Why read this: This article gives B2 readers a clear example of how a long-form science feature handles a question without a tidy answer. Most students already know Chernobyl as a disaster story, so the text builds on that schema and pushes them past the simple narrative. They see three named scientists with overlapping but different positions, plus a large counter-explanation (humans left, so animals returned). It is a useful chance to read journalism that argues a careful, hedged point, while the vocabulary and sentence structures stay within reach for upper-intermediate learners.
What to notice: Notice how the article keeps shifting between two competing readings: radiation has changed Chernobyl's wildlife in striking ways, and the picture is more complicated than that. Watch for hedging language such as 'may', 'might', 'suggestive rather than conclusive' and 'no hard proof'. These signals tell readers that scientists are still uncertain. Also notice how each new piece of evidence (darker frogs, bank voles, dark fungi) is followed by a sentence that complicates it, usually through the voice of a critical or cautious expert.
Skills practised: Readers practise tracking a debate across paragraphs and weighing competing claims rather than collecting facts. They work on inferring the writer's overall stance from word choice and structure, even though that stance is never stated directly. Multi-word phrases such as 'exclusion zone', 'hard proof', 'pushes back against', 'transgenerational mutations' and 'withdrawal of humans' are glossed in the margin so students can build domain vocabulary while reading. The MCQs target literal recall, inference about cause, and main-idea comprehension, and the open questions ask students to evaluate the evidence and explain how the article uses expert disagreement to show that the science is unfinished.
Chernobyl at 40: how its wildlife has really changed
Forty years after the explosion, scientists agree the exclusion zone is full of life. They still disagree about what radiation has actually done to it.
Tap any green word in the article to see its meaning.
Late one night in 2016, scientist Pablo Burraco walked through dark woods near the ruins of the Chernobyl power plant: a large facility that produces electricity — 发电厂, the site of the world's worst nuclear disaster: a major accident at a nuclear power station that releases radiation — 核灾难. After the reactor explosion: a violent burst caused by failure of a nuclear reactor — 核反应堆爆炸 in 1986, the area was emptied of people for many miles, leaving the forest unusuallyunusually: In an unusual manner — 异常地 quiet. Following the call of a small male tree frog: a small frog that lives in trees — 树蛙, he moved closer and gently lifted the 5cm amphibianamphibian: An animal of the Amphibia; any four-legged vertebrate that does not have amniotic eggs, living both on land and in water — 两栖动物 from its branch. Burraco, an evolutionary biologist: a scientist who studies how living things change over many generations — 进化生物学家 at Donana Biological Station in Spain, was on his first field trip: a research visit to a real-world location to gather data — 实地考察 to the zonezone: An area or region distinguished from adjacent parts by a distinctive feature or characteristic. — 地带；区域.
In his hand, the frog looked slightly darker than the same speciesspecies: A group of living organisms consisting of similar individuals capable of breeding together. — 物种 living further away. The difference raised a question scientists have asked for forty years: had radiationradiation: The emission of energy as electromagnetic waves or particles, especially high-energy particles. — 辐射；放射 from the damageddamaged: To undergo damage — 受损 plant changed the animals living near it? Reactor number four exploded on 26 April 1986, and windswind: Air artificially put in motion by any force or action — 气流 carried radioactive dust: fine particles in the air that carry radiation — 放射性尘埃 as far as the UK, Norway and parts of North Africa. The land closestclose: Closed, shut — 关闭的 to the plant in northern Ukraine received the heaviest dosedose: A quantity of a medicine or drug taken at one time; an amount of something to which one is exposed. — 剂量；一剂；一份, and intenseintense: Of extreme force, degree, or strength; deeply felt. — 强烈的；紧张的 hotspotshotspot: A place notable for a high level of activity or danger — 热点;高发地区 still remain.
Many people feared that radioactive contamination: the presence of harmful radioactive substances in an environment — 放射性污染 would destroy nearbynearby: Adjacent, near, close by — 邻近的 plants and animals, but while humans left, the wildlifewildlife: Wild animals and plants collectively, especially those living in their natural environment. — 野生动植物 could not. Forty years later, it is clear that many species are living quite well inside the 37-mile-wide exclusion zone: an area people are not allowed to enter, set up around a hazard — 隔离区；禁区. That does not mean nothing has changed: researchers have recorded twisted trees, swallows with tumourstumour: An abnormal growth; differential diagnosis includes abscess, metaplasia, and neoplasia — 肿瘤, and a strange black fungusfungus: Any member of the kingdom Fungi; a eukaryotic organism typically having chitin cell walls but no chlorophyll or plastids. Fungi may be unicellular or multicellular — 真菌 inside the radioactive ruins of the reactor. Whether some creaturescreature: A living organism, especially an animal. — 生物；动物 have actually adaptedadapt: To adjust or modify oneself or something to suit new conditions. — 适应；改编 to copecope: To deal effectively with something difficult. — 应对；处理 with contamination is hotly debated: discussed with strong, opposing opinions — 争论激烈的.
Burraco and his colleaguescolleagues: A fellow member of a profession, staff, academic faculty or other organization; an associate — 同事 have sampled more than 250 tree frogs over the years. In 2022, they reported that frogs inside the exclusion zone were, on average, darker than those outside. Their hypothesishypothesis: A proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence, serving as a starting point for further investigation — 假设；假说 is that higher melaninmelanin: Any of a group of naturally occurring dark pigments, especially the pigment found in skin, hair, fur, and feathers — 黑色素 levels, the pigmentpigment: Any color in plant or animal cells — 色素 behind the dark colour, may act as a partialpartial: not complete or whole; existing only in part, or showing unfair bias towards one side — 部分的；不完全的；偏袒的 shieldshield: Anything that protects or defends; defense; shelter; protection — 盾牌 against radiation, although there is no hard proof: strong, conclusive evidence — 确凿证据. Timothy Mousseau, a biologist at the University of South Carolina, argues that the sample was too small and that today's radiation levels do not match the colouringcolouring: The appearance as to color — 色彩;色调. Burraco pushes back against: argues firmly in opposition to — 反驳；提出反对 this, noting that radiation has fallen sharplysharply: In a sharp manner — 尖锐地 since 1986.
Carmel Mothersill, a radiobiologist at McMaster University, says the 2022 study is methodologically sound, but she also raises a wider question. How can anyone be sure an unusual feature was caused by radiation rather than other pollutantspollutant: A foreign substance that makes something dirty, or impure, especially waste from human activities — 污染物 such as heavy metals: metals like lead, mercury, and cadmium that are toxic to living things even in small amounts — 重金属? Similarsimilar: [Geometry & Trigonometry] Same shape but possibly different size — 相似的 uncertaintyuncertainty: The state of being uncertain; something that is not known or definite. — 不确定性；不确定 surroundssurround: To be all around someone or something; to encircle. — 包围；环绕 geneticgenetic: Relating to genes or heredity. — 基因的；遗传的 patterns in feral dogs: dogs that live in the wild after escaping or being abandoned by humans — 流浪犬；野化犬 and the unusual diversitydiversity: The state of being varied; the inclusion of different types of people — 多样性；多元化 found in the cellscell: The smallest structural unit of a living organism; a small room for a prisoner. — 细胞；牢房 of bank voles: small rodents that live in woodland and along riverbanks — 岸鼩鼱；红背䶄（小型鼠类）. Many pinepine: Any tree (usually coniferous) which resembles a member of this genus in some respect — 类松树 trees, especially sensitivesensitive: Quick to detect or respond to slight changes or influences; easily upset or offended. — 敏感的；体贴的 to radiation, died after exposureexposure: The state of being subject to something; the revelation of something secret — 暴露；接触；曝光, and birchbirch: A hard wood taken from the birch tree, typically used to make furniture — 桦木 trees later take over: began to dominate or replace (others) — 取而代之；占主导, producing a very different forest. Animals respond to that new environment, which may itself explain some differences rather than radiation alone.
One change is rarely disputeddispute: To oppose by argument or assertion; to controvert; to express dissent or opposition to; to call in question; to deny the truth or validity of — 反驳;质疑: the sudden withdrawal of humans: humans leaving an area completely — 人类的撤离. Where people once farmed and lived, wolveswolf: A man who makes amorous advances to many women — 色狼;追求异性者, bears, deer, wild boar: a wild relative of the domestic pig, found in forests — 野猪 and elk now move freelyfreely: Without restriction or interference; willingly and without hesitation. — 自由地；无拘束地. The number of wolves in the zone may be seven times higher than in nearby nature reserves: areas of land protected by law where wildlife and habitats are preserved — 自然保护区, probably because prey is plentifulplentiful: Yielding abundance; fruitful — 多产的;富饶的. The Eurasian lynxlynx: Any of several medium-sized wild cats, mostly of the genus Lynx — 猞猁 has returned, and a camera trap: a camera triggered automatically to photograph wildlife passing by — 红外感应相机 photographed a brown bear in 2014, the first sightingsighting: The act of catching sight of something, especially something searched for — 看见;目击 in more than a century. Dogs descendeddescend: To move downward; to be a blood relative of a particular ancestor. — 下降；下来；是……的后裔 from pets abandonedabandon: To leave a place, thing, or person permanently; to give up completely — 放弃；遗弃 in 1986 still live in the area, often cared for by the guards.
Could plants and animals near Chernobyl have trulytruly: In a truthful way; genuinely; to the fullest degree. — 真正地；确实地 evolvedevolve: To develop gradually over time; to change through biological evolution. — 进化；逐步发展 to cope with radiation? This is the most controversialcontroversial: Arousing controversy; being the subject of, or causing, a debate or argument — 引起争议的；有争论的 claim of all. A 2012 study suggested local soybeanssoybean: A legume plant (Glycine max), commonly cultivated for human and animal consumption and as a nitrogen-fixing ground cover — 大豆;黄豆 had adapted, and bank voles in the zone show greater resistanceresistance: the refusal to accept or comply with something, or the ability to withstand adverse conditions — 抵抗；反抗；阻力 to DNA damage: harm done to the genetic material inside cells — DNA损伤. Some fungi clearly turn darker under radiation, which Mousseau says is positive evidence that melanin offers protectionprotection: The act of keeping someone or something safe from harm or damage. — 保护；防护 from ionising radiation: radiation with enough energy to remove electrons from atoms, causing biological damage — 电离辐射. Mothersill is more interested in transgenerational mutations: genetic changes passed from one generation to the next — 代际遗传突变；跨代突变, the idea that genetic changes from 1986 have been passed down: transferred from one generation to the next — 代代相传 to later generations. Recent work warns that radiation combined with global warming: the long-term rise in average temperatures across the Earth — 全球变暖 is strainingstrain: To apply a force or forces to by stretching out — 拉紧;使紧张 Chernobyl's barn swallows. Forty years on, the picture is neither tragedytragedy: An event causing great suffering, destruction, or distress; a serious drama with an unhappy ending. — 悲剧；灾难 nor triumphtriumph: a great victory or achievement; the feeling of joy from a success — 胜利；巨大成就；成功的喜悦. It remains complicatedcomplicated: Consisting of many interconnecting parts; difficult to understand or analyse. — 复杂的；难懂的 and unfinished.
Late one night in 2016, scientist Pablo Burraco walked through dark woods near the ruins of the Chernobyl power plant: a large facility that produces electricity — 发电厂, the site of the world's worst nuclear disaster: a major accident at a nuclear power station that releases radiation — 核灾难. After the reactor explosion: a violent burst caused by failure of a nuclear reactor — 核反应堆爆炸 in 1986, the area was emptied of people for many miles, leaving the forest unusuallyunusually: In an unusual manner — 异常地 quiet. Following the call of a small male tree frog: a small frog that lives in trees — 树蛙, he moved closer and gently lifted the 5cm amphibianamphibian: An animal of the Amphibia; any four-legged vertebrate that does not have amniotic eggs, living both on land and in water — 两栖动物 from its branch. Burraco, an evolutionary biologist: a scientist who studies how living things change over many generations — 进化生物学家 at Donana Biological Station in Spain, was on his first field trip: a research visit to a real-world location to gather data — 实地考察 to the zonezone: An area or region distinguished from adjacent parts by a distinctive feature or characteristic. — 地带；区域.
In his hand, the frog looked slightly darker than the same speciesspecies: A group of living organisms consisting of similar individuals capable of breeding together. — 物种 living further away. The difference raised a question scientists have asked for forty years: had radiationradiation: The emission of energy as electromagnetic waves or particles, especially high-energy particles. — 辐射；放射 from the damageddamaged: To undergo damage — 受损 plant changed the animals living near it? Reactor number four exploded on 26 April 1986, and windswind: Air artificially put in motion by any force or action — 气流 carried radioactive dust: fine particles in the air that carry radiation — 放射性尘埃 as far as the UK, Norway and parts of North Africa. The land closestclose: Closed, shut — 关闭的 to the plant in northern Ukraine received the heaviest dosedose: A quantity of a medicine or drug taken at one time; an amount of something to which one is exposed. — 剂量；一剂；一份, and intenseintense: Of extreme force, degree, or strength; deeply felt. — 强烈的；紧张的 hotspotshotspot: A place notable for a high level of activity or danger — 热点;高发地区 still remain.
Many people feared that radioactive contamination: the presence of harmful radioactive substances in an environment — 放射性污染 would destroy nearbynearby: Adjacent, near, close by — 邻近的 plants and animals, but while humans left, the wildlifewildlife: Wild animals and plants collectively, especially those living in their natural environment. — 野生动植物 could not. Forty years later, it is clear that many species are living quite well inside the 37-mile-wide exclusion zone: an area people are not allowed to enter, set up around a hazard — 隔离区；禁区. That does not mean nothing has changed: researchers have recorded twisted trees, swallows with tumourstumour: An abnormal growth; differential diagnosis includes abscess, metaplasia, and neoplasia — 肿瘤, and a strange black fungusfungus: Any member of the kingdom Fungi; a eukaryotic organism typically having chitin cell walls but no chlorophyll or plastids. Fungi may be unicellular or multicellular — 真菌 inside the radioactive ruins of the reactor. Whether some creaturescreature: A living organism, especially an animal. — 生物；动物 have actually adaptedadapt: To adjust or modify oneself or something to suit new conditions. — 适应；改编 to copecope: To deal effectively with something difficult. — 应对；处理 with contamination is hotly debated: discussed with strong, opposing opinions — 争论激烈的.
Burraco and his colleaguescolleagues: A fellow member of a profession, staff, academic faculty or other organization; an associate — 同事 have sampled more than 250 tree frogs over the years. In 2022, they reported that frogs inside the exclusion zone were, on average, darker than those outside. Their hypothesishypothesis: A proposed explanation made on the basis of limited evidence, serving as a starting point for further investigation — 假设；假说 is that higher melaninmelanin: Any of a group of naturally occurring dark pigments, especially the pigment found in skin, hair, fur, and feathers — 黑色素 levels, the pigmentpigment: Any color in plant or animal cells — 色素 behind the dark colour, may act as a partialpartial: not complete or whole; existing only in part, or showing unfair bias towards one side — 部分的；不完全的；偏袒的 shieldshield: Anything that protects or defends; defense; shelter; protection — 盾牌 against radiation, although there is no hard proof: strong, conclusive evidence — 确凿证据. Timothy Mousseau, a biologist at the University of South Carolina, argues that the sample was too small and that today's radiation levels do not match the colouringcolouring: The appearance as to color — 色彩;色调. Burraco pushes back against: argues firmly in opposition to — 反驳；提出反对 this, noting that radiation has fallen sharplysharply: In a sharp manner — 尖锐地 since 1986.
Carmel Mothersill, a radiobiologist at McMaster University, says the 2022 study is methodologically sound, but she also raises a wider question. How can anyone be sure an unusual feature was caused by radiation rather than other pollutantspollutant: A foreign substance that makes something dirty, or impure, especially waste from human activities — 污染物 such as heavy metals: metals like lead, mercury, and cadmium that are toxic to living things even in small amounts — 重金属? Similarsimilar: [Geometry & Trigonometry] Same shape but possibly different size — 相似的 uncertaintyuncertainty: The state of being uncertain; something that is not known or definite. — 不确定性；不确定 surroundssurround: To be all around someone or something; to encircle. — 包围；环绕 geneticgenetic: Relating to genes or heredity. — 基因的；遗传的 patterns in feral dogs: dogs that live in the wild after escaping or being abandoned by humans — 流浪犬；野化犬 and the unusual diversitydiversity: The state of being varied; the inclusion of different types of people — 多样性；多元化 found in the cellscell: The smallest structural unit of a living organism; a small room for a prisoner. — 细胞；牢房 of bank voles: small rodents that live in woodland and along riverbanks — 岸鼩鼱；红背䶄（小型鼠类）. Many pinepine: Any tree (usually coniferous) which resembles a member of this genus in some respect — 类松树 trees, especially sensitivesensitive: Quick to detect or respond to slight changes or influences; easily upset or offended. — 敏感的；体贴的 to radiation, died after exposureexposure: The state of being subject to something; the revelation of something secret — 暴露；接触；曝光, and birchbirch: A hard wood taken from the birch tree, typically used to make furniture — 桦木 trees later take over: began to dominate or replace (others) — 取而代之；占主导, producing a very different forest. Animals respond to that new environment, which may itself explain some differences rather than radiation alone.
One change is rarely disputeddispute: To oppose by argument or assertion; to controvert; to express dissent or opposition to; to call in question; to deny the truth or validity of — 反驳;质疑: the sudden withdrawal of humans: humans leaving an area completely — 人类的撤离. Where people once farmed and lived, wolveswolf: A man who makes amorous advances to many women — 色狼;追求异性者, bears, deer, wild boar: a wild relative of the domestic pig, found in forests — 野猪 and elk now move freelyfreely: Without restriction or interference; willingly and without hesitation. — 自由地；无拘束地. The number of wolves in the zone may be seven times higher than in nearby nature reserves: areas of land protected by law where wildlife and habitats are preserved — 自然保护区, probably because prey is plentifulplentiful: Yielding abundance; fruitful — 多产的;富饶的. The Eurasian lynxlynx: Any of several medium-sized wild cats, mostly of the genus Lynx — 猞猁 has returned, and a camera trap: a camera triggered automatically to photograph wildlife passing by — 红外感应相机 photographed a brown bear in 2014, the first sightingsighting: The act of catching sight of something, especially something searched for — 看见;目击 in more than a century. Dogs descendeddescend: To move downward; to be a blood relative of a particular ancestor. — 下降；下来；是……的后裔 from pets abandonedabandon: To leave a place, thing, or person permanently; to give up completely — 放弃；遗弃 in 1986 still live in the area, often cared for by the guards.
Could plants and animals near Chernobyl have trulytruly: In a truthful way; genuinely; to the fullest degree. — 真正地；确实地 evolvedevolve: To develop gradually over time; to change through biological evolution. — 进化；逐步发展 to cope with radiation? This is the most controversialcontroversial: Arousing controversy; being the subject of, or causing, a debate or argument — 引起争议的；有争论的 claim of all. A 2012 study suggested local soybeanssoybean: A legume plant (Glycine max), commonly cultivated for human and animal consumption and as a nitrogen-fixing ground cover — 大豆;黄豆 had adapted, and bank voles in the zone show greater resistanceresistance: the refusal to accept or comply with something, or the ability to withstand adverse conditions — 抵抗；反抗；阻力 to DNA damage: harm done to the genetic material inside cells — DNA损伤. Some fungi clearly turn darker under radiation, which Mousseau says is positive evidence that melanin offers protectionprotection: The act of keeping someone or something safe from harm or damage. — 保护；防护 from ionising radiation: radiation with enough energy to remove electrons from atoms, causing biological damage — 电离辐射. Mothersill is more interested in transgenerational mutations: genetic changes passed from one generation to the next — 代际遗传突变；跨代突变, the idea that genetic changes from 1986 have been passed down: transferred from one generation to the next — 代代相传 to later generations. Recent work warns that radiation combined with global warming: the long-term rise in average temperatures across the Earth — 全球变暖 is strainingstrain: To apply a force or forces to by stretching out — 拉紧;使紧张 Chernobyl's barn swallows. Forty years on, the picture is neither tragedytragedy: An event causing great suffering, destruction, or distress; a serious drama with an unhappy ending. — 悲剧；灾难 nor triumphtriumph: a great victory or achievement; the feeling of joy from a success — 胜利；巨大成就；成功的喜悦. It remains complicatedcomplicated: Consisting of many interconnecting parts; difficult to understand or analyse. — 复杂的；难懂的 and unfinished.
Questions
Check your understanding
- 01
According to the article, why are wolves so much more numerous inside the Chernobyl exclusion zone than in nearby nature reserves?
- 02
What is the main reason the article says scientists still disagree about whether Chernobyl's wildlife has been changed by radiation?
- 03
Which statement best captures the article's overall view of Chernobyl's wildlife forty years after the disaster?
- 04
How does the article use the disagreement between Burraco and Mousseau to show that scientific evidence about Chernobyl is not yet settled? Use specific details from the text.
Suggested length: ~80 words
- 05
Evaluate how convincing you find the idea that wildlife near Chernobyl has truly evolved to cope with radiation. Refer to at least two pieces of evidence from the article.
Suggested length: ~80 words
Questions
Check your understanding
- 01
According to the article, why are wolves so much more numerous inside the Chernobyl exclusion zone than in nearby nature reserves?
- 02
What is the main reason the article says scientists still disagree about whether Chernobyl's wildlife has been changed by radiation?
- 03
Which statement best captures the article's overall view of Chernobyl's wildlife forty years after the disaster?
- 04
How does the article use the disagreement between Burraco and Mousseau to show that scientific evidence about Chernobyl is not yet settled? Use specific details from the text.
Suggested length: ~80 words
- 05
Evaluate how convincing you find the idea that wildlife near Chernobyl has truly evolved to cope with radiation. Refer to at least two pieces of evidence from the article.
Suggested length: ~80 words