Установите соответствие между текстами A–G и заголовками 1–8. Занесите свои ответы в таблицу. Используйте каждую цифру только один раз. В задании один заголовок лишний.

1. Staying together

2. True vegetarians

3. Home, sweet home

4. The image in culture

5. In need of protection

6. Is climate a killer?

7. Physical characteristics

8. Useful for centuries

A. Members of the deer family, which is quite large, have split hooves with 2 toes, and typically have long, slender legs and small tails – and most males have antlers. Deer species range from very large to very small. The smallest deer is the southern pudu. This deer weighs only 9 kilograms and is only about 36 centimetres tall when fully grown. The largest deer is the moose. It can be up to 2 metres tall, from hoof to shoulder, and weigh around 820 kilograms. All deer species have antlers, except for the Chinese water deer.

B. Some scientists think that reindeer were among the first domesticated animals. They were first domesticated around 2,000 years ago. For thousands of years, reindeer have provided the basis of life for many nations through meat and fat, skins for clothing, bedding and tents, sinew for sewing, and antlers for tools. Many societies in Arctic climate rely on these animals for food, clothing, and materials for shelter. For example, in Sweden, Finland and Russia, reindeer sustain herding communities that have always depended on these animals.

C. Deer species are found all over the world, except for Australia and Antarctica. While other continents have a wide array of deer, Africa only has one – the red deer. The southern pudu is native to Chile and Argentina. The white-tailed deer is common to North and South America. Deer are found in various ecosystems. They live in wetlands, deciduous forests, grasslands, rainforests and mountains. Sometimes, when human civilizations get too close to their habitats, deer will make themselves comfortable in urban settings.

D. Deer are very social creatures. They feed, travel and rest in groups called herds. These herds can include from 10 animals up to a few hundred. Some reindeer herds can have as many as 100,000 members. The herd is often led by a dominant male. Sometimes the females will have their own herd and the males will have a separate herd. In other cases, a female herd is watched over by a herd of males. Most deer are active throughout the day, though their most active times are around sunrise and dusk. They spend their days foraging for food.

E. Deer are herbivores. It means that they only eat vegetation. For the most part, a deer’s diet consists of grass, moss, small shrubs and leaves, though they will forage in trash bins and in gardens if they cannot find the vegetation they need elsewhere. In the winter, reindeer must dig through the snow to find food. On average, an adult reindeer, for example, eats around 4 to 8 kilograms of vegetation a day. Deer have one main stomach and three “false stomachs.” Like cows, they chew their cud to fully digest their food.

F. According to the Red List of Threatened Species, many deer species are currently endangered. The Pere David’s deer is extinct in the wild and now can only be found in captive populations. The wild reindeer is listed as vulnerable. The wild reindeer and the arctic caribou are migratory, and their habitat crosses territorial and national borders. It will be increasingly important for governments to implement plans that support wildlife and ecosystems that promote positive changes in the deer population in the wild.

G. One of the biggest and most studied herds of reindeer lives on the Taimyr Peninsula, in the northern part of Russia. Monitoring showed that the Taimyr herd reached its peak of 1 million reindeer in 2000, but was reduced to 600,000 by 2016. Weather could be part of the problem. Every year in the spring and fall, this herd migrates from calving ranges on the peninsula to their winter haven in boreal forests. However, climate change has changed the timing of this trek, meaning young calves can still be too small to survive the trip.