IT - practice test 4 - Bui Nhung

Both the reading and the listening passage discusses the same topic that is about sulfur dioxide. But their perspective is totally different. While the reading mentions three main bad effects of it, the listening claims that sulfur dioxide is helpful in some ways.

First and foremost, in the passage, that substance causes smog and makes fog thicker. So it harms people’s health and traffic business. However, in the lecture, sulfur dioxide owns a lot of good aspects. Huge and thick clouds created by sulfur dioxide are effective barriers to obstruct solar radiation and reflect sunlight back in the space. Through that process, the damage caused by global warming and the earth’s temperature are alleviated.

Next, the writer claims that sulfur dioxide should be responsible for breathing problems. However, the lecturer opposes that argument by giving two points. Just some substances containing in the air polluted do a harm for human’s breathing, and sulfur dioxide does contribute nothing to this issue. In addition, only people suffering from some diseases relating to breathing is sensitive to sulfur dioxide. It means that it is dangerous to few people who are weak before or old people.

Finally, with regarding to acid rain, the passage shows that sulfur dioxide is the main reason for damaging human heath and surrounding environments like trees and the surface of buildings. On the other hand, the speaker says that acid rain is created by a lot of ingredients including nitrogen dioxide and sulfur dioxide. But instead of sulfur dioxide, nitrogen dioxide is the main contributor to this severe phenomenon. Moreover, releasing this substance from the air can not end acid rain falling.