I – READING COMPREHENSION (100 points)

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.

I- 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.

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 S T E PHA N I E R O G E R S

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A- 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.

Find equivalent words /

expressions in the text. (4x5 points)
C. What do the underlined words
1-menaced
refer to in the text. (5x4 points)
2-annihilation
1-its
3-ignored
2-they
4-weird
3-which
4-it
5-which

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 ...

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 III – 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.

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