Trees provide us with (34) _________ valuable resources such as building materials, fuel, rubber, and food. They also provide essential shelter for people, animals, and other plants as well as reducing the devastating effects of flooding (35) _________ can make whole communities of people and animals homeless.
Most importantly, though, they protect the world's climate by absorbing massive amounts of harmful chemicals, such as carbon dioxide, from our atmosphere and in turn give off oxygen. Without trees, there would be no (36) _________ of minimising the effects of global warming caused by the Greenhouse Effect.
(37) _________, trees are a constant source of medicine. Unfortunately, tropical forests are disappearing at an alarming (38) _________ and man must act soon to protect our most valuable natural resource.
(Adapted from FCE Use of English)

Jack McDougal - a 15-year-old high school student - set up a company with his dad three months ago. It's called Sun Mower and it's been a huge success for Jack. His grass-cutting equipment is powered by hi-tech batteries, which are recharged from solar panels. By replacing petrol with energy from the sun, Jack is also reducing air pollution and fighting global warming.
A school science project gave him the idea. “Our teacher asked us to think of ways in which we could make changes at home that would reduce our carbon footprint. We had recently had solar panels installed at home, and that gave me the idea.”
What if someone hasn't got a battery-powered lawnmower and solar panels at home? Jack says that's not a problem. “You can use an old-fashioned push mower instead of a petrol- powered mower. There are lots of easy things you can do to reduce pollution, clean up the atmosphere and fight global warming.”
Jack's idea has really taken off. More and more people in his area want him to mow their lawns using his Sun Mower. Jack said, “It's great that my business is successful, but it's even better that people are serious about improving the environment.”
(Adapted from Optimise)

According to the latest figures, the average number of friends people have on social media is somewhere between 200 and 300. Research suggests that this figure is actually higher for teenagers. But is this a realistic amount? Is it feasible to maintain meaningful relationships with so many people, in particular those you may never actually meet in person?
Nowadays, we are just one click away from making new friends on social media. This has led some people to question just how sincere the friendship is. We're living in a time where we expect things to happen instantly, so is it really all that surprising that the way we form friendships has adapted to this trend? Perhaps it shows how social media has made friendships less sincere, reducing them to a series of meaningless 'adds' and 'likes'.
Real friendships, on the other hand, take time to build. My most important relationships haven't grown out of a few trivial online exchanges. It's taken years of shared experiences to develop strong and lasting bonds. And these for me - and I believe for most other people too - are much more valuable and meaningful. It's something that cannot be replicated on social media, no matter how many times you have 'liked' a person's posts.
It has been suggested that technology is ruining our relationships with other people. However, it seems undeniable that it has now altered people's priorities, and transformed the way that we manage our friendships in the most fundamental ways. Ultimately, though, it's up to us to decide how real and meaningful those friendships truly are.
(Adapted from Open World)