The Truth About The Environment — IELTS Reading Answers

Environmentalists take a pessimistic view of the world for a number of reasons.

“For many environmentalists, the world seems to be getting worse. They have developed a hit-list of our main fears: that natural resources are running out; that the population is ever growing, leaving less and less to eat;”

Environmentalists see the world 'getting worse' and list fears about resources, population, extinction and pollution, so their pessimism has several reasons.

Data on the Earth's natural resources has only been collected since 1972.

“First, energy and other natural resources have become more abundant, not less so, since the book 'The Limits to Growth' was published in 1972 by a group of scientists”

1972 marks publication of The Limits to Growth, but the passage never says resource data collection began then.

The number of starving people in the world has increased in recent years.

“Second, more food is now produced per head of the world's population than at any time in history. Fewer people are starving”

'More food is now produced per head ... Fewer people are starving', contradicting the claim that starvation has increased.

Extinct species are being replaced by new species.

“Third, although species are indeed becoming extinct, only about 0.7% of them are expected to disappear in the next 50 years, not 25-50%, as has so often been predicted”

Extinction rates are discussed, but the passage never mentions new species replacing extinct ones.

Some pollution problems have been correctly linked to industrialisation.

“And finally, most forms of environmental pollution either appear to have been exaggerated, or are transient - associated with the early phases of industrialisation and therefore best cured not by restricting economic growth, but by accelerating it”

Pollution is described as 'associated with the early phases of industrialisation', so some links between pollution and industrialisation are correct.

It would be best to attempt to slow down economic growth.

“And finally, most forms of environmental pollution either appear to have been exaggerated, or are transient - associated with the early phases of industrialisation and therefore best cured not by restricting economic growth, but by accelerating it”

Pollution is 'best cured not by restricting economic growth, but by accelerating it', contradicting the recommendation to slow growth.

What aspect of scientific research does the writer express concern about in paragraph 4?

1. Athe need to produce results
2. Bthe lack of financial support
3. Cthe selection of areas to researchcorrect
4. Dthe desire to solve every research problem

“Scientific funding goes mainly to areas with many problems”

The writer notes 'scientific funding goes mainly to areas with many problems', so the concern is how research areas are selected — option C.

The writer quotes from the World Wide Fund for Nature to illustrate how

1. Ainfluential the mass media can be.
2. Beffective environmental groups can be.
3. Cthe mass media can help groups raise funds.
4. Denvironmental groups can exaggerate their claims.correct

“In 1997, for example, the World Wide Fund for Nature issued a press release entitled: 'Two thirds of the world's forests lost forever'. The truth turns out to be nearer 20%”

The WWF's 'Two thirds of the world's forests lost forever' proved nearer 20%, illustrating how environmental groups exaggerate claims — option D.

What is the writer's main point about lobby groups in paragraph 6?

1. ASome are more active than others.
2. BSome are better organised than others.
3. CSome receive more criticism than others.correct
4. DSome support more important issues than others.

“That would matter less if people applied the same degree of scepticism to environmental lobbying as they do to lobby groups in other fields. A trade organisation arguing for, say, weaker pollution controls is instantly seen as self-interested.”

Green organisations are seen as altruistic while trade lobbyists are seen as self-interested, so some lobby groups escape criticism — option C.

The writer suggests that newspapers print items that are intended to

1. Aeducate readers.
2. Bmeet their readers' expectations.correct
3. Cencourage feedback from readers.
4. Dmislead readers.

“Newspapers and broadcasters are there to provide what the public wants”

Newspapers 'provide what the public wants', meaning they print items matching readers' expectations — option B.

What does the writer say about America's waste problem?

1. AIt will increase in line with population growth.
2. BIt is not as important as we have been led to believe.correct
3. CIt has been reduced through public awareness of the issues.
4. DIt is only significant in certain areas of the country.

“all the rubbish America produces through the entire 21st century will still take up only one-12,000th of the area of the entire United States”

All America's rubbish for a century would fill only 1/12,000th of the country, so the problem is less important than believed.

“One form of pollution - the release of greenhouse gases that causes global warming - does appear to be a phenomenon that is going to extend well into our future, but its total impact is unlikely to pose a devastating problem”

The gap needs a time adjective: greenhouse warming is 'a phenomenon that is going to extend well into our future', hence long-term.

“A bigger problem may well turn out to be an inappropriate response to it”

The gap needs an adjective for the response: 'a bigger problem may well turn out to be an inappropriate response' — the right response matters.

“Yet the cost of reducing carbon dioxide emissions, for the United States alone, will be higher than the cost of solving the world's single, most pressing health problem: providing universal access to clean drinking water and sanitation”

The gap needs an adjective for the health problem: clean drinking water is called 'the world's single, most pressing health problem' — urgent.