necessary to
grow specific varieties of crops which may be useful to mankind in the future.
II If a crop is lost as a result of a war or natural disaster, governments will be able to request replacement seeds from the seed
bank. These seeds will then be used to try to re-establish the destroyed crop. The seed bank will also provide farmers with a
resource where they may find older varieties of crops that are resistant to a particular disease threatening their crops.
III Seed banks are nothing new and there are about 1,400 existing seed banks in the world today. Yet many of the seed banks in
the world are at risk because they are located in politically unstable countries that don’t take care of them. In addition, many
of the banks have got ageing refrigeration systems. This means that the seeds they contain, which need freezing
temperatures in order to survive, may not be good for long.
IV Unlike existing seed banks, the new seed bank will not rely solely on artificial refrigeration systems. Its location near the
North Pole will ensure that even if the power fails, the temperature in the vault will never rise above freezing. As a result, it
is hoped that many of the seeds will be able to survive for decades or even centuries.
V The new seed vault aims to house a complete set of all the crop varieties of the world to guarantee that they will not be lost.
It may well turn out to be our modern-day version of Noah’s ark.

1 Decide if the following sentences are true (T) or false

(F). Find evidence in the text to justify your answers. 3 Complete the sentence using the information given in
…… 1. The vault at Svalbard currently includes more than the text. Use your own words as far as possible.
three million types of seeds. If a certain crop dies because of a disease, the seed bank may
.................................................................................. be able to help farmers by .......................................................
.................................................................................. ............................................................................................... .
…… 2. The concept of seed banks is brand-new.
.................................................................................. 4 Answer the question according to the information in
.................................................................................. the text.
Why was Svalbard chosen as the location for the vault?
.................................................................................................
2 Choose the correct answer. .................................................................................................
1. Many seed banks … .
a. protect their seeds from nuclear war
5 Find words or expressions in the text that mean:
b. are unable to house a lot of seeds
1. huge (paragraph I) ………………………
c. are not well looked after
2. substitute (paragraph II) ………………………
2. Which of the following is NOT mentioned as a problem 3. old (paragraph III) ………………………
that might destroy crops? 4. only (paragraph IV) ………………………
a. natural disasters 5. plans or hopes (paragraph V) ………………………
b. global warming
c. wars
6 Write a composition of about 100-150 words. Choose
one option.
1. In your opinion, which crop is most valuable to mankind
and should be protected at all costs?
2. Which five things would you put in a time capsule to be
discovered by people in hundreds of years? Explain
your choices.
3 Extra Exam Practice Name