Why We Need to Protect Polar Bears - IELTS Reading Answers

Polar bears are amazing Arctic representations that fascinate our imaginations with their power and resilience. Beyond just being the biggest land carnivores, these animals exhibit an incredible array of biological adaptations and behaviours that set them apart from other animals.

Below are the 10 facts about Polar Bear:

• Polar bears are marine mammals.
• Polar bears are the top predators in the Arctic food chain.
• Polar bears are the world's largest land carnivores.
• Polar bears have black skin.
• They can swim for days at a time.
• The success rate for polar bear hunting is less than 2%.
• Polar bear's footprints can be used to obtain DNA.
• The paws of polar bears lack slip threads.
• The polar bear has 19 subpopulations.
• Over 100 pounds of blubber can be consumed by polar bears in a single meal.

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Paragraph 1

The outcomes of weather change are increasingly threatening polar bears. However, their disappearance may have far-achieving results. They are uniquely tailored to the extreme conditions of the Arctic Circle, where temperatures can reach -40°C. One reason for this is that they have as much as 11 centimetres of fat underneath their skin. Humans with comparative ranges of adipose tissue might be considered obese and might suffer from diabetes and coronary heart disorder. Yet the polar bear experiences no such effects.

Paragraph 2

A 2014 observation by Shi Ping Liu and colleagues sheds light on this mystery. They compared the genetic structure of polar bears with that of their closest loved ones from warmer weather, the brown bears. This allowed them to determine the genes that have allowed polar bears to continue to exist in one of the most demanding environments on Earth. Liu and his colleagues observed the polar bears had a gene known as APoB, which reduces ranges of low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) – a shape of 'horrific' cholesterol. In humans, mutations of this gene are associated with an increased risk of coronary heart ailment. Polar bears can also be vital to look at the version to understand human coronary heart disorder.

Paragraph 3

The polar bear's genome may additionally provide the answer for every other situation that particularly impacts our older generation: osteoporosis. This is a sickness in which bones show decreased density, typically due to insufficient exercise, reduced calcium intake, or food starvation. Bone tissue is continuously being remodelled, which means that bone is added or removed, relying on nutrient availability and the strain underneath the bone. Female polar bears go through intense conditions at some stage in every pregnancy. Once autumn comes around, those ladies will dig maternity dens within the snow and will continue to be there all through the wintry weather, each earlier than and after the birth of their cubs. This system results in approximately six months of fasting, in which the female bears should preserve themselves and their cubs alive, depleting their very own calcium and calorie reserves. Despite this, their bones are strong and dense.

Paragraph 4

Physiologists Alanda Lennox and Allen Goodship discovered the cause of this paradox in 2008. They found that pregnant bears had been capable of growing the density of their bones earlier than they started to construct their dens. In addition, six months later, after they eventually emerged from the den with their cubs, there has been no proof of a substantial lack of bone density. Hibernating brown bears do not have this ability and they depend on bone reformation activity in the coming spring season. If the mechanism of bone remodelling in polar bears can be understood, many bedridden humans, and even astronauts, may take advantage of it.

Paragraph 5

The medical advantages of the polar bear for humanity are essential in our conservation efforts but these should not be the only factor to be considered. We want to guard animals that are shrewd and have their own emotions, including elephants and primates. Bears are perceived as unintelligent and, in many cases, violent. However, there is some field evidence that challenges this assumption of polar bear's behavior and states that they have good problem-solving abilities. A male endures called GoGo in Tennoji Zoo, Osaka, has even been determined to utilize a device to control his surroundings. The polar bear used a tree branch on multiple occasions to dislodge a piece of meat hanging out of his reach. Problem-fixing ability has additionally been witnessed in wild polar bears, even though not as obviously as with GoGo. A calculated move by a male bear undergoes jumping and leaping onto barrels to get to a photographer's location on a 4-meter-high platform.

Paragraph 6

In other research, such as one through Alison Ames in 2008, polar bears showed deliberate and focused manipulation. For instance, Ames determined that bears put objects in piles after knocking them over in what appeared to be a game. They demonstrate that bears are capable of agile and intellectual behaviours. These examples imply that bears have greater creativity and problem-solving abilities than previously believed.

Paragraph 7

When a bear has nearly missed a kill, it has been observed that it will often hit out at ice and snow in an attempt to express their frustration. Polar bears can also develop unique bonds with other animals, such as playing with dogs. Onе polar bеar namеd Agее, who was raisеd by humans, has formеd a closе bond with hеr ownеr Mark Dumas to the extent that thеy swim togеthеr. This is surprising as polar bеars are known to hunt humans. 

Paragraph 8

If climate change causes their extinction, it would result in the loss of not only potential findings in human medicine but also the demise of an intelligent, majestic animal.

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Questions (1-7)

Do the following statements support the facts in the Reading Passage?

In boxes 1-7 on your answer sheet, write

1. Polar bears suffer from a variety of health issues as a result of fat accumulation under their skin.
2. Liu and his colleagues compared various polar bear groups in their study.
3. Liu and colleagues conducted the first genetic comparison between brown and polar bears.
4. Polar bears have the genetic ability to regulate their levels of "bad" cholesterol.
5. Without food, female polar bears can live for roughly six months.
6. It was found that when female polar bears emerged from their dens in the spring, their bones were quite feeble.
7. The method employed by polar bears to increase bone density could be used by humans one day.

Answers with explanation (1-7)

1. FALSE

Reference: 

From paragraph 1, ‘Humans with comparative ranges of adipose tissue might be considered obese and might suffer from diabetes and coronary heart disorder. Yet the polar bear experiences no such effects..’ 

Explanation: 

The answer is False since the passage states that polar bears do not suffer from diabetes or heart disease despite having a considerable quantity of fat under their skin, which is considered unhealthy in humans.

2. FALSE

Reference:

From paragraph 2, ‘They compared the genetic structure of polar bears with that of their closest loved ones from warmer weather, the brown bears.’

Explanation: 

According to the above statement, they compared the genetic structure of polar bears to their nearest relatives from warmer climates, brown bears. They did not make comparisons between various polar bear groupings. As a result, the answer is false.

3. NOT GIVEN

Reference:

No reference is given in the passage.

Explanation: 

The passage does not mention Liu and colleagues being the first researchers to compare polar bears with brown bears, hence the answer is not given.

4. TRUE

Reference: 

From paragraph 2, ‘Liu and his colleagues observed the polar bears had a gene known as APoB, which reduces ranges of low-density lipoproteins (LDLs) – a shape of 'horrific' cholesterol.’

Explanation: 

The answer is True because researchers discovered that polar bears contain a gene called APoB that aids in the reduction of low-density lipoproteins (LDLs), also known as 'bad' cholesterol. Their ability to adapt genetically is essential to their survival in the hostile Arctic climate and may hold promise for the treatment of human heart disease.

5. TRUE

Reference:

From paragraph 3, ‘This system results in approximately six months of fasting, in which the female bears should preserve themselves and their cubs alive, depleting their very own calcium and calorie reserves.’

Explanation: 

Paragraph 3 states that female polar bears must maintain their own and their offspring's survival throughout a six-month fast. Thus, the answer is true.

6. FALSE

Reference:

From paragraph 3, ‘depleting their very own calcium and calorie reserves. Despite this, their bones are strong and dense.’

Explanation: 

The answer is False because, according to the statement above, despite emptying their calcium and calorie supplies, female polar bear bones remain strong and dense. 

7. TRUE

Reference:

From paragraph 4, ‘If the mechanism of bone remodelling in polar bears can be understood, many bedridden humans, and even astronauts, may take advantage of it.’

Explanation: 

According to the above statement, if scientists can grasp the mechanism of bone remodelling in polar bears, it might potentially aid bedridden individuals and even astronauts who may have a lower bone density as a result of extended weightlessness. Thus, the answer is true.

Questions (8-13)

Complete the table below.

Choose ONE WORD ONLY from the passage for each answer.

Write your answers in boxes 8-13 on your answer sheet.

The reasons for protecting polar bears

Bears are perceived by humans as unintelligent and 8 _____________________

However, this may not be the case. As an example:

A bear has been observed in Tennoji Zoo utilizing a branch as a 9 ________________.

He was able to knock down some 10 ___________________ as a result.

A polar bear in the wild found a way to get to a platform where an 11 ____________ was situated.

Polar bears have demonstrated actions like a 12 _________________, including conscious item manipulation.

Emotions can also be shown by bears. As an example:

They may make movements suggesting 13 ____________ if disappointed when hunting.

They may develop connections with different species.

Answers with explanation (8-13)

8. Violent

Reference: 

From paragraph 5, ‘Bears are perceived as unintelligent and, in many cases, violent. However, there is some field evidence that challenges this assumption of polar bears' behavior and states that they have good problem-solving abilities.’ 

Explanation: 

The answer is "violent," as the passage states that people frequently assume polar bears are violent and unintelligent, although anecdotal evidence contradicts these notions and implies that bears are capable of solving problems.

9. Tool

Reference:

From paragraph 5, ‘ A male endures called GoGo in Tennoji Zoo, Osaka, has even been determined to utilize a device to control his surroundings.’ 

Explanation: 

At the Tennoji Zoo in Osaka, a polar bear by the name of GoGo has been seen manipulating his surroundings with a tool. The bear repeatedly used a tree branch to get a piece of meat that was hanging out of reach.

10. Meat

Reference:

From paragraph 5, ‘The polar bear used a tree branch on multiple occasions to dislodge a piece of meat hanging out of his reach..’

Explanation: 

According to the above statement, the bear used a tree limb to dislodge a piece of meat that was out of reach. This demonstrates that bears are capable of using tools to solve problems.

11. Photographer

Reference:

From paragraph 5, ‘A calculated move by a male bear undergoes jumping and leaping onto barrels to get to a photographer's location on a 4-meter-high platform.’

Explanation: 

The passage states that the male polar bear was racing and jumping onto barrels in an attempt to get to the photographer, who was standing on a platform four meters above the ground.

12. Game

Reference:

From paragraph 6, ‘ For instance, Ames determined bears put objects in piles after knocking them over in what appeared to be a game.’

Explanation:

"Ames observed bears putting objects in piles and then knocking them over in what appeared to be a game" implies that bears participate in playful object manipulation.

13. Frustration

Reference:

From paragraph 7, ‘When a bear has nearly missed a kill, it has been observed that it will often hit out at ice and snow in an attempt to express their frustration.’

Explanation: 

The passage mentions that bears have been known to strike out at ice and snow frequently, which may drive them to become frustrated when they don't make a kill.

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