TOEFL 통합 작문

📖 읽기 지문

The extinction of the woolly mammoth has long been attributed to human overhunting. However, recent evidence suggests that climate change and habitat loss were the primary drivers. First, the warming climate at the end of the Pleistocene reduced the mammoth’s preferred grassland habitat. As forests and tundra expanded, mammoth populations became fragmented and isolated. Second, genetic studies show that mammoth populations experienced a severe decline long before humans arrived in their last refuges, such as Wrangel Island. This decline correlates with rapid vegetation shifts, not hunting pressure. Third, archaeological records indicate that human hunting of mammoths was sporadic and localized; there is no evidence of mass kill sites or specialized hunting tools. Instead, humans likely scavenged already dead mammoths. Therefore, the extinction was a natural consequence of environmental change, not human activity.

🎧 듣기 강의

The reading claims climate change alone drove woolly mammoth extinction, but this view overlooks crucial evidence. First, while grasslands did shrink, mammoths were adaptable and could survive in varied environments, as seen in their presence in forested regions during interglacials. The fragmentation argument also fails because mammoths thrived on islands with even smaller habitats. Second, the genetic decline mentioned in the reading actually occurred when humans were already present on Wrangel Island, not before. Radiocarbon dating shows mammoth bones and human artifacts overlap in time, and the final extinction coincides with the arrival of sophisticated hunters on the island. Third, the absence of mass kill sites is not proof of lack of hunting. Humans may have hunted mammoths opportunistically, and such activities would leave few traces. Moreover, in North America, Clovis spear points are found with mammoth remains, indicating active hunting. Thus, human hunting, not climate, was the decisive factor.