45. Complete the sentences with a word from the box.

sewage release restrict fertilizers and pesticides discharge destruct waste landfill sites pollutants reduce

1) The volume of both industrial and domestic _____ has increased dramatically over the past fifty years.

2) Factories and plants _____ a wide range of pollutants such as organic acids, particles containing lead and other metals.

3) The air we breathe has become so filled with _____ that it can cause a lot of health problems.

4) Factories ____ their effluents directly into rivers, lakes and oceans.

5) Oil ____ the level of oxygen dissolved in the water.

6) Together with domestic ____, especially detergents, and artificial fertilizers, it promotes overgrowth of bacteria and algae and disrupts the aquatic ecosystem.

7) Burying garbage in ____ can contaminate the soil with toxic products which then can enter the water supply.

8) Farmers who overuse _____ and _____ limit the ability of soil organisms to process wastes

9) Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) ____ ozone that blocks damaging ultraviolet light from the sun.

10) International treaties ____ the manufacture of CFCs and other ozone-depleting chemicals.

46. Listen to the speaker talking about a cloud of pollution and fill in the gaps with no more than three words.

CLOUD OF POLLUTION

The lives of millions of people in southern Asia are being threatened by a (1) _______. The pollution could (2) __________ lung diseases and cause (3) ______. The cloud consists of (4) _________ and other particles. It is the result of forest fires, the burning of agricultural waste, and huge increases in the burning of fuels by vehicles, industries and power stations. Moreover, it is deteriorated by poor people’s burning (5) _____ and ________ waste in their stoves. The cloud of pollution is considered (6) _____ the land and oceans by blocking sunlight. It is believed that it could alter (7) _________ in Asia. Crops and trees will be (8) ____. Scientists worry that the pollution will intensify in the nearest future because of (9) __________ in Asia. Environmentalists believe that it is necessary to find clean, (10) ____________.

47. A) Read the texts quickly to find the answers to these questions.

1) What damage does acid rain cause?

2) Ozone has both good and bad effects. What are they?

3) What are the main illnesses that air pollution causes or makes worse?

4) How many cars will there be in the world in 20 years’ time?

WHAT’S IN THE AIR?

Sulphur dioxide contributes to acid rain, which contaminates rivers, streams and lakes, causes serious erosion of buildings and endangers the wildlife. It also makes breathing problems worse by tightening the tubes which carry air to the lungs.

Nitrous oxides cause acid rain and smog.

Carbon monoxide reduces the amount of oxygen that can be carried by the blood. Peaks occur during rush hours, and high levels are found inside cars.

Hydrocarbons are released when fuel is not completely burned. They can be gases or solids.

Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are gases which form smog. Benzene escapes from the exhaust pipes of cars and from petrol tanks when cars are filling up.

Ozone is a gas produced naturally in the upper atmosphere. A thin layer of ozone helps to shield the Earth from the sun’s damaging rays. At ground level, ozone is the main enemy for people with breathing problems. It is created by the effect of the sunlight on smog, a reaction which occurs most easily when weather conditions are calm and warm.

HOW IT AFFECTS YOUR BODY

High concentrations of ozone and the chemicals released by motor vehicles can lead to serious health problems and a reduced resistance to infection. They also aggravate bronchitis and may even cause cancer. Many pollutants can trigger an asthma attack. During levels of peak pollution, doctors advise sufferers to stay indoors and avoid exercise.

GRIM FACTS

Cars produce 15 per cent of worldwide greenhouse gases. Cars ownership is rising in every country. There are now more cars than adults in the USA. It is estimated that the number of cars on the world’s roads will rise to 1,5 billion in the next 20 years. The number of children admitted to hospital with asthma in the UK has more than doubled since 1980.

Questions 1-4. Complete each sentence with the best ending A-I below.

1) Carbon monoxide levels are at their highest during ____.

2) ____ is a gas which is commonly present at petrol filling stations.

3) Ozone is most likely to be produced during ___.

4) ___ can exist in both solid and gaseous form.

A acid rain

B benzene

C carbon monoxide

D hydrocarbons

E motor vehicles

F ozone layer

G smog

H rush hours

I warm weather

Questions 5-7. Complete the sentences below. Choose no more than three words from the text for each answer.

One of the main sources of air pollution mentioned in the text is industry. Electricity generation is a typical example, as coal-burning power stations release gases which cause (5) ___. Burning rubbish is another source of pollutants like (6) ___ which can be harmful to health and the environment. However, the cause of pollution which is increasing most rapidly today is (7) ___.

Questions 8-12. Do the following statements agree with the information given in the text? Write TRUE if the statement agrees with the information; FALSE if the statement contradicts the information; NOT GIVEN if there is no information on this.

8) Pollution can make people less resistant to infection.

9) Medical advice for people with asthma is to rest during periods of high pollution.

10) Cars produce the majority of worldwide greenhouse gases.

11) The USA has more cars than any other country in the world.

12) Fewer children are admitted to hospital with asthma now than in 1980.

b) Work in pairs to discuss what the world will be like in the future. Use the Essential Strategy language.

Example:

The environmental damage caused by factories is quite likely to become more extensive if adequate measures are not imposed. It is highly probable that ozone hole will increase. People would become less resistant to infection.

48. For questions 1-15 read the text below and look carefully at each line. Some of the lines are correct and some have a mistake. If a line is correct, put a tick by the number. If a line has a mistake, write it down.

CITY POLLUTION

	1)	Since the introduction of the motor car at the beginning of
	2)	this century, our roads have become more and more congested
	3)	and our cities has increasingly polluted. In Mexico City,
	4)	for example, where there are over two million of
	5)	cars, children are quite used to smog alerts. It is said that
	6)	the damage being caused to children’s lungs is the same as that
	7)	from smoking the two packets of cigarettes a day.
	8)	Seen from up the air, cities such as London and Los Angeles
	9)	appear to be covered in a blanket of cloud that is, in a fact,
	10)	the haze of pollution. Car manufactures and city planners are
	11)	now hard working to try and control the number of vehicles and
	12)	improve the way they run to make them less bad polluting. One
	13)	major advance forward has been the development of the electric
	14)	car. Using batteries, these vehicles are able to move quietly
	15)	around cities creating very little of pollution.