TPO15

The passage and the lecture are both about the spread of cane toads in Australia. The author presents three theories to stop the spread of this species all around Australia. The lecturer, on the other hand, refutes all the mentioned arguments in the text and believes that they are not practical and will not prevent this phenomenon.

In the passage, the author begins by stating that since building a national fence was effective in controlling the rabbits' spread in the twentieth century, in this situation they can utilize this method too. The professor, however, asserts that erecting such a fence can not be useful at this time and will not stop toads' spreading because the river can carry them to another side of the fence.

The writer also claims that the Australian government can ask volunteers to catch the toads and destroy them. Conversely, the speaker argues this viewpoint, mentioning that untrained volunteers cannot recognize the difference between various species and may destroy other animals like frogs that have a harmful effect on the Australian ecosystem.

Finally, the author points out that researchers can develop a special kind of virus that only affects cane toads and destroys these species. In contrast, the lecturer explains that this virus may spread through other continents especially to America, and attack native cane toads there which has destructive effects on the American ecosystem.