UNJBG FECH IETI

LISTENING II

PROF. A. MENDOZA D. V.

FINAL EXAM
NAME: . CODE:
. DATE: .
LISTEN CAREFULLY TO PEOPLE ARE PLANTS. THEN SOLVE THE FOLLOWING
ACTIVITIES ACCORDING TO WHAT YOU HEAR.
I.

IDENTIFY THE WORDS YOU HEAR.

Organelles
Biology
Fertile
Suggestions
Increment
Thoughts
Betseller
Competitive

Dried
Antioxidation
Diarrhoea
Fungicides
Dandruf
Piece
Lettuces
Automatization

II.

CHOOSE THE CORRECT WORD.

1. Science has being discovered / is now discovering that humans are in fact
more similar to plants.
2. Both the human genome and plant genomes contain around 25,000 / 2,500
genes.
3. The presence of mitochondria / infections means that plants and humans
have cellular respiration.
4. Both humans and plants have highly develope / developed immune systems.
5. Richard Ulevitch has discovering / discovered that plants have a similar
response to bacterial infections to humans.

III.

FROM THE PREVIOUS ACTIVITY, REPLACE THE FOLLOWING WORDS BY A

SYNONYM OR A SIMILAR PHRASE.
1. Similar
_______________________
2. Both
_______________________
3. Presence
_______________________
4. Highly
_______________________
5. Response
_______________________

IV.

CORRECT THE WRONG WORDS IN THE PARRAGRAPHS.

1. The way humans and plants absorb food is also similar.
The human intestine and fertile soil both contain
bacteria and fungi which help them to be healthy by
killing harmful bacteria and breaking down liquids to
provide food. In the case of plants, bacteria and fungi
help plants to absorb oxygen, phosphorus and
potassium. In the case of humans, they produce
vitamins K and C7.
2. Even strange than this are experiments that suggest
plants love their children, can feel afraid and even sense
human ambitions. Cleve Backster attached a polygraph
or lie detector to the leaf of a plant. Polygraphs read
variations in electrical resistance and his idea was to
time how long it took water splashed into the flower pot
to reach the leaf. As the water entered the leaf the

UNJBG FECH IETI

LISTENING II

PROF. A. MENDOZA D. V.

electrical resistance should have dropped but instead it

raised. Backster noticed that the curve on the graph
closely resembled a state of human happiness.
3. His next idea was to incinerate the leaf to see if there
was any kind of response. Just the speculation of doing
this made the polygraph go crazy. Apparently the plant
was reacting to his ambitions. For the next 35 years
Backster conducted many controlled experiments to
investigate this phenomenon, called the Backster Efect.
He demands that plants can detect and respond to
human actions and speculations.
V.

ORDER THE STATEMENTS ACCORDING TO THE SEQUENCE.

a) ____ Two facts: the word 'drug' means 'dried plant; more than 40% of all
pharmaceuticals in use in the USA today are derived from plants.
b) ____ The similarities of human biology and plant biology seem to mean that what
works for a plant, may well work for a human. Humans have co-evolved with
plants and have been eating them and making drinks from them for a long time.
c) ____ That said, his work became part of an international best-selling book called
The Secret Life of Plants which was later made into a documentary of the same
name with the soundtrack composed by Stevie Wonder.
d) ____ Susan Dudley, associate professor of biology at McMaster University in
Hamilton in Canada, has discovered that plants prefer to be near their children
rather than plants of the same species who are not related to them.
e) ____ Secondly, salicylic acid is used by trees when they get too hot.
f) ____ "The ability to recognize and favour kin is common in animals, but this is the
first time it has been shown in plants," says Susan.
g) ____ "When plants share their pots, they get competitive and start growing more
roots, which allows them to grab water and mineral nutrients before their
neighbours get them.
h) ____ A derivative of this, acetylsalicylic acid, is used by humans to treat fevers
and is generally known as aspirin.
i) ____ A famous supporter of the Backster Efect is Prince Charles.
j) ____ All this sounds great but what practical use does it have? Good question.
k) ____ Antioxidants in plants protect plant cells from oxidation as well as the cells
of the humans who eat them.
l) ____ Our bodies recognise the substances that occur in plants, and so are able to
metabolise or process them.
m) ____ Not all scientists accept the validity of Backsters experiments and they
typically say that his experiments lacked scientific rigour.
n) ____ It appears, though, that they only do this when sharing a pot with unrelated
plants; when they share a pot with family they don't increase their root growth."
o) ____ Carbohydrates, fat, minerals, protein and vitamins are vital to both human
and plant life.

VI.

IDENTIFY TRUE OR FALSE STATEMENTS.

1. Children in Afica receive medicines by an institution Save the children.
2. (..) Anamed is a German charity institution which is using plants to save
people in Africa.
3. (..) Artemisia Annua is a plant used against Diabetics.
4. (..) Stevia is a plant from Bolivia which helps the liver to produce enough
insulin.
5. (..) The Spain government has banned the sale of stevia seeds.
6. (..) Most of the scientists in the worlds are looking for the cure for baldness in
men.

UNJBG FECH IETI

LISTENING II

PROF. A. MENDOZA D. V.

7. (..) According to the World Health Organisation, if pecticides kills insects also
seems to kill humans.
8. (..) To finish, the speaker gives us some instructions to plant lettuces in the
organic mood.

UNJBG FECH IETI

LISTENING II

PROF. A. MENDOZA D. V.

ANSWERS
LISTEN CAREFULLY TO PEOPLE ARE PLANTS. THEN SOLVE THE FOLLOWING
ACTIVITIES ACCORDING TO WHAT YOU HEAR.
I.

IDENTIFY THE WORDS YOU HEAR. (ESCUCHAN TODO EL AUDIO UNA

SOLA VEZ)

Organelles
Biology
Fertile
Suggestions
Increment
Thoughts
Betseller
Competitive

Dried
Antioxidation
Diarrhoea
Fungicides
Dandruf
Piece
Lettuces
Automatization

II.

CHOOSE THE CORRECT WORD. (ESCUCHAN PARRAFOS 5 10 15 )

1. Science has being discovered / is now discovering that humans are in fact
more similar to plants.
2. Both the human genome and plant genomes contain around 25,000 / 2,500
genes.
3. The presence of mitochondria / infections means that plants and humans
have cellular respiration.
4. Both humans and plants have highly develope / developed immune systems.
5. Richard Ulevitch has discovering / discovered that plants have a similar
response to bacterial infections to humans.

III.

FROM THE PREVIOUS ACTIVITY, REPLACE THE FOLLOWING WORDS BY A

SYNONYM OR A SIMILAR PHRASE.
1. Similar
_______________________
2. Both
_______________________
3. Presence
_______________________
4. Highly
_______________________
5. Response
_______________________

IV.

CORRECT THE WRONG WORDS IN THE PARRAGRAPHS. (PARRAFOS 20

25 30 35 ) 2.09
1. The way humans and plants absorb food is also similar. The human intestine and
fertile soil both contain bacteria and fungi which help them to be healthy by
killing harmful (bad) bacteria and breaking down liquids (substances) to provide
food. In the case of plants, bacteria and fungi help plants (them) to absorb
oxygen (nitrogen), phosphorus and potassium. In the case of humans, they
produce vitamins K and C7. (B7)
2. Even strange (freakier) than this are experiments that suggest plants love their
children, can feel afraid and even sense human ambitions (intentions). Cleve
Backster attached a polygraph or lie detector to the leaf of a plant. Polygraphs
read variations (changes) in electrical resistance and his idea was to time how
long it took water splashed (poured) into the flower pot to reach the leaf. As the
water entered the leaf the electrical resistance should have dropped but instead
it raised (increased). Backster noticed that the curve on (of) the graph closely
resembled a state of human happiness.

UNJBG FECH IETI

LISTENING II

PROF. A. MENDOZA D. V.

3. His next idea was to incinerate (burn) the leaf to see if there was any kind of
response. Just the speculation (thought) of doing this made the polygraph go
crazy. Apparently the plant was reacting to his ambitions (intentions). For the
next 35 years Backster conducted many controlled experiments to investigate
(research) this phenomenon, called the Backster Efect. He demands (claims)
that plants can detect and respond to human actions and speculations
(thoughts). (4.18)
V.

ORDER THE STATEMENTS ACCORDING TO THE SEQUENCE. (40 45 50

55 60 65)
1. Two facts: the word 'drug' means 'dried plant; more than 40% of all
pharmaceuticals in use in the USA today are derived from plants.
2. The similarities of human biology and plant biology seem to mean that what
works for a plant, may well work for a human. Humans have co-evolved with
plants and have been eating them and making drinks from them for a long time.
3. That said, his work became part of an international best-selling book called The
Secret Life of Plants which was later made into a documentary of the same
name with the soundtrack composed by Stevie Wonder.
4. Susan Dudley, associate professor of biology at McMaster University in Hamilton
in Canada, has discovered that plants prefer to be near their children rather than
plants of the same species who are not related to them.
5. Secondly, salicylic acid is used by trees when they get too hot.
6. "The ability to recognize and favour kin is common in animals, but this is the first
time it has been shown in plants," says Susan.
7. "When plants share their pots, they get competitive and start growing more
roots, which allows them to grab water and mineral nutrients before their
neighbours get them.
8. A derivative of this, acetylsalicylic acid, is used by humans to treat fevers and is
generally known as aspirin.
9. A famous supporter of the Backster Efect is Prince Charles.
10.All this sounds great but what practical use does it have? Good question.
11.Antioxidants in plants protect plant cells from oxidation as well as the cells of the
humans who eat them.
12.Our bodies recognise the substances that occur in plants, and so are able to
metabolise or process them.
13.Not all scientists accept the validity of Backsters experiments and they typically
say that his experiments lacked scientific rigour.
14.It appears, though, that they only do this when sharing a pot with unrelated
plants; when they share a pot with family they don't increase their root growth."
15.Carbohydrates, fat, minerals, protein and vitamins are vital to both human and
plant life.

VI.

IDENTIFY TRUE OR FALSE STATEMENTS. (70 95)

1. F
Children in Afica receive medicines by an institution Save the children.
2. T
Anamed is a German charity institution which is using plants to save
people in Africa.
3. F
Artemisia Annua is a plant used against Diabetics.
4. F
Stevia is a plant from Bolivia which helps the liver to produce enough
insulin.
5. T
The Spain government has banned the sale of stevia seeds.
6. F
Most of the scientists in the worlds are looking for the cure for baldness in
men.
7. F
According to the World Health Organisation, if pecticides kills insects also
seems to kill humans.

UNJBG FECH IETI

LISTENING II

PROF. A. MENDOZA D. V.

8. T
To finish, the speaker gives us some instructions to plant lettuces in the
organic mood.