READING PRACTICE UNIT 3- THE GREEN MOVEMENT

Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate
the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks.
Have you heard about the great flood? Perhaps you have heard about a man named Noah, who built
a huge boat to escape the flood. In this legend of the great flood, water covered all the land, killing
most of the people and animals on Earth. Only Noah's (1) _______ family, including his wife, three
sons, and the sons' wives, survived the flood, along with all of the animals on his boat. After the
flood waters receded, the people and animals on Noah’s boat set about repopulating the Earth. This
legend of Noah and his family is familiar to many people. However, it is not the only legend about a
great flood. Actually, many cultures have similar stories about a great flood that wiped (2) _______
almost everyone on Earth.
Many people today believe that the great flood is only a legend. (3) _______ other people say that
the striking similarities among all of the flood legends suggest that a real flood covered the Earth at
some point long ago. In fact, some scientists (4) _______ that the ancient flood waters are now
frozen in glaciers at the poles of the Earth. But why do the legends disagree with each other? The
flood happened long before humans could write, so the story of the flood could only be (5) _______
through generations by oral retellings. As the story was passed by word of mouth, it may have
changed as various cultures learned the story. This may explain why some parts of the legend differ.
Through careful examination of similar elements in these legends, however, certain facts about an
accident catastrophic flood may be revealed.
(Adapted from Reading Challenge 3 by Casey Malarcher and Andrea Janzen)
Question 1: A. immediate B. extended C. nuclear D. present
Question 2: A. down B. off C. out D. away
Question 3: A. In addition B. Nonetheless C. On the contrary D. In contrast
Question 4: A. speculated B. have speculated C. are speculating D. speculate
Question 5: A. altered B. converted C. perpetuated D. bequeathed
Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate
the correct answer to each of the questions
A report from the United Nations given at the conference unveils how worrying the pollution
caused by plastic utensils, especially plastic bags, is becoming. In a single minute, the world
consumes one million plastic bottles; in a year, the world consumes five billion single-use plastic
bags, according to Vietnamplus. The scary fact is that such plastic bottles and bags are not properly
treated, as each year, the world discharges 300 million tons of plastic waste, accounting for some
10% of all solid waste, putting the environment and human health under tenterhooks, according to
the news site.
The conference also drew attention to another fact: “For a plastic bag that can be used for five
minutes, it takes five seconds to produce, one second to discard, but 500 to 1,000 years to become
totally decomposed," says Vietnamplus.
In another message given by the UN General Secretary and delivered at the conference, it is
reported that since more than eight million tons of plastic bags end up in the oceans each year,
"microplastics in the seas now outnumber stars in our galaxy." "If present trends continue, by 2050
our oceans will have more plastic than fish, Dan Tri reports, quoting Caitlin Wiesen, country
director of the UN Development Programme in Vietnam. These above-mentioned fearful facts,
however, are not merely global issues, but domestic problems as well, according to local media.
Many local news outlets, when relating data from the conference, point out that white pollution - a
term used to indicate the overwhelming discharge of plastic bags into the environment - is even
getting worse in Vietnam than elsewhere.
(Source: https://english.thesaigontimes.vn)
Question 6: Which of the following could be the main idea of the passage?
A. White pollution is getting worse and worse.
B. White pollution - a new type of pollution.
C. The facts about plastic bags are scarier than what we can see.
D. The problems caused by white pollution are increasing.
Question 7: The word "tenterhooks” in the first paragraph mostly means _______
A. The feeling of happiness to know the good results.
B. The possibility of harm or death to someone.
C. Worry or nervousness about something that is going to happen.
D. A statement about what you think will happen in the future.
Question 8: The following are the facts about white pollution, EXCEPT _______
A. Five billion is the number of single-use plastic bags consumed by the world population in one
year.
B. Plastic waste makes up about one tenth of the solid waste on the Earth.
C. It is as effortless to decay plastic bags as to manufacture them.
D. Every year over eight million tons of plastic bags are littered in the oceans.
Question 9: What does the phrase "present trends" in paragraph 3 refer to?
A. Microplastics in the seas now are much more than the stars in the sky.
B. Million tons of plastics bags are discharged into the oceans.
C. It takes 500 to 1,000 years to decompose the whole plastic bags.
D. There are more plastic bags in the oceans than fish.
Question 10: What does the author imply in the last paragraph?
A. White pollution in Vietnam is almost out of control.
B. Vietnamese should solve this environmental problem themselves.
C. The state of plastic pollution in Vietnam is becoming the worst in the world.
D. To reduce pollution, every country in the world has to join hands together.
Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate
the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks
Trees protect the soil beneath them; thus, tree loss can affect soil integrity. For example, the rain
forest floor, home to myriad plant life as well as insects, worms, reptiles and amphibians, and small
mammals, relies on a dense canopy of branches and leaves to keep it healthy and intact. The canopy
prevents surface runoff by (1) _______ heavy rainfall so that water can drip down slowly onto the
porous earth. Tree roots also stabilize the soil and help prevent erosion. (2) _______ a healthy soil
encourages root development and microbial activity, (3) ________ contribute to tree growth and
well-being. A major factor in logging-related soil damage comes from road building, with trucks
and other heavy equipment compressing the spongy soil, creating furrows where water collects, and
disrupting the underground water flow. Eventually, the topsoil wears away, leaving behind an (4)
_______ layer of rocks and hard clay.
Logging can also damage aquatic habitats. Vegetation along rivers and stream banks helps maintain
a steady water flow by blocking the entry of soil and other residue, and trees shade inhibits the
growth of algae. Removing trees (5) _______ these benefits. When eroding soil flows into
waterways, the organic matter within it consumes more oxygen, which can lead to oxygen depletion
in the water, killing fish and other aquatic wildlife.
(Adapted from Essential words for the IELTS by Dr. Lin Lougheed)
Question 1: A. cutting off B. putting out C. getting rid of D. cutting down on
Question 2: A. In exchange B. Instead of C. On the whole D. In general
Question 3: A. that B. what C. which D. who
Question 4: A. fertile B. sterile C. nutrient D. bountiful
Question 5: A. had obliterated B. is obliterating C. has obliterated D. obliterates
Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate
the correct answer to each of the questions
Deforestation is the clearing, destroying, or otherwise removal of trees through deliberate, natural or
accidental means. It can occur in any area densely populated by trees and other plant life, but the
majority of it is currently happening in the Amazon rainforest. The loss of trees and other vegetation
can cause climate change, desertification, soil erosion, fewer crops, flooding, increased greenhouse
gases in the atmosphere, and a host of problems for indigenous people.
Deforestation occurs for a number of reasons, including: farming, mostly cattle due to its quick turn
around; and logging for materials and development. It has been happening for thousands of years,
arguably since man began converting from hunter/gatherer to agricultural based societies, and
required larger, unobstructed tracks of land to accommodate cattle, crops, and housing. It was only
after the onset of the modern era that it became an epidemic.
One of the most dangerous and unsettling effects of deforestation is the loss of animal and plant
species due to their loss of habitat; not only do we lose those known to US, but also those unknown,
potentially an even greater loss. Seventy percent of Earth’s land animals and plants live in forests,
and many cannot survive the deforestation that destroys their homes. The trees of the rainforest that
provide shelter for some species also provide the canopy that regulates the temperature, a necessity
for many others. Its removal through deforestation would allow a more drastic temperature
variation from day to night, much like a desert, which could prove fatal for current inhabitants.
In addition to the loss of habitat, the lack of trees also allows a greater amount of greenhouse gases
to be released into the atmosphere. Presently, the tropical rainforests of South America are
responsible for 20% of Earth's oxygen and they are disappearing at a rate of 4 hectares a decade. If
these rates are not stopped and reversed, the consequences will become even more severe.
The trees also help control the level of water in the atmosphere by helping to regulate the water
cycle. With fewer trees left, due to deforestation, there is less water in the air to be returned to the
soil. In turn, this causes dryer soil and the inability to grow crops, an ironic twist when considered
against the fact that 80% of deforestation comes from small-scale agriculture and cattle ranching.
Further effects of deforestation include soil erosion and coastal flooding. In addition to their
previously mentioned roles, trees also function to retain water and topsoil, which provides the rich
nutrients to sustain additional forest life. Without them, the soil erodes and washes away, causing
farmers to move on and perpetuate the cycle. The barren land which is left behind in the wake of
these unsustainable agricultural practices is then more susceptible to flooding, specifically in coastal
regions. Coastal vegetation lessens the impact of waves and winds associated with a storm surge.
Without this vegetation, coastal villages are susceptible to damaging floods.
(Source: https://www.pachamama.org/)
Question 6: What does the passage mainly discuss?
A. The definition of deforestation.
B. The negative impacts of deforestation.
C. The reasons why deforestation occurs frequently.
D. The effective solutions to solve the deforestation all over the world.
Question 7: The word “indigenous" in the first paragraph probably means
A. foreign B. agrarian C. native D. mountainous
Question 8: Which of the following is NOT stated as the reason of deforestation in paragraph 2?
A. cutting trees for wood B. ranching cattle
C. cultivating D. hunting for food.
Question 9: What does the word “others" in the third paragraph refer?
A. canopy B. species C. rainforest D. trees
Question 10: The following are negative effects of deforestation, EXCEPT_______
A. Myriad flora and fauna species have been eradicated before we discover them.
B. The alteration of temperature in a complete day is becoming more radical due to the loss of trees.
C. The soil is infertile to grow crops because of the shortage of rain and erosion.
D. More and more animals have to find a place of refuge under the canopy of leaves.
Question 11: The word "perpetuate" in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to_____
A. maintain B. stop C. prevent D. start
Question 12: Coastal regions are mentioned in the last paragraph as an example of regions that____
A. are easy to be vulnerable in a storm surge.
B. are left behind because of the reduction of forests.
C. are not much influenced by flood.
D. often experience droughts or erosion.
Question 13: The paragraph following the last paragraph in the passage may probably discuss___
A. a number of disadvantages that deforestation puts local people at.
B. some drastic measures that should be taken to deal with deforestation.
C. the reality of deforestation in some specific countries.
D. some scientists' perspectives about deforestation.