Listening

LISTENING

E. On the basis of the listening passage, choose the correct answer from the given options.

Severn Cullis-Suzuki (born November 30, 1979 in Vancouver, British Columbia) is a Canadian environmental activist. She has spoken around the world about environmental issues, urging listeners to define their values, act with the future in mind, and take individual responsibility. In 1992, at age 12, Cullis-Suzuki raised money with members of ECO to attend the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro. Cullis-Suzuki presented environmental issues from a youth’s perspective at the summit, where she was applauded for her speech to the delegates.

Hello. I'm Severn Suzuki, speaking for ECO, the Environmental Children's Organization. We are group of 12- and 13-year-olds trying to make a difference: Vanessa Suttie, Morgan Geisler, Michelle Quigg, and me. We've raised all the money to come here ourselves, to come 5,000 miles to tell you adults you must change your ways.

Coming up here today, I have no hidden agenda. I am fighting for my future. Losing my future is not like losing an election or a few points on the stock market. I am here to speak for all generations to come. I am here to speak on behalf of the starving children around the world whose cries go unheard. I am here to speak for the countless animals dying across this planet because they have nowhere left to go. I am afraid to go out in the sun now because of the holes in our ozone. I am afraid to breathe the air because I don't know what chemicals are in it. I used to go fishing in Vancouver — my home — with my dad, until just a few years ago we found the fish full of cancers. And now we hear of animals and plants going extinct every day, vanishing forever.

In my life, I have dreamt of seeing the great herds of wild animals, jungles and rainforests, full of birds and butterflies, but now I wonder if they will even exist for my children to see. Did you have to worry of these things when you were my age? All this is happening before our eyes and yet we act as if we have all the time we want and all the solutions. I'm only a child, and I don't have all the solutions. I want you to realize, neither do you. You don't know how to fix the holes in our ozone layer. You don't know how to bring the salmon back up a dead stream. You don't know how to bring back an animal now extinct. And you can't bring back the forest that once grew where there is now a desert. If you don't know how to fix it, please stop breaking it.

Here you may be delegates of your government, business people, organizers, reporters or politicians. But really you are mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, aunts and uncles, and all of you are someone's child. I am only a child, yet I know we are all part of a family 5 billion strong. In fact, 30 million species strong.And borders and governments will never change that. I am only a child, yet I know that we're all in this together and should act as one single world towards one single goal. In my anger, I am not blind, and in my fear, I am not afraid of telling the world how I feel. In my country, we make so much waste. We buy and throw away, buy and throw away, buy and throw away, and yet Northern countries will not share with the needy. Even when we have more than enough, we are afraid to share. We are afraid to let go of some of our wealth.

In Canada, we live the privileged life with plenty of food, water and shelter. We have watches, bicycles, computers and television sets. The list could go on for two days. Two days ago here in Brazil, we were shocked when we spent time with some children living on the streets. This is what one child told us, "I wish I was rich. And if I were, I would give all the street children food, clothes, medicines, shelter, and love and affection.” If a child on the streets who has nothing is willing to share, why are we who have everything still so greedy? I can't stop thinking that these are children my own age; that it makes a tremendous difference where you are born; that I could be one of the children living in the favelas of Rio. I could be a child starving in Somalia, or a victim of war in the Middle East or a beggar in India. I am only a child, yet

I know that if all the money spent on war was spent on finding environmental answers, ending poverty and finding treaties, what a wonderful place this Earth would be.

At school, even in kindergarten, you teach us how to behave in the world. You teach us to not fight with others; to work things out; to respect others; to clean up our mess; not to hurt other creatures; to share, not be greedy. Then why do you go out and do the things you tell us not to do? Do not forget why you are attending these conferences – who you are doing this for. We are your own children. You are deciding what kind of world we are growing up in.

Parents should be able to comfort their children by saying "Everything's going to be all right. It's not the end of the world. And we're doing the best we can." But I don't think you can say that to us anymore. Are we even on your list of priorities? My dad always says, "You are what you do, not what you say." Well, what you do makes me cry at night. You grown-ups say you love us, but I challenge you, please make your actions reflect your words. Thank you.

1. Severn Suzuki represents an organization called ECO which stands for __________

(a) Ecological Cooperation.

(b) Environmental Coordinating Organization.

(c) Environmental Children’s Organization.

(d) Ecological Children’s Organization.

2. “I am fighting for my future.” The ‘fight’ refers to her_______

a) fight to win an election.

b) fight to gain a few points in share market.

c) fight against corruption.

d) fight against environmental pollution.

3. Animals and fish are becoming extinct because _____

a) they have no place to go.

b) they die of diseases.

c) their food and habitat are polluted.

d) all the above.

4. It is evident that Severn Suzuki is concerned about all other species too as, ______

a) she considers them all belonging to one world.

b) they have nobody except her to speak for. 

c) they belong to her.

d) they are all children.

5. Severn Suzuki condemns the people of her country for ____

a. contributing large amounts of waste and not sharing the excess with the needy.

b. being afraid of the poor.

c. being angry with the poor belonging to other countries.

d. being wealthy.

6. Which of the following statement is not true?

a. Canada is a rich country and people have in plenty.

b. Canadian children are privileged.

c. A Brazilian child was willing to share because she was rich.

d. Northern countries will not share with the needy

F. Answer the following questions briefly.

1. What is the humble request of the twelve- year -old to the elders?

Answer: The elders must change their ways.

2. The dream of Severn Suzuki is ______________

Answer: that all species of living things must exist.

3. The fear and agony of Severn Suzuki is ______________

Answer: that the people waste a lot and are afraid to share.

4. How does she proclaim that she represents the future generation?

Answer: She proclaims that she represents as a child.

5. The duties and responsibilities of the parents are

(a) to comfort their children saying that everything will be all right.

(b) it is not the end of the world.

(c) and we are doing the best we can.