Reading 2: Marine Parks

Marine Parks

READING 2

You should spend about 20 minutes on Questions 1 – 5 which are based on Reading 2.

A

The issue of whether we should allow marine parks to stay open has been widely debated in our  community  recently. It is an important  issue because it concerns fundamental moral and economic questions about the way we use our native wildlife. A variety  of different  arguments have been put  forward  about this  issue. This essay  will consider arguments for having marine parks and point to some of the problems with these views. It will then put forward reasons for the introduction of laws which  prohibit these unnecessary and cruel institutions.

B

It has been argued that dolphin parks provide the only opportunity for much of the public to see marine mammals. Most Australians, so this argument goes, live in cities and never get to see these animals. It  is  claimed that marine  parks  allow  the  average Australian to appreciate our marine wildlife. However, as some tourists state, dolphins, whales and seals can be viewed in the wild at a number of places on the Australian coast. In fact, there are more places where they can be seen in the wild than places where they can  be seen in captivity. Moreover, most Australians would have to travel less to get to these locations than they would to get to the marine parks on the Gold Coast. In addition, places where there are wild marine mammals do not charge an exorbitant entry fee – they are free.

C

Dr Alison Lane, the director of the Cairns Marine Science Institute, contends that we need marine parks for scientific research. She argues that much of our knowledge of marine  mammals  comes  from  studies  which  were  undertaken  at  marine  parks.  The knowledge  which  is  obtained  at  marine  parks, so  this  argument  goes,  can  be useful for planning for the conservation of marine mammal species. However, as Jones – director of a marine animal research project explains, park research is only useful for understanding captive  animals  and  is  not  useful  for  learning  about  animals  in  the wild. Dolphin  and whale  biology  changes  in  marine  park  conditions. Their diets  are different,  they  have significantly  lower life  spans  and  they are more  prone  to disease. In  addition,  marine mammals in dolphin  parks are trained  and  this means  that their  patterns  of  social behaviour are changed. Therefore research  undertaken  at marine  parks is generally not reliable.

D

It is the contention of the Marine Park Owners Association that marine parks attract a lot of foreign tourists. This position goes on to assert that these tourists spend a lot of money, increasing our foreign exchange earnings and assisting our national balance of payments. However, foreign  tourists  would  still come to Australia if the parks were closed down. Indeed, surveys of overseas tourists show that they come here for a variety of other reasons  and not to visit places like Sea world.  Tourists  come  here to see our native wildlife in its natural environment  and  not  to  see  it  in  cages and cement pools. They can see animals in those condition in their own countries Furthermore, we  should be  promoting our beautiful  natural environment to tourists and not the ugly concrete marine park venues.

E

Dolphin parks are unnecessary and cruel. The dolphins and whales in these parks are kept in very small, cramped ponds, whereas in the wild they are used to roaming long distances across the seas. Furthermore, the concrete walls of the pools interfere with the animals' sonar systems of communication. In addition, keeping them in pools is a terrible restriction of  the freedom of  fellow  creatures  who  may  have  very  high  levels  of intelligence and a sophisticated language ability. Moreover, there are many documented cases of marine mammals helping humans who are in danger at sea or helping fisherman with their work.

F

In conclusion, these parks should be closed, or at the very least, no new animals should be captured  for  marine  parks in  the future. Our society is no longer  prepared  to tolerate unnecessary cruelty to animals for science and entertainment. If we continue with our past crimes against these creatures we will be remembered as cruel and inhuman by

the generations of the future.

Questions 1 – 5

Complete the summary of arguments below. Choose NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS from the passage for each answer. Write your answers in boxes 1 – 5 on your answer sheet.

A variety of different arguments have been put forward about marine parks. In the case of dolphin parks, some argue that they provide ... 1 ... to see these animals. Those against marine parks, on the other hand, claim that these sea animals can be viewed ... 2 ... Another  argument  for  marine parks  contends  that  we  need  ...  3  ...  for  scientific research,  while  those  against  hold  that  park  research  is  only  useful  for    animals in captivity.  Still  another  argument  put  forward  by  the  Marine  Park  Owners Association  is that marine parks attract many ... 4 ... Contrary to this claim are surveys showing that tourists come here for a variety of ... 5 ....

Questions 6 - 7 

Answer questions 6 – 7 by writing the appropriate letters A – F in boxes 6 – 7 on your answer sheet.

6.  Which paragraph puts forward arguments over the use of marine parks for scientific research?

7. Which paragraph describes the writer‘s suggestions?

Questions 8 – 10

Choose the appropriate letters A – D and write your answers in boxes 8 – 10 on your answer sheet.

8. The issue of whether we should allow marine parks to stay open ...

A is still controversial and has not been decided in our community.

B. has already been decided through debate.

C. has led to the introduction of new laws.

D. is unnecessary and cruel.

9. According to those against marine parks, dolphins can ...

A. only be seen in marine parks.

B. only be seen in captivity.

C. be seen at more places in the wild than in captivity.

D. only be seen by travelling to remote places on the coast.

10. According to the writer, dolphins ...

A. live a better life in pools.

B. are restricted in marine parks.

C. do not like the communication systems of the ponds.

D. roam long distances in the ponds.

Questions 11 – 13

Do the following statements agree with the views of the writer in Reading Passage 3? In boxes 11 – 13 on your answer sheet write

YES                            if the statement agrees with the writer

NO                              if the statement does not agree with the writer.

NOT GIVEN              if there is no information about this in the passage

38. At marine parks visitors have to pay a high entry fee to see the animals.

39. Keeping dolphins and whales in pools will reduce the animal‘s intelligence and sophisticated language ability.

40. Marine animals can still be used for science and entertainment only.