Scientists in Poland Work to Save Honeybees

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Materials Daily News

Intermediate

Exercise 1

Vocabulary

worldwide

Adverb

ˈwɜːrldwaɪd

to or in all parts of the world

He has spent his entire life travelling worldwide as a consultant.

colony

Noun

ˈkɑːləni

a group of plants or animals that live together or grow in the same place

A large colony of ants ruined our picnic yesterday.

infected

Adjective

ɪnˈfektɪd

containing harmful bacteria

Due to recent advances in medicine, HIV-infected patients are now living longer.

productivity

Noun

ˌproʊdəkˈtɪvɪtiː

the rate at which a worker, a company or a country produces goods, and the amount produced, compared with how much time, work and money is needed to produce them

This machine has helped increase the company's productivity.

Taking a short break can increase your productivity.

Hiring more employees might not be the only way to raise productivity.

What approach is used at your company to maximize productivity?

To increase agricultural productivity, we need to fertilize our land.

decrease

Verb

dɪˈkriːs

to become or make something become smaller in size, number, etc.

The population of lions is decreasing rapidly in Africa.

substance

Noun

ˈsəbstəns

the real physical matter of which a person or thing consists

Tar is a substance used in making roads.

The scientist mixed a number of substances together.

The researcher is looking into the substance for more detailed analysis.

When dealing with dangerous substances in the lab, you must wear gloves.

The substance on the floor seems to be some kind of oil.

They are looking into the chemical structure of the substance.

effective

Adjective

ɪˈfɛktɪv

producing the result that is wanted or intended; producing a successful result

This medicine is an effective cure for stomach problems.

The police have adopted effective ways of stopping illegal parking.

Effective project management is essential to the success of a company.

Building infrastructure may be effective for economic recovery.

Teachers in this school use effective teaching methods.

There are many strategies used to stimulate an economy, some more effective than others.

Exercise 2

Article

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Scientists in Poland Work to Save Honeybees

Honeybees are in danger worldwide.

Their homes — known as “colonies” — are suffering from what scientists call Colony Collapse Disorder.

Polish researchers are working on ways to save honeybees. One of the diseases that affect honeybee colonies in Poland is nosemosis, also called nosema. It is a common disease that affects adult bees.

Aneta Ptaszynska is a researcher with Maria Curie-Sklodowska University.

“Infected worker bees live for a very short time in the summer, about eight to 12 days, while they normally live 36 days. So the productivity of the whole bee family decreases and bees also have problems with passing (the) winter…”

Scientists believe nosema is one of the main reasons the number of bees has dropped by 50 percent in Poland over the past 15 years.

Polish scientists say they have found a natural substance in flowers that is more than 90 percent effective in saving bees. They have created a drug from it. The drug is now being tested.