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Read the following passage. Then try to make notes of the key facts.
Forest rangers often use prescribed burning to avoid large, destructive wildfires by starting smaller, controlled fires. Controlled fire, when applied in the right way and at the right time, prevents uncontrolled fires from igniting or spreading.
Prescribed burning prevents wildfires from starting by reducing the amount of fuel available. Over time, leaves, branches, and dead trees build up on the forest floor. During the summer months, such underbrush can be extremely dry; it can ignite instantly at the drop of a match or the strike of a lightning bolt. Burning away that underbrush in a controlled manner thus decreases the risk of naturally occurring fires.
Prescribed burning can also stop an existing wildfire from spreading. The more underbrush it has to consume, the faster it spreads. If it moves into an area where the underbrush has already been cleared, however, it slows down. Thus, by burning high fuel areas, forest rangers can slow the spread of fires.
Another advantage of prescribed burning is that forest rangers can set the time and place for a fire to ensure that it will not get out of control. High winds, for example, might push a fire beyond its intended limits, endangering surrounding homes or lands. Controlling when and where a fire is started gives rangers the ability to start small fires when there is no wind and, thus, no risk of uncontrolled spreading.
ranger – an official who is responsible for protecting a forest or park
prescribed – decided by a rule or a law
destructive – causing damage
Ignite – to begin to burn
underbrush – the small bushes that grow on the floor of a forest
manner – way
extinguish – to make a fire stop burning
intended – in the way that something was meant to happen
Reading:
Predict how the listening passage may contrast with the reading.
indispensable – difficult to do something without; necessary
execute – to do something that you have planned to do
kindling – small pieces of wood used to make a fire
outermost – nearest to the outside of something
surround – to occupy the space all around something
pose – to create or present
humidity – the amount of water in the air
raging – out of control
Now listen to a lecture related to the topic in A. Make notes while listening.
Listening
W: A wildfire that started in the Croatan National Forest in North Carolina several years ago is a good example of how prescribed burning can be indispensable in preventing and controlling wildfires. This wildfire was actually controlled by the prescribed burning that had been done in the area. In the end, the fire wasn't as bad as it could have been. Let me give you three examples of why this is true, and you'll be able to see how beneficial prescribed burning can be. First of all, the wildfire may never have started in the first place had prescribed burning been executed in the area where the fire ignited. See, the forest caught fire in an area of very thick underbrush-dead leaves and shrubs and branches and all that, which is not at all surprising considering the fact that underbrush acts as a sort of natural kindling for forest fires. Many forest rangers and fire experts suggested that, had the place been previously cleared by prescribed burning, there may not have been enough fuel to start a fire.
In this case, what prescribed burning did was stop the fire from spreading. Forest rangers, of course, couldn't burn the whole forest, so they just did prescribed burning on the outermost areas. That way, if a fire did break out... which, unfortunately, happened that year... it wouldn't spread too far. So as the Croatan National Forest fire moved out of the high fuel areas . . . where there was a lot of underbrush ... and onto the timberlands, where forest rangers had already done some prescribed burning, it slowed down enough so that firefighters could do their job and put out the fire. If those prescribed bums hadn't been there, it would have been pretty bad news for the surrounding communities. And what's also great about the prescribed burns is that they never posed a threat to the communities because rangers chose the very best conditions in which to execute them. They chose a day when there wasn't a lot of wind, when there was a little bit of humidity, when temperatures weren't too high. And in this way, they stopped a wild, raging fire by starting ones they could control.
Read the sample response below.
The reading and lecture discuss how prescribed burning prevents wildfires from starting and spreading. The reading discusses the benefits of prescribed burning. The lecture also discusses prescribed burning.
The reading says that prescribed burning prevents wildfires. The professor also discusses this idea. But the professor discusses Croatan National Forest, too. He says that the Croatan fire may never have started.
The reading also says that prescribed burning stops wildfires from spreading. The author explains how this is true. It does this by preventing fires from spreading. The professor illustrates this. The professor says that this happened too in the forest. So prescribed burning is good.
The reading then talks about forest rangers. Forest rangers also help to prevent wildfires. The professor supports this by saying that rangers started fires in Croatan National Forest, but they were safe.
I agree with the information in the reading and the lecture. I think that prescribed burning is a good thing. Therefore, forest rangers should use prescribed burning.
Using your notes, evaluate the sample response by answering the following guide questions.
1. Does the introduction mention the main idea from both the reading passage and the lecture?
2. Does each body paragraph compare the key points of the reading and the lecture?
3. Does the conclusion summarize the main points of both the reading passage and the lecture?
Reading:
Listening
Revise the sample response by correcting the problems you noted.
