33 nOT giVEn: We are told that Wohlleben managed
to persuade local villagers that machinery should
be banned and that pesticides should no longer be
used. However, the reviewer does not comment on
whether this was the right decision or not.
34 nOT giVEn: The reviewer states that Wohlleben’s
use of humour and straightforward narrative
have been successfully translated into different
languages. However, he does not mention anything
about whether the translators themselves should
receive praise and attention for this.
35 YES: ‘Critics of Wohlleben point out that proper
academic studies [= serious/reliable research]
need to be done to prove all his claims are factually
accurate. This seems a fair point [= a good idea/a
reasonable suggestion].’
36 nO: ‘Will it [= the book] transform the way we
produce timber for the manufacturing industry?
As large corporations tend to focus on immediate
profits, they are hardly likely to [= there is little
chance they will] adopt the longer-term practices
that Wohlleben recommends.’
37 E: ‘But Wohlleben claims this spacing [= keeping
trees apart from each other] prevents vital root
interaction, and so lowers resistance to drought
[= dry periods]. Older, established trees . . . draw
up moisture through their deep roots and provide
this to juvenile trees [= young trees] growing below
them. Without this assistance, they could die.’
38 F: ‘For instance, when pines [= a type of tree]
require more nitrogen, the fungi growing at their
base release a poison into the soil. This poison kills
many minute organisms, which release nitrogen
[= a gas that provides the nutrients the tree needs]
as they die, and this is absorbed by the trees’ roots.’
39 A: ‘When giraffes begin feeding on an acacia’s
leaves, the tree emits ethylene gas [= sends out
a gas that other acacias can detect] as a warning
to neighbouring acacias. These [= the trees] then
pump tannins into their leaves – substances toxic to
giraffes [= by doing this, the acacia avoids harm].’
40 B: ‘. . . if branches are broken off or the trunk is hit
with an axe [= the tree is damaged], a tree will emit
electrical signals from the site of the wound.’