FCE READING 3

  FCE READING 3 – CHOOSE FROM THE SENTENCE A-G THAT FITS EACH GAP (1-6)

It wasn't until around 200 years ago that we began to become seriously concerned about the negative impact that humans were having on the environment. There were two closely-related reasons for this realisation.
The first of these was that there was a significant rise in the population. Large numbers of people were now polluting our rivers and lakes, and cutting down our trees. 1 Manufacturing processes caused people's health to suffer and we became aware of the damage being done to the landscape by activities such as deforestation, mining for coal and steel-making.
We could no longer close our eyes to the facts. There were simply too many people causing too much damage to our planet. Recognising the problem, the United States began creating National Parks. These were large areas of land where development and industry were not allowed. One of the people behind the setting up of the first National Parks was John Muir, an early environmentalist who also became president of the Sierra Club. 2
Still operating today, the Sierra Club is active in many areas, particularly in campaigning to end our dependence on fossil fuels and to explore renewable energy sources such as wind and solar power. 3 But although several green organisations existed on both sides of the Atlantic in the first half of the 20th century. their power was limited.
In London in 1952, there was an incident that ma started the environmental movement. A combination weather conditions and coal smoke led to several of severe smog in England's capital. The consequense at the time seemed to be confined to traffic problem and cancelled sporting fixtures due to poor visibility However, it soon became clear that thousands of people had died as a direct result of the air pollution in that short period of time. 4
Since the 1950s, however, our planet has had to face a range of new threats. For example, the widespread use of pesticides in the US inspired a book by Rachel Carson in 1962 called Silent Spring, which became a bestseller. 5
Meanwhile, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) was established to protect the habitats of wild animals and stop endangered species from becoming extinct. The development of nuclear weapons and nuclear power led to the forming of groups such as Greenpeace, and a series
of well-documented oil spills helped draw attention to the environmental catastrophes that humankind was capable of bringing about. 6 Acid rain, the hole in the ozone layer and genetically modified crops have given rise a vast number of organisations dedicated to limiting damage. But, even with thousands of green organisations in the UK alone, it's tempting to wonder whether the race to secure a better future is one that we are winning.

A In the UK, it wasn't until the 1950s that the first National Park was set up.
B Today, we have no shortage of environmental concerns, or of groups committed to dealing with them.
C The other key factor was the rise of industry.
D Here too, the Americans were far behind the rest of the world.
E The popularity of this publication showed just how many people were against interfering with the natural balance of nature.
F. This was founded in 1892 and was one of the first environmental organisations in the United States.
G The city was forced to face up to its problems, and action was taken to make sure such a tragedy would not happen again.