Cambridge 19 (General Training) | Test 1 | Section 3

White storks back in Britain after hundreds of years

The last definitive record of a pair of white storks successfullybreeding in Britain was in 1416, from a nest on St Giles Cathedral in Edinburgh. No one knows why storks disappeared from our shores. They often featured on the menus of medieval banquets so we might, quite simply, have consumed them all. But there could be a more ominous reason. Storks are migrants arriving after the end of winter, nesting on rooftops and happily associating with humans, and because of this they have long been a symbol of hope and new life. Yet their association with rebirth also meant they became a symbol of rebellion. Shortly after the restoration of King Charles II in 1660, while storks were rare but surviving, parliament debated putting greater effort into destroying them entirely for fear they might inspire republicanism. Today, fortunately, that notion has disappeared and the stork retains its association with new life, appearing on cards given to celebrate the arrival of a new child, as a bird carrying a baby in a sling held in its beak.

nest (noun) [countable]

/nest/

a structure built by birds or insects to leave their eggs in to develop, and by some other animals to give birth or live in

e.g., Cuckoos are famous for laying their eggs in the nests of other birds.

ominous (adjective)

/ˈɑː.mə.nəs/

making you think that something bad is going to happen

e.g., She picked up the phone but there was an ominous silence at the other end.

rebellion (noun) [uncountable, countable]

/rɪˈbeljən/

an attempt by some of the people in a country to change their government, using violence

e.g., The slaves rose up in rebellion.