READINGREADINGPASSAGE1Youshouldspendabout20minutesonQuestions1-14whicharebasedonReadingPassage1below.Adultsandchildrenarefrequentlyconfrontedwithstatementsaboutthealarmingratoflossoftropicalrainforests.Forexample,onegraphicillustrationtowhichchildrenmightreadilyrelateistheestimatethatrainforestsarebeingdestroyedatarateequivalenttoonethousandfootballfieldseveryfortyminutes–aboutthedurationofanormalclassroomperiod.Inthefaceofthefrequentandoftenvividmediacoverage,itislikelythatchildrenwillhaveformedideasaboutrainforests–whatandwheretheyare,whytheyareimportant,whatendangersthem–independentofanyformaltuition.Itisalsopossiblethatsomeoftheseideaswillbemistaken.Manystudieshaveshownthatchildrenharbormisconceptionsabout‘pure’,curriculumscience.Thesemisconceptionsdonotremainisolatedbutbecomeincorporatedintoamultifaceted,butorganized,conceptualframework,makingitandthecomponentideas,someofwhichareerroneous,morerobustbutalsoaccessibletomodification.Theseideasmaybedevelopedbychildrenabsorbingideasthroughthepopularmedia.Sometimesthisinformationmaybeerroneous.Itseemsschoolsmaynotbeprovidinganopportunityforchildrentore-expresstheirideasandsohavethemtestedandrefinedbyteachersandtheirpeers.Despitetheextensivecoverageinthepopularmediaofthedestructionofrainforests,littleformalinformationisavailableaboutchildren’sideasinthisarea,theaimofthepresentstudyistostarttoprovidesuchinformation,tohelpteachersdesigntheireducationalstrategiestobuilduponcorrectideasandtodisplacemisconceptionsandtoplanprogramsinenvironmentalstudiesintheirschools.Thestudysurveyschildren’sscientificknowledgeandattitudestorainforests.Secondaryschoolchildrenwereaskedtocompleteaquestionnairecontainingfiveopen-formquestions.Themostfrequentresponsestothefirstquestionweredescriptionswhichareself-evidentfromtheterm‘rainforest’.Somechildrendescribedthemasdamp,wetorhot.Thesecondquestionconcernedthegeographicallocationofrainforests.Thecommonestresponseswerecontinentsorcountries:Africa(givenby43%ofchildren),SouthAmerica(30%),Brazil(25%).Somechildrenalsogavemoregenerallocations,suchasbeingneartheEquator.Responsestoquestionthreeconcernedtheimportanceofrainforests.Thedominantidea,raisedby64%ofthepupils,wasthatrainforestsprovideanimalswithhabitats.Fewerstudentsrespondedthatrainforestsprovideplanthabitats,andevenfewer(60%)raisedtheideaofrainforestasanimalhabitats.Similarly,butatalowerlevel,moregirls(13%)thanboys(5%)saidthatrainforestsprovidedhumanhabitats.Theseobservationsaregenerallyconsistentwithourpreviousstudiedofpupils’viewsabouttheuseandconservationofrainforests,inwhichgirlswereshowntobemoresympathetictoanimalsandexpressedviewswhichseemtoplaceanintrinsicvalueonnon-humananimallife.Thefourthquestionconcernedthecausesofthedestructionofrainforests.Perhapsencouragingly,morethanhalfofthepupil(59%)identifiedthatitishumanactivitieswhicharedestroyingrainforests,somepersonalizingtheresponsibilitybytheuseoftermssuchas‘weare’.About18%ofthepupilsreferredspecificallytologgingactivity.Onemisconception,expressedbysome1)%ofthepupils,wasthatacidrainisresponsibleforrainforestdestruction;asimilarproportionsaidthatpollutionisdestroyingrainforests.Here,childrenareconfusingrainforestdestructionwithdamagetotheforestsofWesternEuropebythesefactors.Whiletwofifthsofthestudentsprovidedtheinformationthattherainforestsprovideoxygen,insomecasesthisrespon...