Unit 7: Pollution - Skills 1

Choose the letter A, B, C or D to complete the passage below Water pollution happens __________ (1) toxic substances enter water bodies such as lakes, rivers, oceans and so on, getting dissolved in them, lying suspended in the water or depositing on the bed. This degrades the quality of water. Not __________ (2) does this spell disaster for aquatic ecosystems, the pollutants also seep through and reach the groundwater, which might end up in our households as contaminated water we use in our daily activities, including drinking. Water pollution can be __________ (3) in a number of ways, one of the most polluting being city sewage and industrial waste discharge. Indirect sources __________ (4) water pollution include contaminants that enter the water supply from soils or groundwater systems and from the atmosphere via rain. Soils and groundwater contain __________ (5) residue of human agricultural practices and also improperly disposed of industrial wastes. Pollutants can be of varying kinds: organic, inorganic, radioactive and so on. In fact, the list of possible water contaminants is just too vast to be listed here.

Choose the letter A, B, C or D to answer these following questions There are many causes that lead to water pollution. One main cause of this issue is waste water coming from many factories and then being directly pulled out into water bodies, especially into rivers or seas without any treatment because this is the most convenient way of disposing waste water. Industrial waste consists of some kinds of chemical substances such as sulphur, which is harmful for marine life. Lead is known as the main reason for cancer disease. Cancer has become a popular disease in several communes which are called “cancer villages”. Another cause is the awareness of citizens, people always use water for many purposes and then they dump waste water or garbage directly into rivers, canals and ponds and so on. In 2004, because of a bird flu outbreak in Viet Nam, people threw poultry to water body that made water highly polluted.