Global Climate Trends and Modern Social Issues

September 2007: Arctic Sea Ice Decline

1a. ...the power of global warming from human-generated heat-trapping gases to shrink the cap of sea ice floating on the Arctic Ocean...

1b. For the new study, Dr. Stroeve reviewed nearly six decades of measurements by ships, airplanes, and satellites, estimating the maximum and minimum area of Arctic sea ice, which typically expands most in March and shrinks most in September.

Climate Research Findings

2a. True: A new study concluded that an open-water Arctic in summers could be more likely in this century than had been estimated in the latest international review of climate research released in February.

2b. False: The maximum area of Arctic sea ice, which typically expands most in March and shrinks most in September.

2c. True: Dr. Stroeve found that since 1953, the area of sea ice in September has declined at an average rate of 7.8 percent per decade.

Vocabulary and Answers

• 3. a) released, b) trends, c) reviewed, d) shrink
• 4. 1b, 2c, 3c

June 2008: Amphibian Extinction Crisis

1a. But according to the Association of Zoos and Aquariums... in a few years they may all be extinct.

1b. The term amphibian comes from the Greek... into land-dwelling creatures with legs.

Species Status

2a. False: One-third to one-half of all species of frogs are in danger of becoming extinct in the near future.

2b. True: About 4,000 species of amphibians exist worldwide, and most of them are frogs and toads.

2c. False: The skin is highly permeable to water.

Vocabulary and Answers

• 3. a) moistened, b) petition, c) concern, d) rate
• 4. 1a, 2c, 3c

September 2008: British Youth and Social Issues

1a. Yet last year more than a fifth of Britons avoided... Britons are frightened of their own young.

1b. As Gordon Brown has recently said, kids are out of control... in Britain and an issue about gun crime as well as knife crime.

Social Observations

2a. True: The English boys and girls who casually pick fights are often fueled by cheap alcohol.

2b. False: As Gordon Brown has recently said, kids are out of control... in Britain and an issue about gun crime as well as knife crime.

2c. True: It may be that parents aren't always around to help socialize their children or even just to show them affection.

Vocabulary and Answers

• 3. a) significant, b) encounters, c) frightened, d) worried
• 4. 1b, 2b, 3a

June 2009: Distracted Driving and Technology

1a. Using gadgets while you're driving can be a very bad thing, but an expert on automobile distractions says using a... played a role in most of those crashes.

1b. After the feedback sessions... low even six weeks later.

Safety Research

2a. True: More than 40,000 people die every year in motor vehicle crashes, and research indicates that failures of attention, including distractions or drowsiness, probably played a role in most of those crashes.

2b. False: As new technologies are introduced, the list of potential distractions keeps getting longer.

2c. False: Lee's method was to install a special camera system that saves video snippets for the 10 seconds before and after every abrupt movement on the road.

Vocabulary and Answers

• 3. a) drowsiness, b) snippets, c) survey, d) gadget
• 4. 1c, 2b, 3c