TASK TWO (8 x 1 mark = 8 marks) MARK

Read the following text and choose the option (a, b or c) which best
completes the sentences according to the text. Then write your answer
in the corresponding box on the next page. Item 0 is an example.

HOW PAPER IS MAKING A COMEBACK

Is paper here to stay? Or are its days numbered?

At the time of its invention, life was hard if you had something you needed to remember. So when
a government official finally invented paper in AD105 in China, it was a big deal. It involved
mashing up a mixture of cloth, bark and nets with some water to form a paste. The new invention
was a hit with the Emperor – though initially it was only used for wrapping precious objects. But
soon enough, paper began to change the world.
In the Middle East, the introduction of paper coincided with the Golden Age of Islam, allowing
scholars to record their breakthroughs in science. It took more than a thousand years to arrive in
Europe, where people had had to write on the skins of calves, goats and sheep. Europeans
slaughtered millions of sheep to make “parchment” with their skin - a product available to the
wealthy only. When large-scale paper production finally reached Europe, it made mass literacy
possible in the region for the first time.
Today, in an age of computers, you could be tempted to predict the end of this ancient wonder
material. But though there has been a significant decline in the demand for so-called “graphic
paper”, like newspapers and books, the paper industry is growing like never before. From napkins
to cardboard boxes, it’s hard to imagine modern life without it. We are definitely moving towards
a cashless society with credit cards, fingerprint recognition devices, or whatever they may invent,
but a “paperless” society? Out of the question.
In actual fact, paper seems to be winning the battle against plastic. Canada recently approved a
ban on certain plastic items for next year, while the EU has plans to eradicate some of the most
notorious by 2025. India has gone further, already prohibiting single-use plastic altogether. Many
businesses have already announced they will be replacing throw-away plastic items with paper
versions. But, is plastic the villain and paper the hero? Plastic may very well be polluting our
planet, but paper is not as “green” as it is portrayed to be.
The process of making paper starts with the raw wood. First, it is turned into a brown paste.
Then, the second step is the “bleaching” - chlorine dioxide is added to achieve a high level of
brightness, appearing vividly white because it reflects a lot of blue light. In Europe, the industry
uses ozone since chlorine dioxide has a much bigger environmental impact. This is a step which
could be skipped altogether, if only we were happy with using slightly-less-white paper.
After the bleaching is over, there is the technical challenge of treating the cocktail of chemicals
that the water contains, so that it can be eliminated safely. This process is rather expensive and
in some countries the fines are not heavy, so some paper factories skip this and simply discharge
straight into the local water supply, where it’s highly toxic to fish and other wildlife even at
concentrations of 2%.
Another issue is the trees. Each year, the global paper industry is fed by more than 100 million
hectares of forests, an area around the same size as Egypt. However, though we’re often told
that saving paper saves trees, this is not necessarily true. In countries where forests are not
sustainably managed, important habitats can be destroyed. But in responsibly-managed areas,
sometimes using more paper can, ironically, lead to more trees because many companies have
an internal policy of planting several trees for each one that is cut down. In the US, 1.7 million
trees are planted each day by the wood industry, according to the USDA Forest Service.
Perhaps the biggest game-changer in the paper world has been recycling. In the
US, the world’s gross recycling leader with 64 million tonnes per year, it accounts
for nearly 40% of the nation’s total paper supply. In fact, in 2018 the demand for
recycled paper exceeded the available supply there. Meanwhile over in Europe,
EU countries have the highest recycling rates in the world. Incredibly, 80% of the
40 million tonnes of paper used was recycled in 2018. Yet, recycling is not the
answer if it is not done well enough. Millions of tonnes of recyclable materials were
rejected last year because they were incorrectly sorted out or had food
contamination. As it turns out, it costs more money to “re-sort” than to simply
reject whole bins and send them to be incinerated or buried in a landfill.
(Adapted from) © www.bbc.co.uk

0. When paper was first invented, it was

a) manufactured with materials that were had to find.
c
b) not something the Chinese Emperor was enthusiastic about. ✓
c) not used for writing on.
9. Before paper arrived in Europe,
a) it had been banned by Islam in the Middle East.
b) only rich people could afford it.
c) writing didn’t exist in that continent.
10. The author claims that
a) banknotes will never ever disappear.
b) peoples’ assumptions about the disappearance of paper are wrong.
c) the paper industry is in crisis because of modern technology.
11. Regarding plastic, the text explains that
a) it is not really as bad for the environment as most people believe.
b) private companies will soon be required by law to recycle all of it.
c) the restrictions on its use are stricter in India than in the Western world.
12. About the process of “bleaching”, we learn that
a) it is absolutely essential in the manufacturing process.
b) it responds to our demand for a bright white paper.
c) using ozone is more polluting.
13. As for the toxic waste generated by factories, the text says that
a) governments spend a lot of money cleaning it.
b) it is dangerous in very small amounts.
c) it kills 2% of the animals and plants.
14. Regarding deforestation, the article claims that
a) a forest area the size of Egypt is lost forever every year.
b) consuming more paper doesn’t automatically lead to more deforestartion.
c) federal law in America forces paper companies to plant millions of trees.
15. We learn about recycled paper that
a) 80% of Europeans recycle their paper.
b) EU countries recycle more tonnes of it than the US.
c) there was not enough of it to meet the demand in the US in 2018.
16. A lot of recyclable materials end up being burnt
a) although it is more expensive than recycling it.
b) because they could transmit diseases.
c) because they were not suitable for recycling.