Write the word next to its definition. The sentences in the previous exercise will help you decide on the meaning of each word.

……………… Necessary or belonging to the whole

……………… Harmful to life or health; poisonous

……………… Made or intended for practical use; stressing usefulness over beauty or other considerations

……………… Acting or intended to overthrow or destroy something established

……………… To clear from blame or suspicion; justify or prove right

……………… Corresponding in degree, number, or size

……………… A strong desire, craving

……………… Quick or eager to argue or fight; hostile; aggressive

……………… To thin out or scatter and gradually vanish; drive away

……………… Necessary; urgent

……………… Calm; carefree, and casually unconcerned

……………… Being the first instance of something, never having occurred before

……………… To make less severe or less intense; relieve

Using the answer line provided, complete each item below with the correct word from the box. Use each word once.

Indoor pollution

Since the early 80-s of the previous century we have been (1) ……………. about ecology being only too aware of the devastating effects of (2)…………… scale of environmental pollution. Both developing and industrialized countries alike are deplored for their short-sighted, selfish and quite often (3) …………… policies. The situation is exacerbated by the fact that not all the pollution is on grand scale. A large proportion of it has its sources close to our homes. Severely (4) ……………..fumes hung over our towns and cities for days. Staying at home with a view to (5) ………….. the danger and avoiding pollution however isn’t a panacea. A growing body of scientific evidence proves that levels of pollutants such as hazardous gases, particulate matters and others are usually higher indoors than out, even in the most polluted cities. Since most people spend 18 hours indoors for every hour outside, it looks as though many environmentalists lack (6)………………. approach attacking the wrong target of outdoor pollution. We can try to (7) ………….. ourselves saying that our (8)……………for cleanliness is an (9)……………….part of our day to day existence. However we should remember that researches found that baths, showers, dishwashers and washing machines can all be significant sources of indoor pollution, because they extract trace amounts of chemicals from the water that we use and transfer them to the air, which is hardly (10)…………………. with the key objective of avoiding detrimental effects of pollution on our health.

Many people are so concerned about water-borne pollutants that they drink only bottled water, worldwide sales of which have exceeded $70 billion. However they should not become (11) …………… after these precautions as the degree of exposure to toxic chemicals in tap water by inhalation is comparable to the exposure that would result from drinking the stuff.

Other examples include inadequate ventilation of overcrowded rooms containing levels of carbon dioxide which would be regarded as unacceptable on board a submarine, or “new car smell” which is the result of high levels of toxic chemicals, not cleanliness. And certainly laser printers, computers, carpets and paints don’t (12)………… the situation but only contribute to the noxious indoor mix.

In this context it seems that disproportionate effort is wasted campaigning against certain forms of outdoor pollution, when there is as much or more concern indoors. It’s (13) …………….. to bring a new sense of perspective to the debate about pollution.

Date: 2015-12-11; view: 1568