▶ Your Answer :
The
reading passage and the lecture are both about the Everglades, the subtropical
wetlands in southern Florida. The author of the reading states that the
Everglades is being damaged by environmental problems, whereas the lecturer casts
doubts on the author’s opinions.
First of
all, according to the reading, water pollution caused by agricultural
facilities is severely destroying the ecosystem of the Everglades. Due to the
fertilizers which contain a lot of harmful chemicals, the organisms living in
the Everglades are in danger. However, the lecturer points out that water
pollution in the region has been declined over several years because of the
new government regulation. The farmers are willing to use the fertilizers
having less perilous chemicals, because the regulation controls and limits the
level of the hazardous substances in the fertilizers.
Secondly,
the author says that soil is being lost, because a large part of the Everglades
were drained. The soil became dry and vulnerable to wind erosion, so the topsoil has easily disappeared. On the other hand, the lecturer contends that local
residence started the restoration project, and its result is quite promising,
though it will take some time to restore the soil completely.
Lastly,
the author argues that human development like construction of farms and houses
led to the threat to several animal species like the Florida panther, because
the development of the land has reduced the habitat of animals. The lecturer
refutes this by explaining that the animals are hardly extinct due to the
government’s effort. The Florida government purchased a large portion of the
Everglades which was used as a sugar plant farm to change it to the marshland.
The marshland is, for example, a good habitat for the Florida panther.
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