Grade 7 Term 3 Final Exam (SEN)

(READING COMPREHENSION)

Voss and Imsdal come from Norway, Bisleri is bottled in India, and Vata is an Iranian brand. Around the globe, people are quenching their thirst with bottled water. In the past 10 years, sales in Asia and South America have tripled. In 2007, people in the United States drank more than 8 billion gallons of bottled water. The United States currently consumes the most bottled water in the world, followed by Mexico, China, and Brazil. Compared to sugary, caffeinated soft drinks, this seems a healthy choice. But is it a wise one?

Which sentence best states the central idea of this paragraph?

• Many brands of bottled water have unusual names.

• Buying and drinking bottled water is popular all over the world.

(READING COMPREHENSION)

Voss and Imsdal come from Norway, Bisleri is bottled in India, and Vata is an Iranian brand. Around the globe, people are quenching their thirst with bottled water. In the past 10 years, sales in Asia and South America have tripled. In 2007, people in the United States drank more than 8 billion gallons of bottled water. The United States currently consumes the most bottled water in the world, followed by Mexico, China, and Brazil. Compared to sugary, caffeinated soft drinks, this seems a healthy choice. But is it a wise one?

Which country comes in third place in consuming bottled water?

• Brazil

• China

(READING COMPREHENSION)

The impact of bottled water on the environment, however, is staggering. Approximately 2.7 million tons of plastic are turned into disposable bottles each year. This requires large quantities of crude oil and water. It also produces greenhouse gases. Bottled water is often shipped long distances to reach consumers, sometimes transcontinentally. This uses even more fossil fuels and creates more pollution.

What is one of the disadvantages of using bottled water?

• It produces greenhouse gases

• It creates jobs

(READING COMPREHENSION)

The impact of bottled water on the environment, however, is staggering. Approximately 2.7 million tons of plastic are turned into disposable bottles each year. This requires large quantities of crude oil and water. It also produces greenhouse gases. Bottled water is often shipped long distances to reach consumers, sometimes transcontinentally. This uses even more fossil fuels and creates more pollution.

What does this paragraph suggest is the main disadvantage of bottled water?

• It is harmful to the environment.

• It is very expensive.

(READING COMPREHENSION)

Convenience isn’t the only reason for bottled water’s rise in popularity. Words like “pristine” and “pure,” together with images of mountains or glaciers, are used to market bottled water. Many people believe that it must be cleaner and more healthful than tap water from public water systems. But this is a misconception. In developed nations such as the United States and in Europe, regulations that ensure safe water are often stricter for tap than for bottled water.

The word pristine is used as a synonym for the word pure.

What connotations does the word pristine have that make it mean something a little different than pure?

• not natural; mysterious

• in its original state; natural

(READING COMPREHENSION)

Jermuk water, which is bottled in Armenia, provides an example of how bottled water standards vary from place to place. In 2007, Jermuk water was pulled from American shelves by the FDA because it contained arsenic levels as high as 674 micrograms per liter. Armenian standards allow as much as 700 micrograms of arsenic per liter of water, but U.S. standards set the limit at 10 micrograms per liter.

Why Jermuk water was banned in the United States?

• It contains low arsenic levels

• It contains high arsenic levels

(READING COMPREHENSION)

At times, bottled water is the best available option. Hurricanes, other natural disasters, and emergency situations such as the terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center in 2001 can negatively affect the safety of public water. Reliable water systems may not be in place in developing nations and war-torn countries. In these cases, bottled water can provide an important source of clean, safe, drinking water.

This paragraph is mainly about--

• advantages of bottled water

• disadvantages of bottled water

(READING COMPREHENSION)

“Back to the tap” movements are cropping up around the world. In order to save money, use fewer resources, and create less waste, they advocate using tap water and reusable “sports” bottles rather than bottled water. San Francisco and other cities across the United States no longer allow their governmental departments to buy single-serve water bottles. Cities in Canada, Australia, and the United Kingdom are considering similar bans.

Which country started to stop allowing single-serve water bottles?

• Canada

• USA

(READING COMPREHENSION)

Many bottled water companies are trying to do their part, too. They have reduced the amount of plastic in their bottles and bottle caps. Both the Colorado-based BIOTA company and the English company Belu Water use biodegradable plastic bottles derived from corn. Belu takes it a step further by donating some of its profits to clean water projects.

How are some bottled water companies starting to help the environment?

• use more plastic in their bottles

• use less plastic in their bottles

(READING COMPREHENSION)

Worldwide we are now using six times as much water per person as we were 75 years ago. Fresh water is used in homes, businesses, and industry, and for fishing, drinking, sanitation, agriculture, transportation, cooling, and flood control. All of this increased use, combined with a growing global population and pollution, has greatly decreased the amount of available fresh water.

According to this paragraph, what are the main reasons that there is a shortage of water in the world?

• frequent natural disasters and warfare

• increased water usage per person and more people