Acid Rain
However, many advantages the industrial society brings us also have a down side. One of the adverse effects of industrialization is acid deposition due to power plants, fossil fuels and automobile emissions. Acid rain is the popular term but the scientists prefer the term acid deposition. Acid rain can have adverse effects on the environment by damaging forests and lakes, making it too difficult for many plants and animals to live.
Charles Angus Smith, an Englishman, was the first to suggest, in 1852, that sulfuric acid in Manchester, England, was causing metal to rust and dyed goods to fade. One source that causes acid rain is fossil fuel. This energy source contributes 23.1 million tons of sulfur dioxide and 20.5 million tons of nitrogen oxides to our atmosphere worldwide. When fossil fuels are ignited, such as oil and coal, they release carbon dioxide, a so-called greenhouse gas that traps heat within the earth's atmosphere, which causes global warming. Also, they release sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide and metals such as mercury, aluminum into the atmosphere, which later can be carried a long distance from their source and be deposited as acid rain.
Forests are a complex ecosystem that involves trees, soil, water, the air, climate and other living organisms that support the community of wildlife: animals, birds, insects and plants. The countries most affected by acid rain arc in Europe. Central Europe faces a much greater threat since it has a large amount of forest area and about 8% of German's forest face the lethal effect of acid rain. Acid rain kills about 50 million hectares of forest. Acid rain does not kill trees outright but weakens them to the point where they become susceptible to extremes of heat or cold, attacks from blight-causing or from inserts, and other environmental stresses.
When acid rain falls into lakes and rivers, it destroys all living things and populations of fish, aquatic plant life and microorganisms decline. Fish just goes extinct because they simply fail to reproduce and become less and less abundant, until they die out.
The result of acid rain is not only the destruction of forests and lakes, but also the corrosion of buildings and monuments. Almost every building of a major urban or industrial centre may be at risk from the corrosive effects of acid deposition and the rate of corrosion has increased dramatically in many urban areas. The Athenian monuments have got worst in the past 20~25 years as a result of pollution. Acid attack can also lead to stone decay through the creation of salt, which can crystallize and force apart mineral grains, causing the stone to disintegrate.
As our society gets more advanced, there is also the rising effect of pollution. To stop the effect we need to find alternative ways to remove or replace fossil fuel that is responsible for acid rain. The government needs to put stricter laws on the industries that pollute. People should find an efficient and alternative way to stop the pollution, because the effects of acid rain can be seen all round ns, starting with forests and lakes, and in the heart of a city where the buildings and monuments are being eaten away by pollution.
According to the passage, acid rain is
A. a source of pollution.
B. an effect of industrialization.
C. an advantage of industrial society.
D. a deposition of fossil fuels.
Keiko Waldman finds that popular sports events
A. are good places to advertise his service.
B. raise brand awareness through team sponsorship.
C. increase public demand for his products.
PART C
Directions: You will hear three dialogues or monologues. Before listening to each one, you will have 5 seconds to read each of the questions which accompany it. While listening, answer each question by choosing A, B, C or D. After listening, you will have 10 seconds to check your answer to each question. You will hear each piece ONLY ONCE.
听力原文: A new study reports the common drug aspirin greatly reduces life threatening problems after an operation to replace blocked blood vessels to the heart. More than 800,000 people around the world have this heart surgery each year. The doctors who carded out the study say giving aspirin to patients soon after the operation could save thousands of lives. People usually take aspirin to control pain and reduce high body temperature. Doctors also advise some people to take aspirin to help prevent heart attacks. About 10— 15 percent of these heart operations end in death or damage to the heart or other organs. The new study shows that even a small amount of aspirin reduced such threats. The doctors said the chance of death for patients who took aspirin would fall by 67%. They claimed this was true if the aspirin was given within 48 hours of the operation. The doctors believe aspirin helps heart surgery patients because it can prevent blood from thickening and blood vessels from being blocked. However, the doctors warned that people who have stomach bleeding or other bad reactions from aspirin should not take it after heart surgery.
What is the finding of the new study of aspirin?
A. Reduce life risks after operation of replacing blocked blood vessels to the heart.
B. Help people recover quickly after operation.
C. Help people sleep better.
D. Help people work actively.