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a. Duy: Should we take the short path or the one through the mangrove swamp?

b. Duy: Good idea, but let's move quietly so we don't scare them away.

c. Sophie: Let's try the swamp! If we're lucky, we might see some rare birds.

a. An: Not really—they're actually "workers" because they eat the pests that hurt the rice.

b. Nick: That's genius! So the farmers don't have to use many chemicals then.

c. Nick: Look at those ducks splashing in the rice water! Are they just pets?

a. An: Oh, I see! They look like they are walking on the water.

b. Ben: Those are mangroves. They need to stay above the water to breathe.

c. An: Look at these trees! Why are their roots so high above the ground?

a. Duc: Look at all these cranes! They're building another shopping mall.

b. Duc: I know. It's good for business, but it's terrible for the air.

c. Sarah: Another one? They just cleared a huge area of trees for the last one.

a. Emma: Oh no, that's coral bleaching. It happens when the ocean gets too warm.

b. Duy: Look at this video I took while snorkeling. Why is the coral all white?

c. Duy: That's terrible! It looks like an underwater graveyard instead of a garden.

a. Hung: Exactly. Shrimp loves the salt, so it's the only way he can make a living.

b. Hung: My uncle actually gave up on rice. He's building a shrimp pond now.

c. Tom: No way! Is it because the water is too salty for crops?

a. Alex: It's the rain. It's washing all the good soil off the hills because there are no trees left.

b. Chi: Oh, I see. So all the best dirt is just flowing away into the sea.

c. Chi: Whoa, look at the river! Why is the water so brown and muddy?

a. Minh: Why is this field empty? Did the farmer give up?

b. Sarah: No, he's just letting the soil rest for a few months to get healthy again.

c. Minh: Oh, good. Anyway, it's better than using more chemicals, I think.

a. An: Have you heard? The local people in the mountains are protecting the grey monkeys now.

b. An: They did, but now they realize tourists will pay to see them alive!

c. Sammy: Really? I thought people used to hunt them there.

a. Nhi: Wait, where is the sand? This beach used to be so much wider!

b. Tom: I know, the waves are eating the land. It's called coastal erosion.

c. Nhi: That's so sad. This was my favorite place to relax.

d. Tom: Yeah, it's getting closer every year. It's a huge problem for the hotels.

e. Nhi: Oh no, is the water reaching those palm trees over there?

a. Chris: So, we should probably plant more trees instead of building more walls?

b. Chris: That makes sense. The tree roots usually hold the soil together, right?

c. Linh: Exactly. Without the trees, the sand just slides into the ocean.

d. Linh: I heard that cutting down mangroves makes the erosion even worse.

e. Linh: I think so! It's better for the birds and the fish too.

a. Nick: Exactly. Scientists haven't seen one in the wild for a long time.

b. Mai: Oh, the "Asian Unicorn"! It lives in the mountains between Vietnam and Laos.

c. Nick: I'm reading about the Saola. It's one of the rarest animals in the world.

d. Nick: I hope they're just hiding deep in the jungle where it's safe.

e. Mai: Do you think they are already extinct, or just hiding?

a. Tom: I'm glad they're safe, but it's a bit sad they aren't in the wild.

b. Phuong: Let's go to the animal rescue center at the national park this weekend!

c. Phuong: I'm with you. Hopefully, their babies can live in the forest one day.

d. Phuong: You mean the Douc Langurs? Yeah, they have a few that were saved from hunters.

e. Tom: Sounds good. Do they have those really colorful monkeys there?

a. Ninh: Again? They just had a big one last month, didn't they?

b. Jack: I know. All their crops get washed away before they can even harvest them.

c. Jack: Yeah, but the typhoons are coming one after another lately.

d. Jack: My friend in Da Nang says they are preparing for another flood.

e. Ninh: That's terrible. It's so hard for the farmers to grow anything with all that water.

a. Kim: Did you see that app? You can pay a small fee to plant a tree in Vietnam.

b. Alex: That's so cool. I might do that for my mom's birthday.

c. Alex: Wait, really? How do you know if they actually plant it?

d. Kim: They send you a photo and the GPS location of your tree!

e. Kim: Great idea! It's a way better gift than just more plastic stuff.

a. Leo: Oh no! Is it some kind of bug or a virus?

b. Nam: Probably not. If one plant gets it, the whole field usually goes down.

c. Leo: That's a nightmare. Can he save any of the fruit?

d. Nam: My uncle is super stressed. His whole dragon fruit farm is getting sick.

e. Nam: It's a fungus. It's spreading everywhere because the air is so humid.

a. An: I saw a sign at the forest park saying "Stay away from the monkeys."

b. An: Well, yeah, but it's also because they can catch "human" diseases.

c. Sophie: Is it because they steal food? They're pretty cheeky!

d. An: Totally. And if they bite someone, they can pass viruses back to us, too.

e. Sophie: Wait, what? You mean we can actually make them sick?

a. Long: But won't they, like, eat the whole tree if they don't stop?

b. Long: Whoa, why are there so many caterpillars on your mom's lime tree?

c. Vinh: Not really. The birds in the garden usually come and eat them first.

d. Vinh: They're just eating the leaves to grow, you know? Soon they'll be butterflies.

e. Long: Oh, I see! So the birds actually keep the tree safe. That's cool.

Fill in the blanks to complete the conversation.

A. You mean like... helping them have babies in a safe place?

B. I guess they use cameras and stuff to find where they hide first.

C. If people don't help with the breeding, these animals are basically finished.

D. It's so rare that nobody has seen it in the wild for years.

E. No way! Are they going to keep them there their whole lives?

__________

Binh: Hey, I just saw this TikTok about the Saola. It's actually called the "Asian Unicorn."

Chi: Oh, I know that one! (1)

Binh: Yeah, it's crazy. But they're actually planning to start a breeding program for them soon.

Chi: A breeding program? (2)

Binh: Exactly. They want to make a special center so the species doesn't disappear forever.

Chi: That's a good idea, but how do they even catch them if they're so shy?

Binh: (3)

Chi: I see. It's like what they do for the rare turtles at Cuc Phuong, right?

Binh: Totally! My cousin went there. He saw hundreds of baby turtles in small tanks.

Chi: (4)

Binh: No, they just protect them until they're big enough to survive in the forest.

Chi: That makes sense. The small ones probably get eaten by everything.

Binh: Right. (5)

Chi: Anyway, it's cool that people are actually trying to save them.

Binh: For sure. Imagine being the person who finally sees a real Saola!

Fill in the blanks to complete the conversation.

A. The buffalo gets clean, and the bird gets a free dinner.

B. In our forests, different types of monkeys often fight over the same fruit trees.

C. So the ecosystem is a mix of fighting, racing, and helping.

D. I guess that makes it harder for both of them to survive.

E. Well, I'm interested in how animals live together. Is it always just about hunting?

F. Have you seen the birds that sit on the backs of water buffaloes?

__________

An: Excuse me, Dr. Minh? I'm doing a school project on Vietnam's national parks. Could I ask you a few questions?

Dr. Minh: Of course, An. I'm happy to help. What are you focusing on?

An: (1)

Dr. Minh: That is a common mistake! Hunting, or predation, is just one part. Think of a tiger and a wild pig.

An: Right, that's clearly a win for the tiger. But what happens if two animals want the same thing?

Dr. Minh: That is called competition. (2)

An: Oh, so it's like a race for food? (3)

Dr. Minh: Exactly. It's a struggle for resources. However, nature also has some very "friendly" sides.

An: You mean like when animals actually help each other?

Dr. Minh: Yes! We call that mutualism. (4)

An: I have! The birds eat the bugs off the buffalo's skin, right?

Dr. Minh: Correct. (5) It's a perfect "win-win."

An: That's amazing. It's like they have a little business deal.

Dr. Minh: Haha, that's a good way to put it! They really do cooperate to stay healthy.

An: I see. (6)

Dr. Minh: You've got it. It's a very complex balance that keeps the forest alive.

An: This is very helpful for my project. Thank you so much for your time, Dr. Minh!

Dr. Minh: My pleasure, An. Good luck with your school presentation!