Контроль читання 9 клас (ІІ семестр)

Reading

Read the text and do the tasks.

The World's Most Famous Climate Change Activist

How did a 15-year-old high school student from Sweden become the world's most famous climate change activist? 

Greta Thunberg was born in Stockholm, Sweden, in 2003. Her mother Malena is a famous opera singer, and her father Svante was an actor until he quit to look after Greta and her little sister Beata. Greta was a shy girl who didn't say much at school, and this led to bullying by some of the other kids. It got so bad that Greta became very depressed and even stopped eating. She lost a lot of weight and could have died if her parents hadn't found specialist doctors with a treatment plan that worked. Her mum and dad also found her a new school, and making new friends also helped her to recover and become interested in the wider world again.

Greta first learned about climate change when she was 8 years old. Even at that young age she could see it was a serious problem, and the more she learned as she grew older, the more worried she became. She learned that carbon dioxide (CO₂) was one of the greenhouse gases causing global warming and climate change, and that airline flights released many tonnes of CO₂ into the atmosphere. Nearly everyone she knew said the climate crisis was very serious, but they also made it worse by flying all over the world for their holidays. Everyone was saying the right things, but nobody was doing the right things. So Greta decided to do something about it.

She had heard about workers going on strike to demand better pay, and imagined students going on strike to demand more action against climate change. She told her friends about her idea, but none of them seemed interested in joining her. Instead of giving up, Greta asked her dad to take her to a building supplies store where she bought a board and some paints. Then she made a big sign and painted the words "School Strike for the Climate" in Swedish. She also printed flyers full of facts about the climate crisis. After breakfast on August 20 2018, she rode her bicycle to the Swedish parliament where the government met. Svante rode behind her, carrying the sign. After sending her dad home, Greta found a good spot to set up her sign and sat down on her cushion with her flyers by her side.

She asked a passer-by to take a photo of her and posted it on her Twitter account. Even though she only had around twenty followers, it was retweeted dozens of times. Within a few days she was being interviewed by reporters, other kids had joined her, and she was being supported by Greenpeace activists and others. Greta's life would never be the same again.

In December 2018, just a few months after starting her strike, Greta was invited to speak at the United Nations COP24 Climate Change Conference in Poland.

I. Decide if the sentences are true or false.

1. Greta’s mom was a famous opera singer until she quit to take care after her two daughters.

2. Greta had to go to another school because of bullying.

3. The girl knew that greenhouses caused the climate changes.

4. Neither friends nor relatives supported Greta’s idea to go on strike and demand more actions against climate change.

5. A social network made Greta popular.

6. Greta invited reporters to speak at the United Nations COP24 Climate Change conference .

II. Choose the correct variant

1. Why did Greta stop eating?

a)  she was overweight b) she was depressed c) she was protesting

2. How old was Greta when she realized climate change was a serious problem?

a) 8   b) 12   c) 15

3. Nearly everyone Greta knew said climate change was bad, but they made it worse by

a)  saying all the right things b) flying all over the world c) riding bicycles everywhere

4. On the first day of her climate strike, Greta sat in front of

a) her school b) the United Nations c) the Swedish Parliament

5. Who took the photo she posted on her Twitter account soon after starting her strike?

a) Greta  b) her father   c) a passer-by

6. Where was the United Nations COP24 Climate Change Conference held?

a) in Poland   b) in Switzerland  c) in Sweden

III. Answer the questions:

1. How does flying by airplanes affect the environment?

2. Why did Greta visit the building supplies store before her strike?

3. What means of transport did Greta use to get to the place of the strike?

4. What type of mass media did Greta use to attract people’s attention to her strike?

5. How has Greta’s life changed?

6.  Why did the girl succeed?