- A
- B
- C
Listen to a lecture in a history class, take detailed notes while listening.
abundant – plentiful; having a lot
economy – the system in which a country's trade and industry are organized
essential – necessary
latter – second item when two items are compared
principal – most important
Fill in the following diagram.
Cause
1.
Effects
1.
2.
3.
Now answer the questions using your notes.
The Decline of the Easter Island Civilization
Summarize the text using your notes and diagram.
- 1: Deforestation of Easter Island.
- 2: Without trees for boats, fishing declined.
- 3: Without fish, people used up other natural resources.
- 4: Political leaders failed to solve problems and order broke down.
Listen again:
M1: What happened to the once great civilization that inhabited Easter Island is a mystery that researchers have been trying to solve for generations. When Europeans first arrived on the island in the 18th century, they found magnificent art and sculptures. But none of the Easter Islanders there knew much about their creation. A new theory suggests that the principal cause of its disappearance was deforestation – the complete destruction of the island's once rich forests. That one event resulted in three key negative effects that took shape over a period of about 300 years. We'll start with the deforestation and then look at the three effects on the Easter Islanders. The island was once covered with abundant forests of palm trees. They were an essential part of the island's economy. Islanders used them to construct buildings and create boats. The latter, they needed for fishing, which was the core of the island's economy and food system. Well, as their civilization grew, they cut down more trees, and soon, all the trees were gone. What do you think might have happened next?
W: Well, without trees they couldn't build any more boats.
M1: Right, no more boats meant no more fishing. So that really brought about the end of the most important sector of their economy and their main food source.
M2: Yeah, but they must have grown crops and hunted wild animals also, right?
M1: Yes, the island was, at one time, rich in natural resources. There were wild plants, birds, animals, and shellfish. But as the islanders caught fewer and fewer fish, they increased their demand for these resources. That put enormous pressure on the environment. And soon many of those resources ran out. How do you think this affected their society and political organization?
W: I'd imagine it was pretty difficult.
M1: Difficult, indeed. Before cutting down all their trees, Easter, Island had a complex social and political structure – once responsible for all that magnificent art. But as the problems grew, the political leaders could no longer solve them. In time, political order broke down and Easter island became a very violent place. People fought each other for what limited resources remained on the island.
