What do you see on our school grounds? You’ll probably notice a big gray building, a black parking lot, a gray playground, and a small field with patches of grass. What don’t you see? Trees. Planting trees would make our school look beautiful, but there are more important reasons why trees should be planted.
First, planting trees will clean the air around us. Trees do this naturally by getting rid of particles and gases that cause air pollution, such as carbon monoxide. Trees take in these particles and gases, called pollutants, and still only release oxygen.
Second, planting trees on school grounds will reduce heating and cooling costs. For example, trees can block cold winds, especially during the winter. They serve as “windbreakers” and help reduce the amount of indoor heating we need. In addition, on hot days, trees create shade when they’re planted near windows. The more shade they make, the less air conditioning we have to use. In fact, scientists at the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency state that three shade trees can reduce a home’s utility bill by about $100 to $250 each year. Imagine how much a whole school would save.
Some people argue that planting trees is too expensive. They worry that it would be too costly to buy and maintain trees. However, the money we would spend on trees and maintenance is very little compared to the money we’d save on utility bills.
Do you want to breathe cleaner air and save money for our school? If so, join the Committee for a Cleaner School Environment. We’re meeting during lunch on Wednesday in the library. Bring your lunch and any friends interested in improving our environment. We can make things better if we work together.
Adapted from https://www.sadlier-oxford.com/grammar/writerworkshops/GFW6_WM_persuasive.pdf
1. Who probably wrote the text?
A. a group of students who want to have a cleaner environment
B. a science teacher teaching how to make the school cleaner
C. a committee member concerned with the school environment
D. a parent who persuades other parents to plant more trees
E. an administration staff who helps make the school cleaner
2. What is the topic of the text?
A. planting more trees for a better school environment
B. persuading the school faculty members to plant more trees
C. Making the whole school area look more beautiful
D. Keeping the whole school area clean from litters
E. Inviting everyone to join the school committee
3. What is the nature of the text?
A. academic
B. defensive
C. narrative
D. persuasive
E. descriptive
4. The text is referred to as a hortatory exposition because it … .
A. makes the readers believe in the cause
B. persuades the readers to take action
C. describes the whole school area
D. explains how trees should be planted
E. provides reasons why trees are important
5. How do trees make the air cleaner?
A. by producing oxygen
B. by taking in pollutants
C. by growing more leaves
D. by releasing CO
E. by absorbing oxygen
6. Trees can cut utility costs. This idea can be found in paragraph(s) … .
A. 1
B. 2 & 4
C. 3
D. 4
E. 1 & 3
7. The underlined sentence in paragraph 1 is … .
A. the title
B. the main idea
C. the main reasons
D. the topic sentence
E. the thesis statement
8.The word costly in paragraph 3 means … .
A. difficult
B. hard
C. expensive
D. too much
E. pricy
