Advanced English Reading and Comprehension

112 practice makes perfect Advanced English Reading and Comprehension

Features Curitiba Hammarby Sjöstad

Traic and transportation

Energy

Handling of waste

Critical thinking

8 ·10

EXERCISE

Making evaluationsIndicate which of the following activities contribute to a

sustainable eco-city (✓) and which do not (X). Give reasons to support your answers.

1. Growing lawns that require heavy watering in the summer


2. Building neighborhoods of luxury single-family dwellings on a mountainside where
   all the trees have been removed


3. Making the downtown core of the city a pedestrian zone


4. Recycling organic household waste as compost for municipal parks and community
   gardens


5. Tearing down a historic building and replacing it with multilevel parking


6. Increasing fares for public transportation on a yearly basis


7. Establishing rock gardens of native plants in a city that has a hot, dry climate and
   a limited water supply


8. Incorporating solar energy into all public buildings


9. Building more garbage landills on the edge of the city


10. Consulting residents when major construction projects are being planned

8 ·11

EXERCISE

Making a caseMake a case for or against the proposal for building a new bridge

below. Do you think the city should build a new bridge or upgrade the old one and

spend money on other projects? Give reasons to support your position.

The city council has decided to borrow a large sum of money to replace a 90-year-old bridge

with a modern structure. The old bridge is one of two of its kind in North America and is

considered a heritage landmark by many citizens, who want to see it restored rather than torn

down.

The city argues that it is too late to save the bridge, which has not been well maintained

over the years, and that it would not be safe in the event of an earthquake. The new bridge

design will include a separate bike lane and a separate pedestrian crossing.

The supporters of the old bridge argue that the city has purposefully neglected the

bridge so that companies can make money building the new bridge, and that the city has

misinformed the public and excluded citizens from the decision-making process. The new