English for

8.2 READING RESOURCES 
Pre-Reading 

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237 
A.
 
Match the vocabulary to the definition 
Paradigm –
a. the intricate relationship between an organism community and its 
environment that makes up an ecological system 
Erosion –
b. a return to a previous state or situation 
Ecosystem –
c. any form of philosophical or theoretical framework 
Concept – 
d. the beginning of a process leading to a certain goal 
Restoration –
e. an abstract or broad notion extrapolated from specific occurrences 
Ecosystem –
f. an erosional event or outcome 
 
Reading #1: Ecosystem Restoration
 
Ecological restoration
, the process of repairing sites in nature whose 
biological 
communities
(that is, interacting groups of various species in a common location) and ecosystems 
have been degraded or destroyed. In many ecosystems, humans have altered local native populations 
of plants and animals, introduced 
invasive species
, converted natural communities to extractive use 
(such as agriculture or mining), fouled waters, and degraded soil resources. Ecological restoration 
focuses on repairing the damage human activities have caused to natural ecosystems and seeks to 
return them to an earlier state or to another state that is closely related to one unaltered by human 
activities. Ecological restoration is distinguished from the practice of 
conservation
, which is 
primarily concerned with preventing further losses to ecosystems. 
 
Concepts 
To repair and restore ecosystems, restoration specialists apply concepts from the field of 
ecology. For example, in temperate