The number of dead zones has been growing fast – since the 1960’s, the number of dead zones has doubled every 10 years.. Spanish researches recently found that many species die off at ox
Trang 1I – READING COMPREHENSION (100 points)
Mammal Extinction - One in four mammals is threatened with extinction That’s 25%, a
huge number that will totally change the ecology of every corner of the earth We could
see thousands of species die out in our lifetime, and the rate of habitat loss and hunting in
crucial areas like Southeast Asia, Central Africa and Central and South America is growing
so rapidly, these animals barely have a chance
If you think the extinction of an animal like the beautiful Iberian Lynx is no big deal, and wouldn’t have
that much of an effect on the planet, think again Not only would we be losing – mostly due to our own
disregard for our surroundings – so much of the awe-inspiring diversity of nature, mass extinctions like
this would cause a serious imbalance in the world’s food chain When a predator disappears, the prey will
multiply When prey dies out, the predator will see its ranks decrease as well Many people fail to realize
just how interconnected all species on this planet really are
Mammal Extinction - One in four mammals is threatened with extinction That’s 25%, a
huge number that will totally change the ecology of every corner of the earth We could
see thousands of species die out in our lifetime, and the rate of habitat loss and hunting in
crucial areas like Southeast Asia, Central Africa and Central and South America is growing
so rapidly, these animals barely have a chance
If you think the extinction of an animal like the beautiful Iberian Lynx is no big deal, and wouldn’t have
that much of an effect on the planet, think again Not only would we be losing – mostly due to our own
disregard for our surroundings – so much of the awe-inspiring diversity of nature, mass extinctions like
this would cause a serious imbalance in the world’s food chain When a predator disappears, the prey will
multiply When prey dies out, the predator will see its ranks decrease as well Many people fail to realize
just how interconnected all species on this planet really are
II- The Ocean Dead Zones - In oceans around the world, there are eerie areas that are
devoid of nearly all life These ‘dead zones’ are characterized by a lack of oxygen, and they
are caused by excess nitrogen from farm fertilizers, emissions from vehicles and factories, and sewage The number of dead zones has been growing fast – since the 1960’s, the number of dead zones has doubled every 10 years
They range in size from under a square mile to 45,000 square miles, and the most infamous one of all is in the Gulf of Mexico, a product of toxic sludge that flows down the Mississippi from farms in the Midwest These ‘hypoxic’ zones now cover an area roughly the size of Oregon
Spanish researches recently found that many species die off at oxygen levels well above the current definition of ‘uninhabitable’, suggesting that the extent of dead zones in coastal areas that support fishing
is much worse than previously thought Robert Diaz, a Virginia Institute of Marine Science biologist, said
“Everything is pointing towards a more desperate situation in all aquatic systems, freshwater and marine That’s pretty clear People should be worried, all over the world.”
As if that weren’t bad enough, global warming will likely aggravate the problem A rise in carbon dioxide in
the atmosphere will change rainfall patterns, which could create an increase in runoff from rivers into the
seas in many areas
II- The Ocean Dead Zones - In oceans around the world, there are eerie areas that are
devoid of nearly all life These ‘dead zones’ are characterized by a lack of oxygen, and they
are caused by excess nitrogen from farm fertilizers, emissions from vehicles and factories, and sewage The number of dead zones has been growing fast – since the 1960’s, the number of dead zones has doubled every 10 years
They range in size from under a square mile to 45,000 square miles, and the most infamous one of all is in the Gulf of Mexico, a product of toxic sludge that flows down the Mississippi from farms in the Midwest These ‘hypoxic’ zones now cover an area roughly the size of Oregon
Spanish researches recently found that many species die off at oxygen levels well above the current definition of ‘uninhabitable’, suggesting that the extent of dead zones in coastal areas that support fishing
is much worse than previously thought Robert Diaz, a Virginia Institute of Marine Science biologist, said
“Everything is pointing towards a more desperate situation in all aquatic systems, freshwater and marine That’s pretty clear People should be worried, all over the world.”
As if that weren’t bad enough, global warming will likely aggravate the problem A rise in carbon dioxide in
the atmosphere will change rainfall patterns, which could create an increase in runoff from rivers into the
seas in many areas
III- Saving the rain forest’ has been at the forefront of the environmental
movement for decades, yet here we are facing huge losses in the Amazon all the
same You might have thought that, with all the attention the rain forest has gotten,
it wouldn’t need so much saving anymore – but unfortunately, global warming and
deforestation mean that half of the Amazon rain forest will likely be destroyed or
severely damaged by 2030
The World Wildlife Fund concluded this summer that agriculture, drought, fire, logging and livestock ranching will cause major damage to 55% of the Amazon rain forest in the next 22 years Another 4% will see damage due to reduced rainfall, courtesy of global warming These factors will destroy up to 80% of the rain forest’s wildlife Losing 60% of the rain forest would accelerate global warming and affect rainfall in places as far away as India Massive destruction to the rain forest would have a domino effect on the rest of the world
The WWF says that the ‘point of no return’, from which recovery will be impossible, is only 15 to 25 years
away
by STEPHANIE ROGERS
III- Saving the rain forest’ has been at the forefront of the environmental
movement for decades, yet here we are facing huge losses in the Amazon all the
same You might have thought that, with all the attention the rain forest has gotten,
it wouldn’t need so much saving anymore – but unfortunately, global warming and
deforestation mean that half of the Amazon rain forest will likely be destroyed or
severely damaged by 2030
The World Wildlife Fund concluded this summer that agriculture, drought, fire, logging and livestock ranching will cause major damage to 55% of the Amazon rain forest in the next 22 years Another 4% will see damage due to reduced rainfall, courtesy of global warming These factors will destroy up to 80% of the rain forest’s wildlife Losing 60% of the rain forest would accelerate global warming and affect rainfall in places as far away as India Massive destruction to the rain forest would have a domino effect on the rest of the world
The WWF says that the ‘point of no return’, from which recovery will be impossible, is only 15 to 25 years
away
by STEPHANIE ROGERS
With as much attention as the environment has been getting lately, you’d think that we’d be further along in our fight to preserve the world’s species, resources and the beautiful diversity of nature Unfortunately, things aren’t nearly that rosy In fact, many of the environmental problems that have received the most public attention are even worse than we thought – from destruction in the rain forest to melting glaciers in the Arctic We’ve got a lot of work to do
With as much attention as the environment has been getting lately, you’d think that we’d be further along in our fight to preserve the world’s species, resources and the beautiful diversity of nature Unfortunately, things aren’t nearly that rosy In fact, many of the environmental problems that have received the most public attention are even worse than we thought – from destruction in the rain forest to melting glaciers in the Arctic We’ve got a lot of work to do
Trang 2A- Are these sentences TRUE or FALSE? Quote from the text to justify your choice (5 x 6 points)
1- We have found ways to reduce most of the environmental problems.
2- A quarter of all animals are in danger of extinction.
3- The extinction of species affects everything on Earth.
4- One good consequence is the disappearance of predators.
5- People are perfectly aware of the interconnections among species.
B- Reread texts II and III and answer these questions (3x10 points)
1- What has been causing the destruction of some areas in the oceans?
2- Which are the consequences of that destruction?
3- Point out some causes and consequences of the destruction of the rain forest mentioned in the text.
II – LANGUAGE STUDY (50 points)
A- Fill in the gaps with the right verb
form (5x3 points)
I’m your mother earth and I would like to
say a word to you, humans First, I want to
thank you for 1… (to try) to take care of my
health But I must say that I’m still very
angry because too many of you don’t respect
me enough and 2 (to pollute) my land, air
and seas in different ways; fumes, chemical
wastes and rubbish are everywhere During
the previous years, they 3… (to kill) so many
animals and cut down so many trees that wild
life is now in danger In the next years if you
don’t stop all this, life itself 4… (to be) at
stake So please 5… (not/to forget) that I
am your only home and protect me!
B- Rewrite the following sentences, starting by the words given Use an alternative grammar structure (5x7 points)
1- If we don’t stop cutting down so many
trees, we will endanger our oxygen supply Unless …
2- “We’ll threaten our own existence if we do
not cut down on waste rapidly”, said the scientist.
The scientist told …
3- Many factories have been dumping lots of
chemicals into rivers and oceans.
Lots of …
4- Pauline wasn’t interested in the project, so
she abandoned it.
If Pauline
5- People damage the environment They need
information about the consequences of their actions.
People
Find equivalent words / expressions in the text (4x5 points)
1-menaced 2-annihilation 3-ignored 4-weird
C What do the underlined words
refer to in the text (5x4 points)
1-its
2-they
3-which
4-it
5-which
Trang 3III – WRITING (50 points)
Having in mind what you have been learning in the English classes and the images below write a text of about 170 words expressing your own ideas about this problem.