Habitat destruction Use of English exercise

Habitat Destruction

Read the text below and decide which answer A, B, C or D best fits each space. There is an example at the beginning (0).

0          A environs       B place            C environment                         D ground

All over the world, people are changing the face of the Earth. Wild areas are cleared for farming and to build roads and expand cities. Our factories, cars and power stations poison the (0) ..C... with polluting gases and chemical (1) ..... . As well as transforming the environment, we are destroying habitats, the homes of (2) ..... plants and animals.

Living things have evolved (3) ..... millions of years. Many animals and plants can only (4) ..... in certain environments. When (5) ..... areas are destroyed, wildlife cannot always (6) ..... to the new conditions and some species may (7) ..... . Thousands of species of plants and animals face extinction because of human activities.

People can also (8) ..... from habitat destruction. When forests are (9) ..... earth is washed away, this causes crop failure and starvation. There is the future to consider, too; plants provide essential food and can also be used in medicines. If species (10) ..... extinct, their potential value will never be known.

The scale of destruction is enormous. Swamps, forests, grasslands and jungles are being cleared at an increasing (11) ..... . Half of the world's tropical rainforests have (12) ..... been destroyed. Coral reefs, called the rainforests of the ocean because they are so rich in life, are (13) .....  around the world. We must limit the (14) ..... to habitats now (15) ..... they remain a valuable resource for the future.

1          A   rubbish       B   nonsense          C  remains             D   waste  

2          A   both            B   each                 C  every                  D   either  

3          A   over            B   in                      C  during                D   since  

4          A   persist         B   survive             C  go                       D   attend  

5          A   so                B   this                   C  such                   D   that  

6          A   adapt          B   use                    C  stand                 D   bear  

7          A   fade out      B   die out              C  give out             D   run out  

8          A   experience  B   feel                   C  suffer                 D   damage  

9          A   cut down    B   pulled down     C  put down          D   struck down  

10        A   get               B   die                    C  result                D   become  

11        A   degree          B   rate                  C  extent               D   index  

12        A   still              B   even                 C  already              D   yet  

13        A   threatened  B   violated            C  wasted              D   spoilt  

14        A   injury          B   hurt                  C  damage            D   pain  

15        A   so that         B   in order to        C   in case             D   as a result  

Adapted from Fast Track to FCE, Longman

Answers below!