School exams are, generally speaking, the first kind of test we take. They find out how much knowledge we have gained. But do they really show how intelligent we are? After all, isn’t it a fact that some people (34) are very academically successful don’t have any common sense.
Intelligence is the speed at which we can understand and react to new situations and it is usually tested by logic puzzles. (35) scientists are now preparing advanced computer technology that will be able to “read” our brains, for the present tests are still the most popular ways of measuring intelligence.
A person’s IQ is their intelligence as it is measured by a special test. The most common IQ tests are (36) by Mensa, an organization that was found in England in 1946. People taking the tests are judged in (37) to an average score of 100, and those who score over 148 are entitled to join Mensa. (38) the questions are straightforward and most people can answer them if allowed enough time. But that’s the problem; the whole point of the test is that they’re against the clock.

Can you imagine waking up each day in a house that is gently rocked by the movement of water, having a water park as a garden and getting to work by water taxi? Well, for some people this vision of the future may become a reality. It is a commonly accepted fact that as the Earth’s temperature rises, the ice caps at the North and South Poles will melt, causing the sea level to rise.

So, where does this leave the many countries in the world which have large sections of their populations living in areas which lie at or below sea level? The Netherlands, for example, is one of the most highly populated, low-lying countries in the world and has been battling with the problem of flooding for years. Further rises in the sea level would mean much of the country will disappear under water.

Inventive architects may have come up with a solution to the problem: a floating house actually built on the water. The basic idea is that houses will have a base filled with air and a way of anchoring them to the ground. This will allow the houses to float upwards whenever the sea level rises and sink back down when the sea level drops. So, are floating houses the homes of the future? For some people there may be no alternative; for others it will be through choice. After all, who says you have to live on dry land anyway?

Experts in climatology and other scientists are becoming extremely concerned about the changes to our climate which are taking place. Admittedly, climate changes have occurred on our planet before. For example, there have been several ice ages or glacial periods.
These climatic changes, however, were different from the modern ones in that they occurred gradually and, as far as we know, naturally. The changes currently being monitored are said to be the result not of natural causes, but of human activity. Furthermore, the rate of change is becoming alarmingly rapid.
The major problem is that the planet appears to be warming up. According to some experts, this warming process, known as global warming, is occurring at a rate unprecedented in the last 10,000 years. The implications for the planet are very serious. Rising global temperatures could give rise to such ecological disasters as extremely high increases in the incidence of flooding and of droughts. These in turn could have a harmful effect on agriculture.
It is thought that this unusual warming of the Earth has been caused by so-called greenhouse gases, such as carbon dioxide, being emitted into the atmosphere by car engines and modern industrial processes, for example. Such gases not only add to the pollution of the atmosphere, but also create a greenhouse effect, by which the heat of the sun is trapped. This leads to the warming up of the planet.
Politicians are also concerned about climate change and there are now regular summits on the subject, attended by representatives from around 180 of the world’s industrialized countries. Of these summits, the most important took place in Kyoto in Japan in 1997. There it was agreed that the most industrialized countries would try to reduce the volume of greenhouse gas emissions and were given targets for this reduction of emissions. It was also suggested that more forests should be planted to create so-called sinks to absorb greenhouse gases. At least part of the problem of rapid climate change has been caused by too drastic deforestation.
Sadly, the targets are not being met. Even more sadly, global warnings about climate changes are often still being regarded as scare mongering.