Problem: "It's this time of year when the weather starts warming up and frogs start breeding - but they haven't been breeding," says John Wilkinson, research and monitoring officer at the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust (ARC).

Amphibians are just one of the groups of animals that nature observers fear may have problems reproducing this year, as groundwater levels are even lower now than in the infamously dry summer of 1976, according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). According to the UK's Centre for Hydrology and Ecology the average rainfall so far this winter has been the lowest since 1972.

"If ponds dry up totally," says Mr. Wilkinson, "you could have lots of dead tadpoles." Drier and windier conditions could also make it more difficult for juvenile amphibians to survive their journeys between wet habitats.

But Peter Brotherton, the biodiversity manager for Natural England, says that "drought is part of nature's cycle", and, at present, a lot of animals, plants and insects are still in hibernation. This means that the population picture is unclear. "However, when we get extreme events, we get animals dying," he says. "And what is worrying is that normally at this time of year we expect soil to be near saturation after winter."

Charlie Kitchin, the RSPB's site manager of the Nene Washes in Cambridgeshire, says the 2,000-acre wetland and grassland area is now struggling following two winters with relatively little winter rain and no flooding. One species that could suffer, he says, is the black-tailed godwit . "There are only 50 breeding pairs in the country, and we have 40 of them, and everything is bone-dry," Mr Kitchin says.

But one bad nesting season, he says, is "not the end of the world". "One of the features of flood plains is that they're _ anyway," he adds. "But if they fail to breed another year, the population is likely to dip again."
1. What is feared to have reproduction issues?
2. What specific species could fare worse?
3. When was the last time the average rainfall was this little?
4. What is usually saturated by this time of year?
5. What does the acronym Defra stand for?
6. What is the 2,000 - acre wetland in Cambridgeshire calles?
7. Who says drought is a part of nature's cycle?
8. His occupation?
9. for what company?
10. Who does Jon Wilkinson work for?
Answer: 1. Amphibians
2. tadpoles
3. 1972.
4. the black-tailed godwit .
5. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
6. the Nene Washes
7. Peter Brotherton
8. the biodiversity manager
9. Natural England
10. Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust

Q: While there is some international commonality in the way political parties are recognized, and in how they operate, there are often many differences, and some are significant. Many political parties have an ideological core, but some do not, and many represent very different ideologies than they did when first founded. In democracies, political parties are elected by the electorate to run a government. Many countries have numerous powerful political parties, such as Germany and India and some nations have one-party systems, such as China. The United States is a two-party system, with its two most powerful parties being the Democratic Party and the Republican Party.

The first political factions, cohering around a basic, if fluid, set of principles emerged from the Exclusion Crisis and Glorious Revolution in late-17th-century England. The Whigs supported Protestant constitutional monarchy against absolute rule and the Tories, originating in the Royalist (or "Cavalier") faction of the English Civil War, were conservative royalist supporters of a strong monarchy as a counterbalance to the republican tendencies of Whigs, who were the dominant political faction for most of the first half of the 18th century; they supported the Hanoverian succession of 1715 against the Jacobite supporters of the deposed Roman Catholic Stuart dynasty and were able to purge Tory politicians from important government positions after the failed Jacobite rising of 1715. The leader of the Whigs was Robert Walpole, who maintained control of the government in the period 17211742; his protege was Henry Pelham (17431754).

Answer the following questions:
1. who was the Whigs leader?
2. who was Walpole's protege?
3. when were the first factions created?
4. what faction was in control during the 18th century?
5. how many US parties are mentioned?
6. do countries have only 1 party systems?
7. when was the Jacobite rising?
8. who was numerous political parties?
9. is the US a 3-party system?
10. what is the name of one of the US parties
11. what is the name of the other US party
A: 1. Robert Walpole
2. Henry Pelham
3. late-17th-century
4. Whigs
5. Two
6. Some do, such as China
7. 1715
8. Germany and India
9. No
10. the Republican Party
11. the Democratic Party

Problem: Martin was returning to work in his London office after spending two weeks with his brother in New York.He was coming back with a heavy heart.It was not just that it was the end of a wonderful holiday; it was not just that he invariably suffered badly from jet lag ; it was that Monday mornings always began with a team meeting and,over the months,he had grown to hate them.

Martin was aware that colleagues approached these meetings with hidden agenda ; they indulged in game playing; and he knew that people were not being honest and open.The meetings themselves were bad enough-there was all the moaning afterwards at the meeting like"I could have improved on that idea,but I wasn't going to say".

As this morning's meeting began,Martin prepared himself for the usual dullness and boredom.But,as the meeting progressed,he became aware of a strange background noise.At first,he thought that he was still hearing the engine noise from the aircraft that had brought him back to London.But,as he concentrated on the noise,it became a little clearer.

He realized,to his amazement,that he could actually hear what they were thinking at the same time as they were speaking.What surprised him,even more than the acquisition of this strange power,was that he discovered that what people were saying was not really what they were thinking.They were not making clear their reservations.They were not supporting views which they thought might be popular.They were not contributing their new insights.They were not volunteering their new ideas.

Martin found it impossible not to respond to his new knowledge.So he started to make gentle interventions,based more on what he could hear his colleagues thinking than on what he could hear them saying."So,John,are you really saying...""Susan,do you really think that?""Tom,have you got an idea on how we could take this forward?"They looked at him,puzzled.In truth,he felt rather proud of his newly-acquired talent.

As the meeting progressed,it was clear to him that each member of the meeting was learning how to hear the thoughts of the others.The game playing started to fall away; people started to speak more directly; views became better understood; the atmosphere became more open and trusting.

The meeting ended.As people left the room,Martin found that he could still hear what they were thinking."That was the best meeting we've ever had.""All meetings should be like that.""In future,I'm going to say what I think".
1. What was wrong with Mondays for Martin?
2. Was it dull this Monday?
3. What did he notice that morning?
4. Is that what he thought at first?
5. What did he thinkg at first?
6. At first were people saying what they thought?
7. Did people usually feel good about the meetings?
8. When Martin started to ask questions what happened?
9. When the meeting was over were people happy with it?
10. What was their plan for future meetings?
Answer:
1. They started with a team meeting
2. no
3. He could hear what everyone was thinking.
4. no
5. engine noise
6. no
7. no
8. people started to speak more directly
9. yes
10. to say what they thought