[TOEFL] Task 6_Practice 2_2

LECTURE READING

I will read aloud the lecture below. Please listen and take notes.

講師が文章を音読しますので、よく聞いてメモを取りましょう。

READ

Honeybees play an important role in the field of agriculture. They pollinate over 80 percent of flowering plants. This includes food crops that humans eat such as fruits and vegetables. However, about 30 percent of bees die during the winter season every year. Because of that, the number of beehives has been decreasing over the past years. This has been a challenge for the beekeepers especially those from the USA and Europe. The two major causes of the disappearance of bees are mites and flu.

Let’s talk about the first cause which is mites. Varroa is a type of mite that has started infesting bee colonies in the mid-1980s. This mite has been the major pest that attacks bee colonies. They carry dangerous viruses and bacteria that are damaging to bees’ health. Varroa mites weaken bees’ immune system. They also shorten bees’ lives by sucking the blood of both adult and developing bees. This causes deformation in developing bees. Affected bees often lose their legs or wings.

Now, let’s move on to the second cause of the losses of bee colonies. Bee colonies catch different kinds of viruses that can cause flu. One of the most common viruses affecting honeybees is the Israel Acute Paralysis. Infected bees often show symptoms such as shivering wings. This will later progress to paralysis that causes the death of bees. This virus is associated with the colony collapse disorders of honeybees.

READING PRACTICE

Now, please read aloud the lecture above.

上の文章を音読してください。

COMPREHENSION CHECK

Please answer the questions using the information and examples from the lecture.

講義の例や情報を用いて、講義に関する質問に答えましょう。

1. What is the professor talking about in the lecture?

2. What is the main idea of the lecture?

3. What are the two supporting ideas introduced in the lecture?

4. Please explain the first supporting idea using the example given.

5. Please explain the second supporting idea using the example given.

6. Please explain what you learned through this lecture.

ANSWER

1.	The professor is talking about
2.	According to the professor
3.	The professor presents
4.	First, the professor
5.	Second, the professor
6.	Through this short lecture, I learned

CHECK YOUR ANSWERS

We will check the sample answers. Please repeat after me.

解答例を見ます。講師に続いて読みましょう。

SAMPLE ANSWERS

1.	What is the professor talking about in the lecture?
The professor is talking about the major causes of the disappearance of bees especially in the USA and Europe.
2.	What is the main idea of the lecture?
According to the professor, there is a decrease in the number of beehives over the past years.
3.	What are the two supporting ideas introduced in the lecture?
The professor presents the two major causes of the disappearance of bees which are mites and flu.
4.	Please explain the first supporting idea using the example given.
First, the professor provides an example of a mite that attacks bee colonies. He explains that varroa mites weaken bees’ immune system and shorten their lives by sucking the blood of both adult and developing bees.
5.	Please explain the second supporting idea using the example given.
Second, the professor provides an example of a virus that causes flu to honeybees. He mentions that infected bees often show symptoms such as shivering wings. This will later progress to paralysis that causes the death of bees.
6.	Please explain what you learned through this lecture.
Through this short lecture, I learned that there has been a big decrease in the number of bees over the past years. This is caused by varroa mites and flu which they get from different viruses such as the Israel Acute Paralysis.