The arguments about climate change

According to all the measurements, climate change happens / is happening, but science appears / is appearing to be split on what to do about it. Unfortunately, scientists do not all agree /aren’t all agreeing about the causes of global warming. In a recent book, two scientists – Fred Singer, a climate physicist, and Dennis Avery, a biologist – argue /are arguing that the warming currently observed around the world is part of a 1,500-year cycle in solar energy. Singer, an outspoken critic of the idea that humans warm / are warming the planet, and Avery, believe / are believing that a well-established 1.500-year cycle in the Earth’s climate can explain most of the global warming that takes place/has taken place in the last 100 years. We are currently on an upswing, getting warmer after the Little Ice Age, but in a few hundred years we will be / are back on the downswing, and getting colder again. They say / are saying that efforts to slow down the current warming by reducing emissions of greenhouse gases are at best pointless, or at worst economically damaging. This, of course, is not what the fourth assessment report of the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has said/ said a few weeks ago. That report from the UN climate science working group has concluded/ concluded that it is / has been likely that rising greenhouse gas concentrations have caused/ caused most recent warming and that, depending on our actions now to slow the growth of emissions, warming by 2100 will probably be/ is probably between about 1.5°C and 6°C. So, which scientists tell/ are telling us the truth?

Exercise 4.Complete the text using the required past, present or future forms of the verbs in brackets. Give alternatives where possible.

New tunnel planned beneath the Alps

For centuries, the Alps (serve) as a natural trade barrier between northern and southern Europe. Transporting Italian wine to the Netherlands, or German washing machines to Greece, (be) a long, slow journey along narrow alpine valleys, through tunnels and over passes. The amount of freight crossing the Alps in heavy vehicles (rise) sharply over the last two decades. In 1990 an estimated 40 million tonnes (go) by road; in 2001 that (rise) to 90 million tonnes, with further big increases expected by 2010. But concerns for the Alpine environment and fears over safety (lead) to big pressure to move freight off the roads and onto the railways. Both  Switzerland’s Gotthard road tunnel and France’s Mont Blanc road tunnel (suffer) major fires in the last ten years in which many (die). As long ago as 1994, the Swiss (vote) in a nationwide referendum to put all freight crossing their country onto the railways. Naturally, such an ambitious plan (not/happen) overnight, but now the project dubbed the engineering feat of the 21st century (slowly/ take shape). Right now, deep beneath the Alps, the Swiss (build) a high speed rail link between Zurich and Milan. When completed, it (be), at 57 kilometres (35 miles), the world’s longest tunnel. A key feature of the project, winch is new to alpine transport, is the fact that the entire railway line (stay) at the same altitude of 500 metres (1,650 ft) above sea level. This (allow) trains using the line to reach speeds of 240 km/h (149 mph), reducing the travel time between Zurich and Milan from today’s four hours lo just two and a half.

Exercise 5.Complete the text using the required past, present or future forms of the verbs in brackets. Give alternatives where possible.

Child employment in Victorian Britain

In Victorian London ‘mud larks’ were children who (search for) valuable bits and pieces on the shores of the River Thames. They (not/ do) this from boats, but (wait) until the tide (go)    out, and then (crawl) about in the river mud looking for anything valuable. Henry Mayhew, a Victorian writer, (interview) a ‘mud lark’ in his book about poor working people in     London in the 1850s. Here’s what he told him: ‘My family is Irish though I was born m London. My father (work) at London Docks. He is a strong-bodied man of 34. In the past I (go) to school with my brothers for about three years and (learn) reading and writing and arithmetic. One of my brothers (be) at sea for the past five years. I (work) in the neighbourhood of Millwall picking pieces of coal and iron, copper and bits of canvas on the surface. When bargemen (carry) coal to the shore some of it (fall) in the mud and we (pick up) it. The most I (ever see) my companions find is one shilling’s worth a day. There are usually thirteen or fourteen mud larks, boys and girls, in the summer, and six boys steadily in the winter. When a bargeman (get hold) of one of us, he generally (throw) him into the river. The police boat (chase) us two or three times. One night I (see) a large piece of copper drop down where they (repair) a ship. That evening as the ship (come) out of the docks, I (strip off) my clothes and (dive) down several feet, (seize) the piece of copper and later (sell) it to a marine dealer’.

Exercise 6.Complete the text using the required past, present or future forms of the verbs in brackets.

Uncle Vernon cleared his throat importantly and (say), ‘Now, as we all know, today (be) a very important day.’ Of course, Harry thought bitterly, Uncle Vernon (talk) about the stupid dinner party. He (talk) of nothing else for a fortnight. Some rich builder and his wife (come) to dinner, and Uncle Vernon (hope) to get a huge order of drills from him.

‘I (think) we should run through the schedule one more time’, (say) Uncle Vernon. ‘Petunia, at eight o’clock you (be) - ?’

‘In the lounge’, (say) Aunt Petunia promptly.

‘And you, Dudley?’

‘I (wait) to open the door. ‘May I take your coats, Mr. and Mrs. Mason?’

‘Excellent, Dudley,’ (say) Uncle Vernon. Then he (round) on Harry. ‘And you?’

‘I (be) in my bedroom, making no noise and pretending I’m not there’.

‘Exactly,’ (say) Uncle Vernon nastily. ‘The Masons (not / know) anything about you, and it’s going to stay that way. When dinner (be) over, you (take) Mrs. Mason back to the lounge for coffee, Petunia, and I (bring) the subject round to drills. With any luck, I (sign) and (seal) the deal before the News at Ten. We (shop) for a holiday home in Majorca this time tomorrow’.

(Abridged from “Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets” by J.K. Rowling)

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