HP 1 The lecturer argues that the theory suggesting that Etruscans came from Turkey is doubtful. This contradicts the claim in the reading passage that Etruscans are from Turkey. First, the lecturer explains that the DNA evidence is hard to believe. The DNA is very old, and it could have been damaged. Also, during the analysis, the DNA could have come in contact with humans, therefore become contaminated. This counters the claims made in the reading passage that the Etruscans share the same DNA roots of the Turkish. Second, the lecturer says that the evidence that the language of the Etruscans is similar to the Turkish language is not proven. Even though languages may be different, they can share the same alphabet. Also, linguists have studied the Etruscan language, and found out that it is not in the same language family with the other present-day languages in Italy, but there is also the doubt that the Etruscan language could be the only survivor of its language family. This casts doubt on the claim in the reading passage that the Etruscan language is similar to the Turkish language. Third, the lecturer talks about the funerary practices, and explains that this cannot be a reason. To be specific, this funerary practice is not only practiced by the Turks, but also by the people of Northern Italy. The Etruscans are simply successors of this funeral practice. This refutes the claim made in the reading passage that the shared funerary practices prove Etruscans to be from Turkey. | |
■ Direction You have 20 minutes to plan and write your response. You response will be judge on the basis of The quality of writing and on how well your response presents the points in the lecture and the relationship to the reading passage. Typically, an effective response will be 150 to 225 words.
■ Question Summarize the points made in the lecture you just heard, explaining how they cast doubt on the points made in the reading HP 2 The lecture argues that the ashen light of Venus is still a mystery to us. This contradicts the claim made in the lecture that there are possible sources of the ashen light. First, the lecturer explains that the chemical process theory is impossible. To be specific, light emitted when carbon monoxide and oxygen is very faint. To observe it, people would need a strong telescope, but early astronomers used simple, and weak telescopes and saw the ashen light. This casts doubt on the claim mentioned in the reading passage that the chemical process creates the ashen light of Venus. Second, the lecturer talks about the sunlight reflecting off the clouds in the atmosphere, and says that this is highly unlikely. The ashen light of Venus occurs rarely, even though the Sun is always shining on Venus. The ashen light should have occurred a lot more if the Sun was source of the light. This counters the claim made in the reading passage that the reflection of the Sun’s light is the reason of the ashen light of Venus. Third, the lecturer says that the aurorae theory isn’t true. Usually, a planet needs a magnet field in order to pull in the Sun’s plasma, and create an aurora. But the thing is, Venus does not have a magnetic field, making it unable to generate and aurora. This refutes the claim made in the reading passage that the ashen light of Venus is actually the aurorae occurring on Venus.
HP 3 The lecturer argues that the Everglades still have hope to be restored. This contradicts the claim made in the reading passage that the Everglades are being destroyed, and are unable to be restored. First of all, the lecturer explains that the amount of chemicals that are entering the Everglades are declining. The Florida government passed regulations to limit the amount of chemicals that enter the Everglades. Because of this, farmers have started to sue fertilizers that use less harmful substances. This counters the claim made in the passage that water pollution from farming facilities is damaging the Everglades. Secondly, the lecturer says that because of the loss of top soil, the problem is currently being remedied. The government has been trying to restore the lost top soil, and after their effort, the results look promising for the Everglades, and it seems that it will recover most of its top soil. This contradicts the claim made in the reading passage that the top soil lost is damaging the Everglades. Finally, the lecturer talks about how the Florida government purchased land to preserve wild life. Recently, the government bought land which was normally used for growing sugar canes. Right now, they’re trying to convert this land in to a marsh, and bring back the endangered wildlife. This refutes the claim in the reading passage that human development is threatening wildlife. | |