#23Listening: Fill in the BlanksAcademic,CoreMedium

Mercury

Official Question Material
Prep: Varies

Official Audio Prompt

But the problem is that the amount of mercury in the environment's increasing. The main reason for this is the power [blank] used to produce electricity. The main source of energy that most of them use is still [blank] , and when it's burned it [blank] mercury into the atmosphere. Some of this gets deposited into lakes and rivers, and if it's [blank] by a fish it's not excreted, it stays in the fish's body and it enters the food [blank] . So it's been known for some time that birds which eat fish may be affected, but what wasn't known until quite recently is that those that eat [blank] can also be affected.

Sample Answer & Audio Transcript

But the problem is that the amount of mercury in the environment's increasing. The main reason for this is the power plants used to produce electricity. The main source of energy that most of them use is still coal , and when it's burned it releases mercury into the atmosphere. Some of this gets deposited into lakes and rivers, and if it's ingested by a fish it's not excreted, it stays in the fish's body and it enters the food chain . So it's been known for some time that birds which eat fish may be affected, but what wasn't known until quite recently is that those that eat insects can also be affected.
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