Anders Brevik
English mock exam
1) A- I chose the order 3-7-2-5-1-6-4
B- The reason for this is as following: Number three makes for a good introduction,
number seven explains the story which follows it and number four is the conclusion,
one might say that it wraps it all up.
2) A- Some years ago a new factory called Newsea Chemicals Ltd. was built in Newsea.
Its parent company is called ICC, those letters stand for International Carbonide
Corporation. The company is believed to be making enormous profits, but its
production process has harmful effects on the local environment. The production
process relies on open-cast mining and it produces toxic waste, some of that waste
even pollutes the air. The factory’s solid waste is dumped at open landfills along the
river and the factory also emits a small trace of lead into the atmosphere. Because of
the factory, heavy lorries have to drive right through the narrow streets of Newsea
were they represent a traffic hazard, especially towards children and this is
infuriating the parents. The local manager is from Norway, his name is Lars
Laursensen and thinks the local opposition is one-sided. He said: Newsea Chemicals
Ltd. has created more than 500 secure jobs and its workers make good money!
B- My language differs greatly from the text written in the exam papers, the text in
those papers are riddled with full stops and its lack of flow makes it almost painful to
read. In that text it is written: “ It is believed to be making enormous profits(Full
stop). Its production process has harmful effects on the local environment(Full stop).
Anders Brevik
It relies on open-cast mining(Full stop). It produces toxic waste(Full stop). Some of it
pollutes the air(Full stop). “
Whereas I have written: “The company is believed to be making enormous profits,
but its production process has harmful effects on the local environment. The
production process relies on open-cast mining and it produces toxic waste, some of
that waste even pollutes the air.” I have fewer full stops and more conjunctions
which make it easier to read and give it a better flow of words.
Another example on where to two texts differ is this, in the pamphlet the text says:
“The local manages is Norwegian(Full stop). He is called Lars Laurensen(Full stop). He
thinks the local opposition is one-siden(Full stop).
I have written: “The local manager is from Norway, his name is Lars Laurensen and
thinks the local opposition is one-sided.”.
Here I have also used more conjunctions, fewer full stops and more commas than the
text in the pamphlet did, this creates from my point of view a much better text and
makes for better reading. Another thing where these texts differ is where Lars
Laursensen’s name is mentioned. The pamphlet says he is called Lars Laurensen
whereas mine says that his name is Lars Laurensen.
Anders Brevik
You’ve had enough for tonight, go home.
3,D) “Forgive us the environmental crimes of the 20th century; we were drunk on gasoline”
- Kurt Vonnegut
“You’ve had enough for tonight, go home!” is a phrase used by barkeeps all over the world,
maybe it’s time for someone to tell our society the same?
Well, maybe some are but we’re sure not listening to them! We’re the big guy in the corner
which even the bouncers won’t dare to meddle with. If he wants more, he gets more. That’s
how it is, the bartender’s behind the bar, serving, praying he won’t run out in fear of the
customers rage.
Will it ever happen to us? Will we ever be denied service? Will we ever be the enraged
customer? The fact is that we are using enormous amounts of oil, oil which is being turned
into all sorts of products, clothes, furniture, energy and fuel. We are using lots of it, and we
sure are dependent on it! As it is now, our society would not function without our oil and the
petrol which is derived from it. We would be without power, and without power there
would be no water, no heat, all of our modern day comforts would be taken away. Food
wouldn’t be delivered to the stores, supplies wouldn’t get to its destination and farm output
all over the world would be lowered.
Let’s talk about our cars for a bit, most people got a car and some people even got several of
them! Big SUVs, trucks and some vehicles just used recreationally without any productive
purpose. Cars are using up a lot of oil, a lot of petrol.
It’s being spent on them in the gathering of their materials, on their production, on their
shipping, on their use, on their maintenance and finally even on their decommission.
Anders Brevik
And oh boy are we using our cars! There may be a store just down the road, but do you
walk? Nah, too much hassle, what if you happen to buy a lot of groceries, imagine having to
carry them all the one hundred meters back home. Walking and carrying is just too much
nowadays, even though we were doing it for several thousand years before modern times.
Walking alone has even become such a hassle for some, that they have invented small
vehicles capable of operating indoors, small chairs with tiny electric motors and a little
steering wheel. I also bet you have seen the photo of a woman walking her dog, or perhaps I
should say driving it?
She is seen driving a big gas guzzling SUV with her hand out the windows holding on to her
dog’s leash. I wonder if this is common. No surprise there, that the picture is taken in the
most car crazed nation on earth, The US of A! Where else than in the homeland of the drive
in cafes and cinemas would this occur?
Imagine if the Chinese, living in the world’s most populated country would become as car
crazed as the Americans, or what if the Indians, living in the world’s largest democracy would
suffer the same fate?
Oil is what fuels our modern day lives; oil is the source of our scientific and economical
growth which in turn is the source of our prosperity. But oil is also one of the primary causes
of the greatest challenge man has ever had to face. Global warming and the imminent
climate change.
Have you ever thought about the great lengths which we got to procure this material?
Wars have been fought for it, we’re drilling the sea bed for it, digging for it and we’re even
sacrificing food production to make plants we can get oil out of!
For example, during the Second World War one of the main reasons Hitler broke his treaty
with the Russians and eventually lost the war was because he needed access to oil rich fields
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controlled by the Russians. Germany’s need for this oil was luckily so severe that they made
a mistake so great that it caused Germany to lose their war and for us to gain our freedom.
Now the oil we’re fighting over is mostly located in the Middle-East, where we don’t just
wage war for it, we’re also aligning us with evil regimes as the Saudis. A country where you
will most likely be stoned to death if you try to speak your mind, and where it is forbidden to
leave the house alone if you haven’t got a large beard and male genitals.
They will stone you to death if you break their rules of obscenity. Isn’t it odd then, that most
western countries aren’t condemning this country’s violations of the human rights? Well,
they might want to, but they’re too afraid, dependent on the Saudis’ oil.
Here in Norway we have gone from one of the poorest nations in Europe to one of the
richest. Mostly because of our oil, and as my father would say: The labour party’s ability to
keep the oil out of the foreign companies’ control.
We are filthy rich, if you compare us the say Africa. We are all filthy rich, every single one of
us! Just because of a black goo which burns when ignited, incredible, isn’t it?
But the oil isn’t without its drawbacks, global warming caused by the greenhouse effects is a
danger becoming more real day by day. Some of us are hoping that Al Gore and his movie
“An inconvenient truth” is going to usher in an era of change. We’re hoping that people will
take it seriously and that it is not too late to change our ways!
Some day, China may become a one of the major players in green technology. China is a
country capable of enforcing very strict rules upon its populace so one might say that China
is the ideal country to start the change. The one child policy is a step in the right way, less
people would mean less pollution. Giving birth is actually one of the most pollution things
one can ever do, so why don’t just be contempt with one child?
Anders Brevik
Let’s hope their next policy is about banning coal power, which is arguably the most
polluting power source still in use.
The reason why China could become an example to follow is because of its democracy, or
one might say, the lack of it. Here in the west, things take time, a lot of time. This is because
of the democratic process and the drawbacks which follows it. Before anyone is going to do
something major to help combat the upcoming climate change it has to become less of a
political suicide to do so than it is now. Especially in the US some people are very reluctant
to change their ways.
Another side of global warming is its impact on our world and the people who populates it.
On December 17, 2007 the Indonesian Environment Minister Rachmat Witoelar said: “It is
becoming increasingly evident that the most severe impacts of climate change will be felt by
the poor nations” when addressing the opening session of the climate-change conference in
Bali. The trouble caused by global warming is most likely going to be felt best by the poor
people of the world and it isn’t very hard to understand why it’s going to be like this.
The most obvious reason is that the poor nations do not have the resources to combat the
effects of global warming and make the consequences of it less severe. If crops fail in
Norway, prices are going to rise but the supply won’t be that diminished as we can just buy
some of our food from other countries and that’s it. In poorer countries, especially poor
countries in Africa where they already have a hard time getting food as it is, things are going
to become worse, much worse.
Their own crops might fail totally, leaving the country without food whatsoever and the
amount of food coming in from other countries would be considerable less since those
countries now also have a hard time getting the food they need.
Anders Brevik
And if the climate shits so dramatically that their country needs to redistribute their
agriculture, this is a process that won’t exactly happen overnight in Africa’s poorest nations.
The poor countries of the world are also more dependent on seasonal farming. So if the
climate shifts in such a drastic manner that the seasons become thrown of balance, things
would become catastrophic to say the least!
To conclude, we are spending awful large amounts of oil every year and our use of it is
growing larger and larger! Our dependence on foreign oil here in Norway is nonexistent, but
other countries are being forced into dealing with criticisable regimes and countries to get
much of their oil.
In the third world, the situation is looking even grimmer. They are going to feel the effects of
global warming more than any of us, and that’s without even getting a taste of all the
prosperity our modern way of living has brought us.
Maybe it’s time for the man at the oil pumps, the man at the tap, the man behind the bar to
tell us: You’ve had enough for tonight, go home!