Engineering a Better Future
I) Reading Comprehension
Read the following passage and then answer the questions
Big Projects-big benefits but big problems
The Aswan project started in 1960. Unlike Lake Hula, the Aswan project was very successful and has brought Egypt great benefits, but it, too, has had major side effects. The planners had foreseen some but some they had not. Everyone knew that as Lake Nasser rose behind the Dam some 90,000 Egyptians and Sudanese would have to leave their homes and farms. It was known that archaeological remains would be lost, but expert teams were given enough time to rescue the best. Piece by piece, they succeeded in getting the wonderful temple of Abu Simbel to higher ground.
These effects were well understood, but others were unexpected. Several resulted from holding back the 40m tons of rich sediment that floods had previously carried. It was not just that the land was no longer naturally fertilized every year, and therefore crops grew less well. Some of the sediments had previously travelled all the way to the coast and had added to the natural sea defences every year. Without them, the sea has carried away some of the defencesand could now flood Egypt’s vital Nile Delta farmland. Moreover, the Nile had always carried sediments out to sea. There, tiny sea creatures had fed on them, and fish had gathered to feed on them in turn. When the sediments disappeared, this food chain collapsed – and so did the fishing industry. Between 1963 and 1969, fish catches fell from 35, 000 tons to around 8,000.Today, we try to work out effects like these before a project starts and to weigh these costs carefully against the likely benefits. This often requires years of research. Little of this happened with Aswan all those years ago. If it had, though, the project would still have gone ahead. The benefits to Egypt have been far, far greater than the problems.
1-Answer the following questions:
1. What are the projects mentioned in the passage?
Aswan project (The High Dam) in Egypt and Lake Hula in Occupied Palestine.
2. What is the problem with Lake Nasser?
It rose behind the Dam and caused many effects, including 90,000 Egyptians and Sudanese were obliged to leave their homes and farms.
3. Why Aswan High Dam unlike lake Hula?
Because it is a successful project and its benefits have been far greater than its side effects while Lake Hula project turned to be a total failure.
4. What happened to fishing industry? Why?
Fishing industry collapsed because the food chain collapsed and fish catches fell to a lower level.
5. What does the underlined word refer to?
It refers to the tiny sea creatures which fed on the sediments of the Nile flood.
2-Find the synonyms from the passage:
1. solve a problem :work out.
2. demands :requires
3. balance: weigh
4. expected :foreseen
5. quantities: catches
6. save: rescue
3-Find the opposite from the passage:
1. huge : tiny
2. allow: hold back
3. minor: major
4. attacks: defences
5. in front of: behind
4-Choose the correct answer from a, b,c or d:
1. If the project is beneficial, we can go ahead
a) head b) had c) hid d) ahead
2. People worry much about possible side effects.
a) tide b) site c) hide d) side
3. Some scientists fought the loss of this natural environment.
a) loss b) loose c) lose d) lost
4. The planners had foreseensome of those effects.
a) see for b) forseen c) foresee d) foreseen
5. Natural sea defenceswere carried away by the waves.
a) defences b) defends d) defendant d) defends
II) Vocabulary
1- Put in the blanks the suitable word from the box (sometimes you need “the”):
north-east east south western North northern |
1. Rafah is in the south of Palestine.
2. Haifa is in northernPalestine.
3. River Jordan is to the east of Palestine.
4. Western Europe is opposite to North America.
5. Gaza city is about 30 km to the north-east of Rafah.
2-Make pairs of words from the box to complete the sentences:
strong | human | Far | high | big |
success | hopes | tea | East | needs |
1. The government works hard to meet the human needs.
2. Some people like drinking strong tea.
3. We have high hopesthat we will succeed.
4. The project was a big success.
5. China is a country in the Far East.
3-Rewrite the following sentences using a word from the same family in brackets
1. The old flood waters kept the land fertile.( fertilize)
2. Without natural fertilizers, farmersmust buy artificial ones. (farm)
3. They would have faced dangerous floods .(face)
4. We need three constructionprojects. (construct)
5. Power supply systems must be reliable.(relay)
4- Put in the correct word from the box:
heritage conflict environmentally planning potential |
1. The conflict between the Palestinians and Israel is still on.
2. Our tourism potentialcan be developed.
3. Planning experts are working on the project.
4. We have important heritagesites.
5. Environmentally friendly resorts should be built away from cities.
III) Language
1-Rewrite the following sentences using the word(s) in brackets:
1. The Dam is 4 km long .(length)
The Dam has a length of 4km.
2. Lake Nasser has a depth of 100 meters .(deep)
Lake Nasser is 100 meters deep.
3. The Dead Sea is 15 km wide.(width)
The Dead Sea has a width of 15 km.
4. Mount Everest has a height of 8000 meters.(is)
Mount Everest is 8000 meters high.
5. The road from Beit Hanoun to Gaza is 10 km long.(have)
The road from Beit Hanoun to Gaza has a length of 10 km.
2-Put in the verb in the correct form:
1. If you took more exercise, you would feelbetter. (feel)
2. If she comes to the party, I will behappy. (be)
3. If ice melts, it turnsinto water. (turn)
4. If I had been hungry , I would have eatensomething.(eat)
5. Unless you studyhard, you won’t succeed. (study)
IV) Writing
Write a paragraph of about 10 lines on “The benefits and problems of using mobile phone”. You can expand the following ideas:
§ Introduction on new technology in modern world.
§ Good points of mobile phones.
§ Side effects and their problems.
§ Your opinion on mobile phones
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