READ THE PASSAGE AND CHOOSE THE BEST ANSWER

1. Read the passage and choose the best answer:

The planet Earth is 4,600 million years old. It is difficult for us to think about such an enormous length of

time because it has little meaning for us. We can, however, simplify the idea to make it more understandable. We

can compare the planet Earth to a person of forty six years of age.

Nothing is known about the first seven years of this person’s life. Very little information exists about the

middle period either. It was only at the age of forty – two that the Earth began to flower. Dinosaurs and great

reptiles did not appear until one year ago, when the planet was forty five. Mammals only arrived eight months

ago. In the middle of last week, man – like apes became ape – like men and began to communicate with each

other. Last weekend, the Ice Age covered the Earth.

Modern man has only been around for four hours. During the last hour man discovered agriculture. The

industrial Revolution and the rise of large cities began just six seconds ago. During the short time, modern man

has made a rubbish tip of the Earth. In one minute, he has increased his numbers to terrible proportions, and has

caused the death of hundreds of species of animals. He has robbed and destroyed the planet in his search for fuels.

Now he stands, like a violent, spoilt child, delighted at the speed of his rise to power, on the edge of the final

mass destruction and of killing all the life which exists in the solar system.