INTERSEMESTER EXAM LEVEL 4

READING Instructions: Read the article. Then choose True or False. Every minute of every day an area of rainforest the size of a football stadium is cut down. Why are these trees being cut down? What do we use them for? The main reason for deforestation is our demand for fuel and wood and paper—things you probably use every day. Fuel: About half of all the trees cut down in the world are used for fuel. Burning wood is especially common in developing countries where oil is very expensive or not easy to obtain. This in itself is not bad; but most of these trees are not being replaced, which is a problem. Wood and Paper: The use of wood and paper, mainly in developed countries, is also a cause of deforestation. Wood like mahogany is used for furniture and is very valuable. In every square mile of rainforest, there are probably only half a dozen mahogany trees, yet the whole area is often cut down for those few trees, with other trees left to rot, even if they are useful for something. To add to this, the average U.S. office employee, for example, uses approximately 9,999 sheets of paper every year, which adds up to about 27 pounds per person. Only 5 percent of this paper is ever recycled. The Greenhouse Effect and Global Warming: One troubling effect of deforestation is global warming caused by the greenhouse effect. When light and heat from the sun reach us, some is absorbed by the earth, but much of that light and heat escapes into space. Greenhouse effect gases help to trap some of the light and heat, which warms our planet. But cutting down and burning trees creates more greenhouse gases in the atmosphere than necessary. This makes the greenhouse effect stronger, and it overheats the earth: hence global warming. This isn’t good because the increased temperatures are causing the polar ice caps to melt and are contributing to climate change. Even now we are seeing a dangerous rise in sea levels, flooding, super-sized hurricanes and tornados, and droughts. This would be devastating for the earth, but how could you help? • Turn off the lights when you leave a room. This saves money and electricity so less fuel has to be burned. • Recycle paper (as well as glass, plastic, metal, and electronics) as much as possible. • Send memos and messages via email or text message. • Instead of printing information on paper, store it in digital form. • Walk or ride a bicycle whenever possible. • Encourage others to do these things as well. Small things matter and probably take little time or effort. In the end, you are helping to save the world from ecological disaster. 1. You could help to prevent more global warming by turning off the lights whenever you leave a room.

2. Every minute, an area of trees the size of a house is cut down in the rainforest.

3. Lower temperatures cause climate change.

4. Using too much fuel, wood, and metal causes deforestation.

5. When mahogany trees are cut down, other kinds of trees in the area are cut down as well

Instructions: Read the letter. Then choose the correct answer. Dear Members of the City Council, Recently you announced that recommendations from the citizens of Greenville are being considered for improving transportation, especially in the downtown area. I have lived here for 27 years and have seen the traffic get more and more congested every year. The government needs to decide what to do now in order to save our city from the same problems that we see in so many other places. I have a very strong opinion on the subject and would like to know if you would consider my recommendation. My idea is not a form of transportation that involves air, rail, water, and is not exactly a motor vehicle. Therefore, it is cost efficient, safe, easy to repair, and simple in design. My recommendation is that we allow the use of the Segway in the downtown area. Right now, the law says that we can only use the Segway on Delk Avenue sidewalks on Sundays. This is not a good use of such a wonderful form of transportation. My family and I enjoy using ours, but we haven’t seen too many other people doing the same. I think that allowing the use of the Segway all over the downtown area will really help people to get around better and solve the problem with the congestion on the small narrow streets in the city center. As you may know, the Segway was invented in 2001 and was released to the public in 2002. It is a two-wheeled electric vehicle and has become very popular mainly because it is so easy to use. Drivers lean forward to go forward, lean back to go backward, and turn by using a handlebar, leaning it left or right. It’s not very fast, but not too slow either. Drivers can go up to 12m/h (20 km/h) and of course for safety reasons, wearing a helmet is always recommended (much like a bicycle). The Segway is just plugged into an electrical outlet to recharge, so of course this makes them great because of the high cost of fuel these days, and they’re much better for our environment, too. Allowing the Segway to be used on more than just one street will encourage people to buy them, and those that already have them will use them more. There are no tickets to buy for the subway, or fares to pay on the buses, no terminals, and the parking problems that we have would become much less because the Segway is very small. The authorities could even think about renting and or selling them, too, and not a lot of money would have to be spent. This change of plan for us could make Greenville one of the most important cities for new transportation developments in our country! Sincerely, Mrs. Rudolf Baker 1. The Segway runs on what kind of energy? ____ a. electricity and fossil fuels b. solar energy c. an electrical charge

2. How fast can Segway drivers go? ____ a. 12 m/h b. 17 m/h c. 10 m/h

3. Using the Segway will ____ a. lower the cost of Subway tickets in Greenville. b. make Greenville important in new transportation developments. c. help Delk Avenue with the parking problem.

4. The advantage of the Segway is that ____ a. it can run on one electrical charge for about two weeks. b. it is simple in design and easy to repair. c. it as fast as a bicycle.

5. Mrs. Baker suggests that the Greenville authorities ____ a. use the Segway on Delk Avenue on Mondays instead of just Sundays. b. rent or sell the Segways. c. open all the Greenville sidewalks for the Segway.

GRAMMAR A. Instructions: Complete each sentence with the present perfect or present perfect progressive form of the verb in parentheses. (Unit 1 - Present perfect tense vs. present perfect progressive tense) 1. Migration to warmer and drier parts of the country ____________________ (cause) problems with the water supply in those areas.

2. My car is being repaired, so I ____________________ (take) the bus to work this week.

3. I’m sorry, but I ____________________ (forget) your name. Could you please remind me?

4. Ranchers ____________________ (herd) cattle in this area since the 1700s.

5. Mr. Andrews is an excellent professor. I ____________________ (take) four of his courses already, and I may take another one next year.