ACID RAIN
When people climb some of the mountains in North
America, they hike through areas where many of
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the trees are dead or dying. It is believed that the
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fir trees in those forests are being killed by acid
rain. In Sweden people used to enjoy fishing for
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trout in freshwater lakes that were full of different
types of fish and plants. Now those lakes are empty because the water is too acidic
for any living things to survive.
An acid is a substance that releases hydrogen ions when it is dissolved in water.
Strong acids release many hydrogen ions, in contrast to weak acids which release only
a few. Sulphuric acid is an example of a strong acid. It can cause burns on skin and
it can dissolve many metals. Citric acid is an example of a weaker acid which is found
in citrus fruits such as oranges and lemons. It can be taken into the body without
any harm.
Acidity refers to how strong or weak an acid is. The measure of acidity is called pH. A
pH of 7 is neutral, like pure water. A pH of more than 7 is alkaline, which is
sometimes called basic. A pH of less than 7 is acid, and the lower the pH, the stronger
the acidity. A substance with a pH of 1 is very strongly acid, but a substance with a
pH of 6 is only a mild acid.
Rain occurs when water vapour condenses into
clouds and then falls to earth. As it begins to
fall, the rain is neutral – neither acid nor
alkaline. However, as it falls through polluted
air, it dissolves the chemicals which are in the
air. Among the chemicals in polluted air are
sulphur oxides and nitrogen oxides. When they
are wet, they become acids and fall to earth as
acid rain, which has a pH of less than 5.6. In
badly affected areas, this acid rain can damage
plants and animals.
When fossil fuels – oil, coal and gas – are burnt in industrial plants or automobile
engines, large amounts of sulfur oxides and nitrogen oxides are released into the air.
One factory may produce as much as 500 metric tons of sulphur oxides each day.
Most of that is sulphur dioxide, which becomes sulphuric acid in moist, or damp, air.
This acid attacks metal and destroys buildings, in addition to affecting plants and
animals.
Human beings cannot escape the damage, either. The chemicals in acid rain have
serious health effects on many people, especially those who suffer from asthma and
bronchitis. When acid rain enters the water supply, it can affect the health of the
people who use the water. It can also affect babies before they are born, and the milk
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that they receive from their mothers in their first few months.
somebody else’s problem; it is everybody’s problem.
Acid rain is not
FK 7.8 / 490 words
ACID RAIN
Section 1.SCANNING.
Answer the following questions, using a MAXIMUM OF 3 WORDS.
_____________ 1. Where are trees dying?
_____________ 2. Where are fish dying?
_____________ 3. Give an example of a strong acid.
_____________ 4. Where is citric acid found?
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_____________ 5. What is the pH of acid rain?
Section 2. SKIMMING
Answer the following questions, using a MAXIMUM OF 5 WORDS.
__________________________ 6. Why is Swedish water no good for life?
__________________________ 7. What happens to water when it is mixed with
sulphur and nitrogen oxides?
__________________________ 8. What can strong acid do to many metals?
__________________________ 9. Which is stronger, an acid with a pH of 3,
or an acid with a pH of 5?
Section 3. Decide if the following statements are True, False or have No Information. Write T,
F or NI.
_____ 10. A pH of 8 is acid.
_____ 11. When rain starts to fall, it is alkaline.
_____ 12. Nitrogen oxide is more dangerous than sulfur oxide.
_____ 13. Gas is a fossil fuel.
_____ 14. Acid rain affects plants but not buildings.
_____ 15. People in the UAE should worry about the affects of acid rain here.
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Section 4. VOCABULARY. Some words are written in italics.
Circle the correct meaning A, B, C or D.
16.
hike
A walk
B jump
C carry
D fly
19. releases
A opens
B closes
C understands
D lets out
17. trout
A
B
C
D
plants
animals
fish
insects
20 mild
A
B
C
D
very strong
strong
quite strong
not strong
18. lakes
A hills
B rocks
C large pools
D roads
21 industrial plants
A
B
C
D
tomatoes
factories
tanks
automobiles
Section 5 REFERENCE What do the words in bold underlined refer to ?
________________ 22. Paragraph 1 those
________________ 23. Paragraph 2 that
________________ 24. Paragraph 4 it
________________ 25. Paragraph 6 they
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