Understanding the text 2
1. Locate the lines in the text that support the title 'The Ailing Planet'.
2. What does the notice 'The world's most dangerous animal' at a cage
the zoo at Lusaka, Zambia, signify?
How are the earth's principal biological systems being depleted?
4. Why does the author aver that the growth of world population is one
the strongest factors distorting the future of human society?
Talking about the text
Answers
Answer:
1. The following lines in the text support the title "The Ailing Planet".
- "Are we to leave our successors a scorched planet of advancing deserts, impoverished landscapes and ailing environment.
- A three-year study using satellites and aerial photography conducted by the United Nations warms that the environment has deteriorated so badly that it is 'critical' in many of the eighty-eight countries investigated.
2. The notice "The world's most dangerous animals" at a cage in the zoo at Lusaka, Zambia signifies that man is solely responsible for all the deterioration in the environment and depletion of natural resources. Thus man is the world's most dangerous animal.
3. The earth's principal biological systems are being depleted by excessive use. Overfishing is quite common. Forests are being cut to obtain firewood for cooking. Grasslands are turning into barren wastelands and croplands are deteriorating as their productivity has been impaired.
4. The growth of the world population puts a severe strain on the earth's principal biological systems. Due to excessive human claims, these reach an unsustainable level where their productivity is damaged. Development is not possible if the world population continues to grow so rapidly. Increasing population brings hunger, poverty and unemployment.