OIL CRISIS

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Name

Continental Shelf drilling is

highly dangerous due to
unstable working conditions.

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Class

Oil and water do not mix,

but the combination leaves a
sticky, poisonous mess.

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Date

_____/50
Grade

Along with the mess, the toxic

smell of petroleum contaminates once beautiful beaches.

It is entirely possible that oil production will effectively cease within our lifetime.
When all the easily exploited oil wells dry up, where can we turn for our next fix? Estimates
of remaining un-mined oil reserves in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have been grossly overexaggerated, and oil fields in all exporting countries have entered a steady, fatal decline
while international demand has, with the growth of Chinese markets, exploded. Our
addiction to oil is like a junkies fatal attraction to heroin, and the worlds supply of our
favorite drug is drying up. At some point, production costs will become prohibitively
expensive and well all be forced to trade in our Escalades and start walking to work. I hate
to exercise, so we should do everything we can to slow the inevitable.
A recurring controversy in the United States revolves around the question, should we
mine the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska? The debate crops up every time oil
prices spike and to my mind seems more appealing every time its broached. The region is
indisputably beautiful, a pristine wilderness populated by endangered species of wildlife
living peacefully in unspoiled natural splendor. Unfortunately, the reserve is on top of one of
the United States most easily exploitable oil reserves.
What Im going to describe to you is going to sound like utopia: a world where the
United States doesnt have to depend on the international community to supply its everexpanding oil addiction. In this imaginary world, we dont need to tangle with the Middle
East because we have our own oil supply which is cheaper and more reliable than anything
else anyone in the world can offer us. It would be like growing your own weed. The only
cost is that we must destroy the last pure thing in the world. As the Arctic Shelf breaks apart
and melts away, new shipping routes and resources are becoming available. It has been

estimated that roughly one-third of the worlds petroleum reserves lie beneath the Arctic ice.
Whoever claims them controls the world economy.
According to the laws established by the United Nations in 1982, any country has the
right to claim up to 200 nautical miles as territory of seabed adjacent to a controlled
shoreline. In a world where might makes right, the US Navy is large enough to combat those
of every other country in the world combined. By rights, we could claim the entire Arctic
Ocean and all the resources it protects.
Kuwait is one of the wealthiest nations in the world, per capita, because the Kuwaiti
government knows how valuable its oil fields are and moved quickly to exploit them. If the
US government opened the Arctic Shelf to drilling, not only would we stop importing oil, we
could become the largest producers on the global market. New industries would be created,
the job market would expand, the GDP would explode, we could all buy stretch Hummers
and drive to class every day. Its only fair that the government control revenues from wells
in the Alaskan Refuge, because they exist on park lands. If the federal governments annual
budget increases, money for education will follow, and we can all pay off our student loans
and buy more cool stuff. What I would suggest is demonstrably monstrous. As the
Deepwater Horizon oil spill last year proved, there is no effective strategy to combat ocean
spillage, and the repercussions on ocean ecosystems are unfathomable. Still, oil spills occur
every year, like death and taxes.
Why bother trying to prevent the inevitable? Since weve all watched Avatar, we
know its wrong to destroy native species for the resources they protect, but really, its for the
great good that the US government move quickly to exploit all resources that would make its
people strong.

With an endless supply of

fuel, oil fires can burn for
days, sending smoke into
the air for miles.

It will take decades before

fish, birds, and other
animals recover from an oil
spill.

Is the risk to our

environment worth the price
we pay for oil?
Consumption of the fossil
fuel is over 1 billion barrels
a day.

A.

1.
What is the main idea of the story? (Circle the correct answer)
/1
The world is running out of oil.

B.

Oil drilling is dangerous in Alaska.

C.

The US can control oil production if they drill in Alaska.

D.

The US should stop buying oil from the Middle East

2.

Match the words to their definitions

___

addiction

A.

a dependence on a substance

___

controversy

B.

impossible to measure

___

exploit

C.

something that results from an action

___

repercussion

D.

a disagreement on a topic of discussion

___

unfathomable

E.

to take selfish our unfair advantage of

3.

Answer the following sentences in complete sentences

/5

/10

A. Where is the United States largest oil reserve?

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B. Why is it dangerous to drill offshore?
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4.

Put the following information in the order that it appears. (1 4)

/4

___

As the Deepwater Horizon oil spill last year proved, there is no effective strategy to
combat ocean spillage,

___

Its only fair that the government control revenues from wells in the Alaskan Refuge,
because they exist on park lands.

___

The region is indisputably beautiful, a pristine wilderness populated by endangered

species of wildlife living peacefully in unspoiled natural splendor.

___

Our addiction to oil is like a junkies fatal attraction to heroin, and the worlds supply
of our favorite drug is drying up.

5.

Write (T) true or (F) false for each of the following statements.
If false, what is the reason?

/5

A.

There is no danger drilling off the coast of Alaska.

___

B.

Oil spills occur every year.

___

C.

Countries can claim up to 200 nautical miles of offshore land.

___

D.

There are no endangered animals in the Arctic National Wildlife Reserve.

___

E.

Chinas desire for oil has greatly increased.

___

ANSWER IN COMPLETE SENTENCES.

6.

Should Indonesia continue to drill for oil off its shores?

/5

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7.

What do you consider the greatest harm from an oil spill?

/5

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8.

What can we use instead of oil as a fuel source?

/5

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9.

Would you be willing to walk (or take a bus) to school to reduce oil usage?

/10

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