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i ALPINE FORESTS
Forests are the lifeguards of the snowy peaks of the Alps. They provide a
natural barrier against avalanches and landslides, but the skiing industry, which
proved a boon for poor Alpine farmers, is damaging the environment. Forests have
been felled to make way for more ski runs, car parks, and hotels, and Alpine
meadows have been abandoned by farmers keen to exploit tourism. Consequently,
the avalanche has now become a common phenomenon. Forestry experts estimate
that two-thirds of the several thousand avalanches that descend into inhabited parts
each year are the result of forest depletion.
E X E R C I S E 1: Find words or phrases in the passage which mean the same as:
COLUMN A COLUMN B
a) an expert swimmer employed at a beach or
pool to protect other swimmers from drowning
or other accidents (used metaphorically in the
passage)
b) pointed top of a mountain
c) something that stops or hinders movement
from one place to another
d) great mass of snow and ice that slides down
the side of a mountain
e) small movement of rocks and soil down the
side of a hill or other slope
f) advantage; something that makes life better or
easier
g) cut down (of trees)
h) area of grassland
i) stop looking after and leave, not intending to
return
j) eager; wanting (to do something) very much
k) develop in order to make money; take
advantage of
I) something that happens and can be seen or
experienced
m) calculate approximately
n) go or move downwards
o) with people living there; occupied
p) reduction; being used up so that little or none
remains
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