Read the article and choose the best options out of the four given
Прочитайте текст и выполните задания 12–18. В каждом задании запишите в поле ответа цифру 1, 2, 3 или 4, соответствующую выбранному Вами варианту ответа.
Ocean noise
When people think about the ocean, they often imagine a quiet world, but beneath the surface, oceans are very noisy places. Humans depend on the oceans for transportation, fuel, and creating renewable energy (such as wind farms). The noise these activities make leaves a large "footprint" on the ocean's soundscape.
Much of the foods we eat and the things we buy have been transported across the oceans in ships. Every day, around 60,000 ships are moving across our oceans and seas, with 500 ships in the English Channel alone. These ships carry 226 million containers packed with things humans consume, and the ships' engines produce very loud, low-frequency sounds — when a sound produced has a negative effect on the environment it becomes "noise". Ship noise spreads great distances through the water and interferes with marine animals' ability to communicate and find food. The increasing level of ship traffic is raising the natural sound level of our oceans.
Much of the oil and gas we use comes from reserves below the seabed, and searching for new reserves is a very noisy business. Survey ships fire loud, low-frequency sounds from acoustic "guns" into the seabed. The echoes produced from each blast enable people to map the seabed and find where oil and gas may be hidden. Underwater, these blasts sound louder than standing next to a jet engine as it takes off! Thus, the noise these guns produce is deafening to animals nearby, and as the sound waves can travel further than 4,000 km they affect the soundscape of large oceanic areas. Ocean exploration happens every day, raising noise pollution to dangerous levels and exposing marine life to levels of noise that would cause long-term damage.
Research has shown that animals may stop hunting for food or may leave protected areas because of noise pollution. Scientists often observe behavioural changes, such as species diving into deep water to escape noise or changing the amount of time they spend at the surface, alterations in the frequency of diving for food, and even changes in how vocal they are — all as a result of increasing noise in the soundscape. Busy coral reefs are naturally noisy places, and new research shows that young fish use sounds to find the best reefs to live in. But noise pollution can mask natural sounds, making it difficult for marine animals like fish (who make relatively quiet sounds) to hear each other, which interferes with their navigation. This can cause animals to become disorientated and vulnerable to predators.
Studying the polluting effects of noise is difficult. We cannot give a whale a hearing test or ask a dolphin what it thinks about noisy gas and oil survey ships. Instead, we must study changes in noise levels, along with animal behaviour, to find out how noise affects marine species. We can then use this information to build an idea of the impact of noise on our oceans.
Humans depend on the ocean for our daily needs, but these needs are causing harm to marine life. Understanding the effect anthropogenic noise has on marine life is increasingly important, and requires a deep understanding of the soundscapes. Reducing the amount of noise humans emit into the natural world is critical in our fight to protect wildlife all around us, and within our oceans.
What does the author NOT suggest about the oceans?
People rely on the oceans' waters for transportation.
The noise significantly influences the oceans.
A lot of noise can be heard below the ocean's surface.
Renewable energy is not produced by the oceans.
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According to the author, noise is the sound that …
can only be produced by moving ships.
causes negative consequences for nature.
moves through the water slowly yet widely.
influences the animals' sight and hearing.
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What does the author state about the process of searching for new oil and gas reserves?
It produces the sound that affects animals.
It imitates natural sounds under the water.
It takes a lot of time and effort to complete it.
It is possible to complete it without a map.
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The wordexposingin Paragraph 3 ("… raising noise pollution to dangerous levels and exposing marine life to levels of noise …") is closest in meaning to …
displaying
removing
putting at risk
bringing to light
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According to the author, noise pollution can make …
typical environmental sounds louder.
animals change their typical behaviour.
it less difficult for marine animals to navigate.
fish avoid diving into deep water.
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What helps researchers understand the effects of noise pollution?
Taking a hearing test.
Interviewing survey ship crews.
Analysing the ocean's water quality.
Observing how noise levels change.
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What conclusion does the author come to at the end of the article?
Noise reduction is essential for protecting the environment.
It is important to understand the influence of noise on people.
Marine life is not impacted by human activity.
Human daily activities can help protect ocean wildlife.
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The maximum score is 7 points for 7 correct answers.
For each correct answer, 1 point is given.
The score for the task:[ ] out of 7.