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whales eat, or make whales ill. Noise from boats can also be a problem. They can confuse
whales and hurt them. Finally, very big boats sometimes hit whales, and this can kill them.
5. Answer the following questions.
1. Why do some people hunt whales? 2. Why do fishing boats sometimes catch whales?
3. Why is pollution a problem for whales? 4. What can confuse whales? 5. What can happen
if a very big boat hits a whale?
6. Imagine you were on holiday in London and saw the “London whale”.
Write a letter to your best friend, and tell him or her what happened.
7. Complete the text using the following words and phrases:
a) disposal; b) factories; c) recycling; d) countryside; e) pollution;
f) waste; g) environment; h) bins; i) bottle bank.
The Damage We Do
A trip to the 1) … used to be associated with greenery, flowers and fresh air by most
people. In recent years, however, it seems that we actually use it for the 2) … of whatever
we have no use for any more. An outing to any picnic area in the country will soon convince
anyone that 3) … of all sorts is usually just thrown on the ground, and no-one seems to care
what damage it does to the 4) …, despite the presence of 5) … which have been specifically
put there to collect rubbish. It seems we’ve forgotten that 6) … should be a top priority if we
want to enjoy nature. It also seems that, for some city-dwellers, carrying their glass to the
nearest 7) … is far too much to consider. To top it all, 8) … are often built in the least
sensible places only to add – it appears – to the 9) … of the water, the soil and the air. What
is all this leading to?
8. Read the text below and decide which answer A,B, C or D best fits each space. There
is an example at the beginning (0).
0 A nearby B closely C vicinity D neighbourly
LIGHT POLLUTION
Some years ago, when I was working as an astronomer at the Greenwich Observatory
in London, I received a letter from an elderly lady living (0) A who said: “When I was a
girl, we could see so many stars, but they’re not there any more. Have they faded?” Walking
down the hill on which the observatory stands, I (1) … the truth of what she said. (2) … me
were all the lights of London and above me was the orange glow they (3) … up into the
night sky. But I could (4) … see any stars.
If light pollution – as this effect is known – continues to increase as its present (5) …,
our grandchildren will only (6) … the chance to see the stars if they visit an observatory (7)
… the one in Greenwich. Light pollution is almost (8) … for granted in most cities, and it is
fast spreading into rural areas too. (9) … recent research, almost half of all Europeans and
two-thirds of North Americans can no longer see the Milky Way. And this type of pollution
doesn’t only (10) … our view of the night sky, it also wastes money and causes
environmental pollution. For example, a single light bulb, (11) … all year, releases around a
quarter of a tone of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, (12) … global warming even worse.
1 A regarded B realised C remarked D reacted
2 A Across B Between C Aside D Beneath
3 A give B send C keep D fill
4 A clearly B surely C hardly D faintly
5 A case B rank C grade D rate
6 A carry B draw C get D catch
7 A like B similar C same D as
8 A brought B taken C felt D passed
9 A According to B Apart from C Instead of D In addition to

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