1.
Trees bind the earth with their roots, protecting the soil from erosion and reducing the evaporation of water.
When they are cut down the earth is left naked, to be flushed away by rain or dried by the sun and attacked by the
wind. Deforestation is a major factor in the increase of floods; droughts have increased dramatically in areas where
deforestation is most severe.
2.
Cadbury Schweppes moved to defend its position in the US soft drinks market. From the beginning of next year,
7-Up will be given a sharper, stronger lemon-and-lime flavor. The move will be accompanied by new packaging, a
new advertising campaign, aggressive marketing and an effort to increase the drink’s popularity among 18-24 year-
olds, who are the main customers for carbonated soft drinks.
3.
In 1803, Napoleon, Emperor of France, decided to dispense with France's American possessions. He sold the
entire Mississippi valley, an area of 828,000 square miles extending from Canada down to the Gulf of Mexico and
westwards to the Rockies, for over 27mn dollars. Through this transaction, President Thomas Jefferson doubled the
size of the United States for only 15 cents per acre.
4.
Four children out of every five in 1960 died of leukemia. Now four out of five survive. The secret lies in a forest
plant
rosy periwinkle
that lives in the rainforests. It supplies vital material against leukemia and several other
cancers. Less than 1 per cent of the plant species that make up the rainforests of the world have been examined for
their potential. Cures for cancer, unknown miracle foods and products await discovery. And plants that could be
used to develop new medicines face extinction.
5.
Many companies already have large debts and are paying heavy costs. Any new increase will definitely make
problems worse. A representative of the Workers’ Union said: “Many businesses will close. This new increase in
the cost of borrowing is a disaster.”
6.
Millions of people, without knowing it, are allergic to everyday foods and chemicals. Headaches, depression,
tiredness, high blood pressure are just some of the conditions which can be caused by unrecognized allergies.
7.
Tropical timber is one of the leading exports of the Third World. It earns as much as cotton, twice as much as
rubber and three times as much as cocoa. Altogether the world consumes enough wood to cover Manhattan to the
height of a 10-storey building.
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