NAME ________________________________________________________________________________ DATE ____________________________________ UNIVERSITY SUCCESS Intermediate to High-Intermediate | Reading TEST 5C |Chemical Engineering READ A Read the passage. Annotate as you read and takes notes in the mind map. UNIVERSITY SUCCESS Intermediate to High-Intermediate | Reading | Test 5C Copyright © 2018 by Pearson Education, Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use. NAME ________________________________________________________________________________ DATE ____________________________________ The Pros and Cons of Oil Pipelines 1 Over the past few years, the building of new oil pipelines (long lines of connecting pipes, used for carrying gas, oil, etc. over long distances) has been a big political and social issue in the United States. Thousands of people have protested the new construction, saying that the pipelines are dangerous for both people and the environment, while politicians and energy companies have tried to convince the public that they are the best (and safest) way to meet the energy needs of homes and businesses. Both sides make good points, and exploring each can help one to understand the issue. 2 In the United States alone, there are over 2.5 million miles (or 4 million kilometers) of pipeline, with some being as short as one mile, and the longest ones stretching over 1,000 miles. Almost all of them are buried underground. They are used to move oil from an oil well (the place where oil is found) to a refinery (the place where oil is made to be used), and then from refineries to distribution centers. From these centers, the oil is put on trucks and delivered to gas stations, homes, and so on. So, oil may travel thousands of miles before it is used to fuel a car in the form of gasoline. 3 Over 99 percent of the time, oil gets to its destination without a problem. However, accidents sometimes occur, and they can be disastrous. In 2010, for example, a pipeline leaked hundreds of thousands of gallons into lands near the Kalamazoo River in the U.S. state of Michigan. This caused nearly a billion dollars in damage to the environment. In fact, from 2010 to 2015, there were over 4,000 pipeline accidents in the United States, creating billions of dollars of damage and killing dozens of people. 4 Environmental protection and human safety are just two reasons that people have protested the building of new pipelines. But there is still another issue: Protestors say that new pipelines encourage society to use oil instead of finding cleaner energy sources, such as solar or wind power. Because the use of dirty energy adds to the problems caused by climate change, oil pipelines should not be built, they say. 5 However, the U.S. economy relies heavily on the oil industry—it provides businesses with energy, cars with gasoline, and millions of people with jobs. At the same time, the industry makes billions of dollars in profits each year. Many politicians and business leaders say that expanding the oil industry’s infrastructure (the systems and buildings that an industry needs to work well) is essential for the U.S. economy. They add that pipelines are the safest way to do this. This is because other kinds of oil transport, such as trains, are more dangerous than pipelines. In 2013, for instance, nearly 50 people were killed when a train carrying oil exploded in the Canadian town of Lac-Mégantic near Montréal. Pipeline construction has improved over time; there are now fewer accidents than before, even though there are more miles of pipeline than in the past. 6 In the years to come, it is unlikely that people on either side will change their position on pipeline development. The oil industry holds a lot of power and can influence the decisions that politicians make on these issues. But climate change is becoming more important for the general public, and a growing number of people want the government to spend money on infrastructure that provides cleaner energy. Because human and environmental safety is at the center of this issue, one hopes that government and industry will focus on cleaner and safer energy in the future. B Answer the questions. Use the reading and language skills you have learned and your notes. 1 What is the best summary of how oil is transported through pipelines? A Pipelines carry oil from refineries to wells to distribution centers. B Pipelines carry oil from wells to refineries to gas stations. C Pipelines carry oil from wells to distribution centers to gas stations. D Pipelines carry oil from wells to refineries to distribution centers. 2 What is the main idea of Paragraph 3? A Pipeline accidents rarely happen in the United States. UNIVERSITY SUCCESS Intermediate to High-Intermediate | Reading | Test 5C Copyright © 2018 by Pearson Education, Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use. NAME ________________________________________________________________________________ DATE ____________________________________ B A pipeline accident occurred in Michigan and caused a lot of damage. C The Kalamazoo River is now polluted because of a horrible pipeline accident. D Pipeline accidents can cause great harm to people and the environment. 3 What is true, according to the text? A It is not necessary to spend money on cleaner energy. B Pipeline construction has improved over time. C Climate change is not important to politicians. D Pipelines fail 99 percent of the time. 4 According to the passage, what is the safest way to transport oil? A trains B trucks C pipelines D ships 5 In Paragraph 6, the word influence is closest in meaning to A continue B shape C prevent D discuss 6 In which paragraph does the writer describe a pipeline accident? A Paragraph 2 B Paragraph 3 C Paragraph 4 D Paragraph 5 7 What is the purpose of Paragraph 2? A to describe a process B to describe a problem C to narrate a story D to argue a point 8 We can infer from Paragraph 5 that . A politicians and business leaders do not want to continue using pipelines UNIVERSITY SUCCESS Intermediate to High-Intermediate | Reading | Test 5C Copyright © 2018 by Pearson Education, Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use. . NAME ________________________________________________________________________________ DATE ____________________________________ B the U.S. economy is not impacted by the oil industry C the United States will be dependent on oil for many years to come D there are now more pipeline accidents than in the past 9 What can be inferred from the passage? A Pipeline accidents are very costly. B The general public is not concerned about pipelines. C The oil industry has had lower profits in recent years. D Pipeline accidents create many new jobs for Americans. UNIVERSITY SUCCESS Intermediate to High-Intermediate | Reading | Test 5C Copyright © 2018 by Pearson Education, Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use. NAME ________________________________________________________________________________ DATE ____________________________________ THINKING CRITICALLY C Describe the factors driving the need for increased oil pipeline production. Then discuss how these factors could be addressed in ways other than using pipelines. ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________ UNIVERSITY SUCCESS Intermediate to High-Intermediate | Reading | Test 5C Copyright © 2018 by Pearson Education, Inc. Permission granted to reproduce for classroom use.
