19 - ] Comprehension
Upper Intermediate & Advanced
At
the end of the 20th century , the world is changing in important
ways. Until recently , nations acted independently . Each country did its
business and tried to solve its problems alone . But now , the economy is
worldwide and communications technologies have connected people all over the
globe . Many problems are global , too , and can no longer be solved by
individual nations .
Environmental destruction is one
of these problems . As the world’s population has grown and technology has
developed , the environment has suffered . Some nations have begun to try to
stop the pollution and the environmental destruction . But the environment is
global - the atmosphere , the oceans , and many forms of life are all connected
. Thus , the solutions require global thinking .
The problem of ocean pollution is a good
example . All the oceans of the world are connected . Pollution does not stay
where it begins . It spreads out from every river and every harbor and affects
bodies of water everywhere.
For centuries , people have
used the oceans as a dumping place . Many cities take tons of garbage out to
sea and dump it there . The quantity of garbage that ends up in the water is
incredible . Five million plastic containers are thrown into the world’s oceans
every day ! Aside from Plastics , many other dangerous substances are dumped in
oceans . These include human waste and chemicals used in agriculture . And
every year , oil tankers accidentally spill millions of gallons of oil into the
sea .
Some people believe that the
oceans are so large that chemicals and waste will disappear . However , many
things , such as chemicals and plastics , stay in the water and create problems
. They eventually float to shore and are eaten by tiny sea creatures . Then the
larger animals that eat the tiny creatures are poisoned and die . Harbors and
coasts around the world have become unsafe for humans or animals . The world’s
fish populations are rapidly shrinking .
Another global pollution
problem concerns the atmosphere . Until recently , chlorofluorocarbons ( CFCs )
were used around the world in manufacturing refrigerators . Scientists
discovered that these CFCs were destroying the ozone layer in the atmosphere
.The ozone layer helps protect the earth from the sun’s rays . Without this
layer , most forms of life on earth - including humans - probably would not be
able to live .
CFCs will soon be completely
banned in the United States and in most developed countries . But many other
countries still use CFCs in manufacturing . Among these countries are some of
the most populous on earth , such as India and China . These countries need to
change their refrigerator factories to non-CFC process . But they may not be
able to make this change alone . They will need help from the industrialized
countries . This is what global thinking means - working together for solutions
.
Circle the best answers to the following questions .
Do not look back at the passage .
1 . This passage is about
( A ) air pollution .
( B ) old ways of thinking .
( C ) global thinking .
( D ) refrigerator factories in China .
2 . You may infer from this passage that in the past
( A ) problems were more local .
( B ) nations were more interested in the environment
.
( C ) the economy was more global .
( D ) individual nations did not have as many
problems .
3 . Until now , most nations followed the principal
that
( A ) all countries should share their problems .
( B ) all nations were enemies .
( C ) each nation should take care of its own
problems .
( D ) what happens in China affects everyone .
4 . According to this passage , many environmental
problems
( A ) are caused by global thinking .
( B ) are caused by old ways of thinking .
( C ) are caused by the United States and Japan .
( D ) cannot be solved by local laws .
5 . The
solution to ocean pollution requires global thinking because
( A ) no one cares about the ocean .
( B ) the oceans are so large .
( C ) all the world’s oceans are connected .
( D ) more oil is needed in the developing countries
.
6 . increasing global population and the development
of technology
( A ) will solve the problem of ocean pollution .
( B ) have made the pollution problem worse .
( C ) is a result of global thinking .
( D ) have resulted in more business opportunities .
7 . From this article , we can infer that , in
manufacturing refrigerators ,
( A ) CFCs must be used all around the world .
( B ) only China uses CFCs .
( C ) other chemicals can be used in place of CFCs .
( D ) only CFCs are available in China .
8 . Nations must learn to think globally because
( A ) communication technologies will solve our
problems .
( B ) large businesses will spread around the world .
( C ) changes in the world require stronger nations .
( D ) that is the only way to solve global problems .
Answer Key
1 . C 2 . A 3 . C 4 . D 5 . C 6 . B 7 . C 8 . D
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