PART I: WRITTEN RECEPTION (70 points)

(ACCESS TO INFORMATION FROM WRITTEN TEXTS)

Read the text below and then answer questions 1–8.

SEAWEED – FOOD FOR THE FUTURE?

I The food we eat has a big effect on our planet. Growing vegetables requires huge areas of
land, and very large quantities of water. In addition, the fertilizers that farmers use pollute the
land, rivers, and oceans. However, the worst environmental damage is caused by meat production
because the process is responsible for much of the climate change in the world. Therefore, food
5 scientists are looking for meat substitutes that are more environmentally friendly. Now they are
examining a surprising possibility: seaweed.
II People in the West mostly know seaweed as a plant with long leaves that they see on the
beach or floating in the sea. Sometimes they eat it in sushi in a Japanese restaurant. But in many
countries in Asia, people have been eating seaweed every day for over 2,000 years. The plant
10 is grown on special farms in the sea near the coasts. Small pieces of seaweed are attached to long
ropes, and the ropes are then put in the sea. It takes only six weeks until the leaves are large
enough for the farmers to pick.
III Food scientists recently decided to study a type of seaweed that is called "red seaweed."
They found that red seaweed has as much protein as meat does. This makes it suitable for use as
15 a meat substitute. The scientists are therefore now using this seaweed to develop products that
look and taste like meat. For companies growing red seaweed, this is exciting news because they
expect such products to create a very large demand for this plant.
IV One large red seaweed grower, SeaFarms, already plans to build huge farms near the
coast of Northern Europe. "Like all types of seaweed, red seaweed has important advantages
20 over crops that grow on land," says Brenda Clark, head of SeaFarms. "It grows extremely quickly,
and farmers don't need to provide any water or fertilizers. We think this will greatly appeal to
people who care about the environment. And when we have a delicious meat substitute, it should
appeal even to meat eaters. So I believe seaweed really could become the food of the future."

<u>QUESTIONS</u> (70 points)
Answer questions 1–8 in <u>English</u>, according to the text. In questions 1 and 6, circle the number of the correct answer. In the other questions, follow the instructions.