Koalas- Reading Answer

Koalas are just too nice for their own good. And except for the occasional baby taken by birds of prey, koalas have no natural enemies. In an ideal world, the life of an arboreal couch potato would be perfectly safe and acceptable.

Just two hundred years ago, koalas flourished across Australia. Now they seem to be in decline, but exact numbers are not available as the species would not seem to be ‘under threat’. Their problem, however, has been man, more specifically, the white man. Koala and aborigines had co-existed peacefully for centuries.

Today koalas are found only in scattered pockets of southeast Australia, where they seem to be at risk on several fronts. The koala’s only food source, the eucalyptus tree, has declined. In the past 200 years, a third of Australia’s eucalyptus forests have disappeared. Koalas have been killed by parasites, chlamydia epidemics and a tumour-causing retro-virus. And every year 11000 are killed by cars, ironically most of them in wildlife sanctuaries, and thousands are killed by poachers. Some are also taken illegally as pets. The animals usually soon die, but they are easily replaced.

Bush fires pose another threat. The horrific ones that raged in New South Wales recently killed between 100 and 1000 koalas. Many that were taken into sanctuaries and shelters were found to have burnt their paws on the glowing embers. But zoologists say that the species should recover. The koalas will be aided by the eucalyptus, which grows quickly and is already burgeoning forth after the fires. So the main problem to their survival is their slow reproductive rate – they produce only one baby a year over a reproductive lifespan of about nine years.

The latest problem for the species is perhaps more insidious. With plush, grey fur, dark amber eyes and button nose, koalas are cuddliness incarnate. Australian zoos and wildlife parks have taken advantage of their uncomplaining attitudes, and charge visitors to be photographed hugging the furry bundles. But people may not realise how cruel this is, but because of the koala’s delicate disposition, constant handling can push an already precariously balanced physiology over the edge.

Koalas only eat the foliage of certain species of eucalyptus trees, between 600 and 1250 grams a day. The tough leaves are packed with cellulose, tannins, aromatic oils and precursors of toxic cyanides. To handle this cocktail, koalas have a specialised digestive system. Cellulose- digesting bacteria in the break down fibre, while a specially adapted gut and liver process the toxins. To digest their food properly, koalas must sit still for 21 hours every day.

Koalas are the epitome of innocence and inoffensiveness. Although they are capable of ripping open a man’s arm with their needle-sharp claws, or giving a nasty nip, they simply wouldn’t. If you upset a koala, it may blink or swallow, or hiccup. But attack? No way! Koalas are just not aggressive. They use their claws to grip the hard smooth bark of eucalyptus trees.

They are also very sensitive, and the slightest upset can prevent them from breeding, cause them to go off their food, and succumb to gut infections. Koalas are stoic creatures and put on a brave face until they are at death’s door. One day they may appear healthy, the next they could be dead. Captive koalas have to be weighed daily to check that they are feeding properly. A sudden loss of weight is usually the only warning keepers have that their charge is ill. Only two keepers plus a vet were allowed to handle London Zoo’s koalas, as these creatures are only comfortable with people they know. A request for the koala to be taken to meet the Queen was refused because of the distress this would have caused the marsupial. Sadly, London’s Zoo no longer has a koala. Two years ago the female koala died of a cancer caused by a retrovirus. When they come into heat, female koalas become more active, and start losing weight, but after about sixteen days, heat ends and the weight piles back on. London’s koala did not. Surgery revealed hundreds of pea-sized tumours.

Almost every zoo in Australia has koalas – the marsupial has become the Animal Ambassador of the nation, but nowhere outside Australia would handling by the public be allowed. Koala cuddling screams in the face of every rule of good care. First, some zoos allow koalas to be passed from stranger to stranger, many children who love to squeeze. Secondly, most people have no idea of how to handle the animals; they like to cling on to their handler, all in their own good time and use his or her arm as a tree. For such reasons, the Association of Fauna and Marine parks, an Australian conservation society, is campaigning to ban koala cuddling. Policy on koala handling is determined by state government authorities and the largest of the numbers in the Australian Nature Conservation Agency, with the aim of instituting national guidelines. Following a wave of publicity, some zoos and wildlife parks have stopped turning their koalas into photos.

Questions 1 – 5

1 The main reason why koala declined is that they are killed EXCEPT FOR

A By poachers

B By diseases they got

C Giving too many birth yet survived little

D Accidents

2 What can help koalas fully digest their food?

A Toxic substances in the leaves

B Organs that dissolve the fibres

C Remaining inactive for a period to digest

D Eating eucalyptus trees

3 What would koalas do when facing dangerous situations?

A Show signs of being offended

B Counter attack furiously

C Use sharp claws to rip the man

D Use claws to grip the bark of trees.

4 In what ways Australian zoos exploit koalas?

A Encourage people to breed koalas as pets

B Allow tourists to hug the koalas

C Put them on the trees as a symbol

D Establish a koala campaign

4 What would the government do to protect koalas from being endangered?

A Introduce koala protection guidelines

D Close some of the zoos

D Encourage people to resist visiting the zoos

D Persuade the public to learn more about koalas

Questions 6-12

YES, if the statement agrees with the information

NO, if the statement contradicts the information

NOT GIVEN, if there is no information on this passage

6 _________ New human settlers caused danger to koalas

7 _________ Koalas can still be seen in most of the places in Australia.

8 _________ It takes decades for the eucalyptus trees to recover after the fire.

9 _________ Koalas will fight each other when food becomes scarce.

10 _________It is not easy to notice that koalas are ill.

11 _________ Koalas are easily infected with human contagious disease via cuddling.

12 _________ Koalas like to hold a person’s arm when they are embraced.

Questions 13

From your opinion this article written by

1. A journalist who writes for a magazine
2. A zookeeper in London Zoo
3. A tourist who is traveling back from Australia.
4. A government official who studies koalas to establish laws.

Reading Answers

1 Answer: C

Question type: Multiple Choice Question

Answer location: Paragraph 3, lines 4 -6

Answer explanation: The lines state that koalas have been killed by poachers, epidemics, and a retro-virus which causes tumours which has led to a population decline. They have also been killed by car accidents, mostly in wildlife sanctuaries. However, it is not mentioned that baby koalas’ poor survival rates following their birth are linked to their population decline. Hence, the answer is C.

2 Answer: C

Question type: Multiple Choice Question

Answer location: Paragraph 6, line 5

Answer explanation: It is stated that koalas must sit still (remain inactive) for 21 hours every day in order to digest their food. Hence, the answer is C.

3 Answer: A

Question type: Multiple Choice Question

Answer location: Paragraph 7, lines 5

Answer explanation: It is stated that although koalas’ sharp claws can rip a man, they use it only to hang on trees. They do not act aggressively or counter attack when provoked. Instead, if you upset a koala, it may blink or swallow, or hiccup, that is they simply show signs of being offended by blinking or hiccupping. Hence, the answer is A.

4 Answer: B

Question type: Multiple Choice Question

Answer location: Paragraph 5, lines 2-3

Answer explanation: Australian zoos are said to charge visitors to be photographed hugging the furry bundles (koalas). They do not consider that it can affect the koalas and push them to extinction. Hence, the answer is B.

5 Answer: A

Question type: Multiple Choice Question

Answer location: Paragraph 9, lines 7 – 10

Answer explanation: To protect koalas, Association of Fauna and Marine parks, an Australian conservation society is campaigning to ban koala cuddling. The government authorities and Australian Nature Conservation Agency are also planning to introduce national guidelines for the protection of Koalas. Hence, the answer is A.

6 Answer: Yes

Question type: Yes/No/Not given

Answer location: Paragraph 2, lines 2 – 4

Answer explanation: It is stated that the problem, however, has been man, more specifically, the white man. Koala and aborigines had co-existed peacefully for centuries. It clarifies that koalas had co-existed peacefully with indigenous Australians for years and thrived before the arrival of new settlers. Hence, the answer is yes.

7 Answer: No

Question type: Yes/No/Not given

Answer location: Paragraph 3, line 1

Answer explanation: It is stated that koala populations have suffered a decline and now they are found only in scattered pockets of southeast Australia, that is, in very few locations across Australia, instead of being widespread. Hence, the answer is No.

8 Answer: No

Question type: Yes/No/Not given

Answer location: Paragraph 4, line 4

Answer explanation: The mentioned lines state that the eucalyptus grows quickly and is already burgeoning forth after the fires. As the trees are said to be fast-growing and have started to grow rapidly after the fire and the statement contradicts the information in the passage, the answer is No.

9 Answer: Not given

Question type: Yes/No/Not given

Answer location: N.A.

Answer explanation: It is not mentioned in any of the paragraphs that koalas will fight each other for food. However, it is mentioned that they aren’t very aggressive. Hence, the answer is not given.

10 Answer: Yes

Question type: Yes/No/Not given

Answer location: Paragraph 8, lines 2-3

Answer explanation: It has been mentioned that koalas are stoic creatures and put on a brave face until they are at death’s door. It means that koalas stay calm even when they’re not well or are dying. Thus, their illness cannot be easily understood even by their caretakers unless they are weighed. Hence, the answer is yes.

11 Answer: Not given

Question type: Yes/No/Not given

Answer location: Not given

Answer explanation: It is not mentioned whether or not koalas contract diseases from humans when they are cuddled.

12 Answer: Yes

Question type: Yes/No/Not given

Answer location: Paragraph 9, lines 4-5

Answer explanation: It is stated that koalas like to cling on to their handler, all in their own good time and use his or her arm as a tree. This proves that they like to hold a person’s arm when they are embraced. Hence, the answer is yes.

13 Answer: A

Question type: Multiple Choice question

Answer location: Whole passage

Answer explanation: It can be assumed from the writing that the aim is to spread awareness about the endangered condition of koalas and since, tourists and zoos have been criticised and the article has a much wider scope than simply legislation, it has probably been written by a journalist. Hence, the answer is A.