1. What is the student's attitude about speaking in front of other students?

　　A. He thinks it will be fun.

　　B. He views it as a useful opportunity.

　　C. He feels nervous about it.

　　D. He prefers it to writing papers.

　　2. The student talks about a species of fungus. What fact about the fungus interests him ?

　　A. It acts as a food source for other fungi.

　　B. It grows well on wind farms.

　　C. It can be used as an alternative source of energy.

　　D. It produces chemicals that destroy toxins.

　　3. Why does the professor mention trees and apples?

　　A. To give advice on how to explain fungi and mushrooms

　　B. To show how the environment can affect growth rates

　　C. To provide an example of the effects of pesticides

　　D. To give an example of how a wind farm replaced a fruit farm

　　4. Why does the professor suggest that the student visit the greenhouse?

　　A. The student might be able to conduct a research study there.

　　B. A mushroom species that interests the student is being grown there.

　　C. Mushrooms grow more quickly there than in other locations.

　　D. Environmentally safe growing techniques are demonstrated there.

　　5. Why does the student go to see the professor?

　　A. To get advice about how much information to include in a paper he is writing

　　B. To ask for permission to change the topic of an assignment

　　D. To discuss the results of research he has done for a paper he is writing

　　Script:

　　Narrator: Listen to a conversation between a student and his environmental science professor.

　　Student: Hi, Professor Williams - I(m here for our 1:30 meeting.

　　Professor: Hi Michael. Thanks for being so prompt. That really makes

　　a difference when I have so many students scheduled back to back. If only there could be more than 24 hours in a day.

　　Student: (Laughs) I know what you mean.

　　Professor: So, what’ s on your mind?

　　Student: Well I’m here about my topic choice.

　　Professor: For the upcoming oral presentation? By the way, how do

　　you feel about speaking in front of the class?

　　Student: Well I’ d have to say I’m most comfortable writing

　　papers, but I’m not nervous about doing this presentation. It’ ll be good public speaking practice you know.

　　Professor: Exactly, and certainly, it’ s a skill that is always useful.

　　Student: Mm-hmm. Yeah, so the assignment was for us to talk about

　　a current environmental solution? And I found so much eye opening information while researching. The only problem is, I don’t know which area to go with.

　　Professor: Okay well, which areas most interest you?

　　Student: Well I’ve spent a lot of time exploring the concept of wind

　　farms. You know, using wind as a source of energy.

　　Professor: Mm-hmm, go on.

　　Student: Right um - lots of stuff on that you know types of wind

　　farms and different designs, how they' ve been set up, how to get the most out of them.

　　Professor: Okay, and what' s another choice?

　　Student: Well, it' s a tie between wind farms and mushrooms.

　　Professor: Mushrooms!? Hm! Tell me more about that!

　　Student: Well, there' s a species of mushrooms that produces

　　chemicals that can eat away at toxic waste - from petroleum products, pesticides and other harmful pollutants

　　Professor: Yes, I've read research about this - but actually Michael

　　it' s the fungus beneath the ground that affects the harmful pollutants. That' s an important difference

　　Student: Oh ri-right that' s what I meant - I'll explain it more

　　clearly in class.

　　Professor: Keep it simple. Something like - just like trees produce

　　apples, it' s the funghi that produce mushrooms - and it' s also those funghi that produce the helpful chemicals.

　　Student: I understand - it' s just so amazing that something low

　　cost and already there in nature could solve such a large pollution problem caused by humans

　　Professor: It is intriguing. Wind farms affect, too, but I think most of

　　your classmates will already be generally familiar with that topic. Whereas they might not have heard of this.

　　Professor: Btw, what s the growing period for this species?

　　Student: Ah it only takes a month to grow.

　　Professor: Great! The university has a greenhouse that's sometimes

　　available for research projects. Why don't you stop over there one afternoon, speak to the manager and ask if he' d let you use a small area of the greenhouse?

　　Student: Okay.

　　Professor: You could try to duplicate the results of the study!

　　Student: In the greenhouse?

　　Professor: Yes! You have three months until the end of this semester.

　　It might make a strong final project!