EXCERCISES 4 Match the words to the right definition. Alien Decay Humus Niche Pasture Primeval Relict Renewal Resource Saproxylic 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. ☐ Grassland. ☐ A source of supply. ☐ Decomposition, rot. ☐ Primordial. ☐ A species which has survived from an earlier period. ☐ Specific area where an organism lives. ☐ Related to dead or decaying wood. ☐ Introduced accidentally or intentionally, outside of its natural geographic range, into an area where it is not naturally present. ☐ The dark organic material in soil produced by the decomposition of vegetable or animal matter. ☐ Restoration. a. b. c. d. e. f. g. h. i. j. 5 Translate this short passage into English. La presenza di legno in decadimento, con porzioni secche e marcescenti colonizzate da numerose specie ‘minori’, gioca un ruolo importante nel ciclo vitale della foresta e consente il perdurare di una biodiversità significativa. I piccoli mammiferi e gli uccelli sono i principali vertebrati che traggono vantaggio da questa importante nicchia ecologica. 6 Look at this glossary, then listen to the text “a thousand-yearold forest” and choose the correct option. die-off: scomparsa elm: olmo to feed on: cibarsi di lime: tiglio sessile oak: quercia sessile, rovere shrub: arbusto A forest of oak-hornbeams covered… the Po valley. Piedmont. northern valleys. 1. a. b. c. The pedunculate oak… is a common tree on the Italian landscape. disappeared thousands of years ago. is rarely present in Italian forests. 2. a. b. c. La Mandria was a royal hunting reserve… in the early 19th century. in the late 19th century. in the 90s. 3. a. b. c. Deforestation reduced the original forest in… the 1930s and 1960s. the 1920s and 1950s. the 1950s and 1970s. 4. a. b. c. The forest structure may be compromised by the presence of… ungulates. cattle. horses. 5. a. b. c. The Park Authority is particularly concerned about… reducing the risk of damage by animals. guaranteeing the safety of the paths. reducing maintenance activities along the routes. 6. a. b. c. Parco regionale La Mandria (TO) GLOSSARY alien: alloctono coppice: bosco ceduo to decay: decomporsi meadow: prato niche: nicchia oak-hornbeam: quercocarpineto old-growth: primario pedunculate oak: quercia peduncolata, farnia primeval: primordiale relict: relitto