PASSAGE 3 – Questions 21-30

‘Ladies and gentlemen’, the captain's voice crackled over the plane's public address system. "If you look out of the window on the right side of the aircraft," he said, "you will have a clear view of Greenland. In my 15 years of flying, I have not seen a scene like this." I opened the window shade, and I understood what had so startled the pilot. Instead of the habitual snowy landscape and frozen glaciers, a wide swathe of black water was visible as it flowed into the Atlantic. It was late spring, but the giant icebox that is Greenland was already melting.

The fleeting image that I saw from 30,000 feet in early May is consistent with massive amounts of climate data gathered from across the planet. It is now clear that on average, the global surface temperature has increased by about one degree Celsius since 1900 and has been the cause of extreme climate events across the planet.

At times, warming climate combined with soot in the air thrown by wild fire has accelerated the melting. Warm weather is leading ice sheets to break up and turning glaciers into flowing streams. In May, NASA scientists concluded that the rapidly melting glacial region of Antarctica has passed "the point of no return", threatening to increase sea levels by as much as 13 feet within the next few centuries. A The fact that the melting is taking place slowly and its effect may not be felt for a few decades seems to offer comfort to those who want to continue their lifestyle relying on fossil fuels. Unwilling to believe in global warming or make the sacrifices needed to face the challenge, politicians have been finding excuses to do nothing. B

American President Barack Obama, not hobbled by the need to fight elections, has now broken ranks with such politicians. Unable to pass legislation in the face of Republican (and sometimes Democratic) opposition, he instructed the Environmental Protection Agency to announce regulatory policies to curb emissions from power plants in the United States by 30 per cent by 2030. He hopes that regulations would influence the US states to adopt aggressive market interventions to address global warming. Of course, execution of the policy still lies in the hands of many state governors who would find ways to resist, saying that regulations would raise the cost to the economy and cause unemployment among coal workers. As President Obama told Thomas Friedman of the New York Times: "One of the hardest things in politics is getting a democracy to deal with something now where the payoff is long term or the price of inaction is decades away." C

The price of inaction could be raised - if the coming global summit on climate in Paris could do what other summits have failed to do: agree on a fixed target for greenhouse gas emissions and a rigorous system for monitoring. China has hinted at capping coal burning in the next 15 years, adding weight in favour of action. D Meanwhile, melting in Greenland and the Antarctica will continue as the sun scorches the fields and rising water threatens the coastal areas.

21. In paragraph 1, what does the pilot mean by saying, ‘In my 15 years of flying, I have not seen a scene like this’?

A. This scene is very unusual.

B. The pilot is not an attentive person.

C. The scene makes flying worthy.

D. This scene is very magnificent.

22. What is the author’s purpose when recounting the scene he saw from the plane?

A. To introduce the idea of global warming

B. To give specific detail to support his point that global warming needs public awareness

C. To express his opinion towards research on global surface temperature

D. To contrast with what the pilot is saying

23. What is ‘offer comfort’ in paragraph 3 closest in meaning to?

A. Warm up B. Reassure C. Discourage D. Assist

24. What is the main idea of paragraph 3?

A. Hot weather combined with wild fire soot has been melting glaciers.