EXERCISE

01
TEXT

READING COMPREHENSION

The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico could turn out to be Obamas Katrina and BPs Exxon Valdez. Already Obama is being criticized by some on the right for not having been on the scene on the same day of the oil rig explosion, though White House sources are quick to point out that initially, no one had any idea that the spill would grow to such proportions. As for BP, it has said in its defense that it doesnt run the oil rig, that it simply buys the oil from the rig operator. All this has led many to wonder who will end up covering the estimated five-billion dollars it will take to clean up the spill. And that price tag assumes things dont get any worse. The worst-case scenarios indicate that the entire Gulf coast, from Florida to Texas, could be awash in black sludge if efforts to contain the spill at the source arent successful. Its virtually guaranteed that Louisiana, which has yet to fully recover from Hurricane Katrina and is still heavily dependent on seafood caught in the Gulf for much of its economy, will be hit hard by this disaster. The Republican governor of Louisiana and longtime Obama critic, Bobby Jindal, has, for the time being at least, put aside his differences with President Obama as they try to come up with a speedy solution in an effort to head off a potential environmental catastrophe.

EXCERCISE

1. This story is mainly about Hurricane Katrina and the Exxon Valdez disaster. 2. The oil rig that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico belongs to BP. 3. It can be inferred that, at first, it looked like the spill would be relatively easy to contain. 4. The five-billion dollar bill to clean up the spill is a worst-case estimate. 5. Louisiana has fully recovered from the effects of Hurricane Katrina. 6. What do you think hit hard (underlined) means?

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

True False True False True False True False True False

6. .......................................................................... .......................................................................... True False

7. Before this disaster, the governor of Louisiana 7. and President Obama disagreed on most things. 8. What do you think the phrasal verb head off in the last sentence means?

8. .......................................................................... ..........................................................................

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