TedTest

From the Ted Talk by Scott Gass: The survival of the sea turtle

Unscramble the Blue Letters

Sea turtles are miraculous. First, they've been around since the late Jurassic, roughly 150 million years ago. Cohorts of the daousinrs, sea turtles have survived through the challenges of eons, existing still today, where many others have eednd their evolutionary run. Second, throughout the centuries and up till tdaoy, every living adult sea turtle has overcome the odds, existing as a consequence of chance, skill, and ciltaapiby. The gauntlet each sea turtle faces in the course of its lifetime goes thus: First, deposited as a clutch of leathery, ping-pong ball-sized eggs into a nesting pit dug by its mother high on the beach, of the 50 to 200 eggs laid, roughly 20 percent will never htach. Roughly a month and a half after having been laid, the surviving eggs hatch, and the ynuog turtles, each smlal enough to fit in the palm of your hand, squirm to the surface, emerging from the sand en mssae, and miankg their desperate dash for the sea. Along the way, debris, pitfalls, crabs, gulls, raccoons, and other threats will claim roughly 50 percent of those who rose from the sand. For those that actually reach the surf, they tdare one set of threats for another, as they first face the repelling force of the waves, and then find a whole new host of predators awaiting them: Various fish, dolphins, srahks, and sea birds, as the young turtles come to the surface for air. For their first few days of life, should they count themselves amongst the living, the vrllebunae turtles swim frantically forward. Ultimately, they will often look to settle in a patch of flotsam, preferably a patch of ftaonlig seaweed. Now for the next several months, they will seek to aviod those that would eat them, find that which they might eat themselves, and not fall to the pressures of challenging weather or unfortunate crrntues. In this phase, roughly 50 pecrent of those who reach the surf will perish. Ultimately, with the passage of years, the survivors will ienscare in size, from that of a deinnr plate at year one to that of a dinner table, in the case of one species at least, the lcbahreeatk, a decade or so later. With size comes some measure of protection. The only truly wsmoorrie predators now are some of the larger shark species— bulls, tigers, and whites — and the occasional killer whale. At approximately two decades of age, the srvorivus will be old enough themselves to bered, and cnonutie the clyce which their very existence herdals. Of those that began as eggs on a distant beach, now less than 10 percent remain, at least, those were the odds prior to significant human interference. Over the past century, and in particular in the last several ddaeecs, human earnveods, from beach development to psitlac rsuefe to poaching, long lines, nets, and even noxious chemicals, including oil, have upped the ante for sea turtles, causing their survival rate to drop to around one percent or less, from each ntsineg cycle. It is this adedd human pressure which has pushed each of the eight sea turtle species into either a threatened or endangered satte. For while they have evolved to overcome a host of obstacles, the most recent has arisen so quickly and at such slace that the species find themselves overwhelmed. So let's quickly recap this cycle of odds. Using a hypothetical nesting season, for females may nest multiple times in a sgline year, of 1,000 eggs, for sake of ease. 1000 eggs laid. 800 hatch. 400 make it to the water. 200 pregorss toward adulthood. 20 survive to breeding age — that is, without human interference. Two svuvrie to breeding age with human interference. So a breeding adult sea trtlue is the very embodiment of a long shot. It is the exception, not the rule. A jackpot. It is, in a very real sesne, a miracle.

Open Cloze

Sea turtles are miraculous. First, they've been around since the late Jurassic, roughly 150 million years ago. Cohorts of the _________, sea turtles have survived through the challenges of eons, existing still today, where many others have _____ their evolutionary run. Second, throughout the centuries and up till _____, every living adult sea turtle has overcome the odds, existing as a consequence of chance, skill, and __________. The gauntlet each sea turtle faces in the course of its lifetime goes thus: First, deposited as a clutch of leathery, ping-pong ball-sized eggs into a nesting pit dug by its mother high on the beach, of the 50 to 200 eggs laid, roughly 20 percent will never _____. Roughly a month and a half after having been laid, the surviving eggs hatch, and the _____ turtles, each _____ enough to fit in the palm of your hand, squirm to the surface, emerging from the sand en _____, and ______ their desperate dash for the sea. Along the way, debris, pitfalls, crabs, gulls, raccoons, and other threats will claim roughly 50 percent of those who rose from the sand. For those that actually reach the surf, they _____ one set of threats for another, as they first face the repelling force of the waves, and then find a whole new host of predators awaiting them: Various fish, dolphins, ______, and sea birds, as the young turtles come to the surface for air. For their first few days of life, should they count themselves amongst the living, the __________ turtles swim frantically forward. Ultimately, they will often look to settle in a patch of flotsam, preferably a patch of ________ seaweed. Now for the next several months, they will seek to _____ those that would eat them, find that which they might eat themselves, and not fall to the pressures of challenging weather or unfortunate ________. In this phase, roughly 50 _______ of those who reach the surf will perish. Ultimately, with the passage of years, the survivors will ________ in size, from that of a ______ plate at year one to that of a dinner table, in the case of one species at least, the ___________, a decade or so later. With size comes some measure of protection. The only truly _________ predators now are some of the larger shark species— bulls, tigers, and whites — and the occasional killer whale. At approximately two decades of age, the _________ will be old enough themselves to _____, and ________ the _____ which their very existence _______. Of those that began as eggs on a distant beach, now less than 10 percent remain, at least, those were the odds prior to significant human interference. Over the past century, and in particular in the last several _______, human _________, from beach development to _______ ______ to poaching, long lines, nets, and even noxious chemicals, including oil, have upped the ante for sea turtles, causing their survival rate to drop to around one percent or less, from each _______ cycle. It is this _____ human pressure which has pushed each of the eight sea turtle species into either a threatened or endangered _____. For while they have evolved to overcome a host of obstacles, the most recent has arisen so quickly and at such _____ that the species find themselves overwhelmed. So let's quickly recap this cycle of odds. Using a hypothetical nesting season, for females may nest multiple times in a ______ year, of 1,000 eggs, for sake of ease. 1000 eggs laid. 800 hatch. 400 make it to the water. 200 ________ toward adulthood. 20 survive to breeding age — that is, without human interference. Two _______ to breeding age with human interference. So a breeding adult sea ______ is the very embodiment of a long shot. It is the exception, not the rule. A jackpot. It is, in a very real _____, a miracle.

Solution

small
floating
breed
cycle
survive
sense
capability
decades
hatch
leatherback
sharks
state
survivors
continue
currents
ended
dinner
turtle
added
today
making
nesting
heralds
endeavors
refuse
increase
worrisome
progress
avoid
dinosaurs
masse
vulnerable
trade
young
percent
single
scale
plastic

Original Text

Sea turtles are miraculous. First, they've been around since the late Jurassic, roughly 150 million years ago. Cohorts of the dinosaurs, sea turtles have survived through the challenges of eons, existing still today, where many others have ended their evolutionary run. Second, throughout the centuries and up till today, every living adult sea turtle has overcome the odds, existing as a consequence of chance, skill, and capability. The gauntlet each sea turtle faces in the course of its lifetime goes thus: First, deposited as a clutch of leathery, ping-pong ball-sized eggs into a nesting pit dug by its mother high on the beach, of the 50 to 200 eggs laid, roughly 20 percent will never hatch. Roughly a month and a half after having been laid, the surviving eggs hatch, and the young turtles, each small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, squirm to the surface, emerging from the sand en masse, and making their desperate dash for the sea. Along the way, debris, pitfalls, crabs, gulls, raccoons, and other threats will claim roughly 50 percent of those who rose from the sand. For those that actually reach the surf, they trade one set of threats for another, as they first face the repelling force of the waves, and then find a whole new host of predators awaiting them: Various fish, dolphins, sharks, and sea birds, as the young turtles come to the surface for air. For their first few days of life, should they count themselves amongst the living, the vulnerable turtles swim frantically forward. Ultimately, they will often look to settle in a patch of flotsam, preferably a patch of floating seaweed. Now for the next several months, they will seek to avoid those that would eat them, find that which they might eat themselves, and not fall to the pressures of challenging weather or unfortunate currents. In this phase, roughly 50 percent of those who reach the surf will perish. Ultimately, with the passage of years, the survivors will increase in size, from that of a dinner plate at year one to that of a dinner table, in the case of one species at least, the leatherback, a decade or so later. With size comes some measure of protection. The only truly worrisome predators now are some of the larger shark species— bulls, tigers, and whites — and the occasional killer whale. At approximately two decades of age, the survivors will be old enough themselves to breed, and continue the cycle which their very existence heralds. Of those that began as eggs on a distant beach, now less than 10 percent remain, at least, those were the odds prior to significant human interference. Over the past century, and in particular in the last several decades, human endeavors, from beach development to plastic refuse to poaching, long lines, nets, and even noxious chemicals, including oil, have upped the ante for sea turtles, causing their survival rate to drop to around one percent or less, from each nesting cycle. It is this added human pressure which has pushed each of the eight sea turtle species into either a threatened or endangered state. For while they have evolved to overcome a host of obstacles, the most recent has arisen so quickly and at such scale that the species find themselves overwhelmed. So let's quickly recap this cycle of odds. Using a hypothetical nesting season, for females may nest multiple times in a single year, of 1,000 eggs, for sake of ease. 1000 eggs laid. 800 hatch. 400 make it to the water. 200 progress toward adulthood. 20 survive to breeding age — that is, without human interference. Two survive to breeding age with human interference. So a breeding adult sea turtle is the very embodiment of a long shot. It is the exception, not the rule. A jackpot. It is, in a very real sense, a miracle.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations

ngrams of length 2

collocation	frequency
sea turtle	4
human interference	3
sea turtles	2
adult sea	2
breeding age	2

ngrams of length 3

collocation	frequency
adult sea turtle	2

Important Words

added
adult
adulthood
age
air
ante
approximately
arisen
avoid
awaiting
beach
began
birds
breed
breeding
bulls
capability
case
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evolutionary
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fit
floating
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force
frantically
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hand
hatch
heralds
high
host
human
hypothetical
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increase
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jackpot
jurassic
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living
long
making
masse
measure
million
miracle
miraculous
month
months
mother
multiple
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noxious
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occasional
odds
oil
overcome
overwhelmed
palm
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patch
percent
perish
phase
pit
pitfalls
plastic
plate
poaching
predators
preferably
pressure
pressures
prior
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protection
pushed
quickly
raccoons
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reach
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refuse
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repelling
rose
roughly
rule
run
sake
sand
scale
sea
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settle
shark
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significant
single
size
skill
small
species
squirm
state
surf
surface
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table
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trade
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