Passage 4 - Erosion in AmericaErosi

Passage 4 - Erosion in America
Erosion of America's farmland by wind and water has been a problem since settlers first put the prairies and grasslands under the plow in the nineteenth century. By the 1930s, more than 282 million acres of farmland were damaged by erosion. After 40 years of conservation efforts, soil erosion has accelerated due to new demands placed on the land by heavy crop production. In the years ahead, soil erosion and the pollution problems it causes are likely to replace petroleum scarcity as the nation's most critical natural resource problem.


10. As we understand from the reading, today, soil erosion in America ----.

A) causes humans to place new demands on the land
B) is worse than it was in the nineteenth century
C) happens so slowly that it is hardly noticed
D) is the most critical problem that the nation faces
E) is worse in areas which have a lot of petroleum production


11. The author points out in the passage that erosion in America ----.

A) has damaged 282 million acres ever since settlers first put the prairies
and grasslands under the plow
B) has been so severe that it has forced people to abandon their
settlements
C) occurs only in areas with no vegetation
D) can become a more serious problem in the future
E) was on the decline before 1930s


I. 12. It is pointed out in the reading that in America ----.

A) petroleum is causing heavy soil erosion and pollution problems
B) heavy crop production is necessary to meet the demands and to
prevent a disaster
C) soil erosion has been hastened due to the overuse of farming lands
D) water is undoubtedly the largest cause of erosion
E) there are many ways to reduce erosion