My second Writing Skill

 

Integrated writing

Read the following text, listen to audio 1 and then answer the question

Text:

Endotherms are animals such as modern birds and mammals that keep their body temperatures constant. For instance, humans are endotherms and maintain an internal temperature of 37°C, no matter whether the environment is warm or cold. Because dinosaurs were reptiles, and modern reptiles are not endotherms, it was long assumed that dinosaurs were not endotherms. However, dinosaurs differ in many ways from modern reptiles, and there is now considerable evidence that dinosaurs were, in fact, endotherms.

Polar dinosaurs
One reason for believing that dinosaurs were endotherms is that dinosaur fossils have been discovered in polar regions. Only animals that can maintain a temperature well above that of the surrounding environment could be active in such cold climates.

Leg position and movement
There is a connection between endothermy and the position and movement of the legs. The physiology of endothermy allows sustained physical activity, such as running. But running is efficient only if an animal’s legs are positioned underneath its body, not at the body’s side, as they are for crocodiles and many lizards. The legs of all modern endotherms are underneath the body, and so were the legs of dinosaurs. This strongly suggests that dinosaurs were endotherms.

Haversian canals
There is also a connection between endothermy and bone structure. The bones of endotherms usually include structures called Haversian canals. These canals house nerves and blood vessels that allow the living animal to grow quickly, and rapid body growth is in fact a characteristic of endothermy. The presence of Haversian canals in bone is a strong indicator that the animal is an endotherm, and fossilized bones of dinosaurs are usually dense with Haversian canals.

Now listen to audio 1 and answer the following question

Audio 01:

Resolution:

In contrast to the reading passage, which emphasizes considerable evidence of explanations about dinosaurs being endothermic animals, the lecturer focuses on three points to prove that these animals maintain a constant internal temperature, on the other hand, endothermy. The professor disagrees with the text about these three points: living in polar regions, legs underneath the body, and bone structures.

The first point that the passage explains is that they believe that the dinosaurs were founded in polar regions and animals that live in places that have cold climates usually maintain a constant internal temperature very well. However, the professor points out that in the past these places were warmer than today and when was very frosty than usual, these dinosaurs migrated to other warm areas or else hibernated as modern reptile does regularly until today. 

The second point she addresses is about legs underneath the body. According to the text, there is a link between the leg's physical position and body temperature, that is, the physiology of endothermy allows sustained physical activity, such as running. However, the professor contradicts this by saying that this structure ways don't explain the endotherm idea and yes other advantages extra about dinosaurs, for instance, the fact these positions legs support more weight and help them to endure their body. Additionally, they also could grow to a very large size.

Finally, the text shows the bone structure that endothermic animals usually have called Haversian canals. The professor partially agrees about this but increases other structures present them denominated growth rings. In fact, this body formation that nothing else is an indication of the period when the dinosaurs weren't rapidly growing, in the other hand, rapid growth followed by no growth or slow growth and then rapid growth again is a pattern of animals that are not endotherms.