EXERCISE

01 READING COMPREHENSION

TEXT

1 The oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico could turn out to be Obama’s Katrina and BP’s Exxon Valdez. Already
Obama is being criticized by some on the right for not having been on the scene on the same day of the
oil rig explosion, though White House sources are quick to point out that initially, no one had any idea
that the spill would grow to such proportions. As for BP, it has said in its defense that it doesn’t run the
oil rig, that it simply buys the oil from the rig operator. All this has led many to wonder who will end up
covering the estimated five-billion dollars it will take to clean up the spill. And that price tag assumes
things don’t get any worse. The worst-case scenarios indicate that the entire Gulf coast, from Florida
to Texas, could be awash in black sludge if efforts to contain the spill at the source aren’t successful.
It’s virtually guaranteed that Louisiana, which has yet to fully recover from Hurricane Katrina and is
still heavily dependent on seafood caught in the Gulf for much of its economy, will be hit hard by this
disaster. The Republican governor of Louisiana and longtime Obama critic, Bobby Jindal, has, for the
time being at least, put aside his differences with President Obama as they try to come up with a speedy
solution in an effort to head off a potential environmental catastrophe.

EXCERCISE

2 1. This story is mainly about Hurricane Katrina 1. True False

and the Exxon Valdez disaster.

2. The oil rig that exploded in the Gulf of Mexico 2. True False
belongs to BP.

3. It can be inferred that, at first, it looked like 3. True False

the spill would be relatively easy to contain.

4. The five-billion dollar bill to clean up the spill 4. True False

is a worst-case estimate.

5. Louisiana has fully recovered from the effects 5. True False

of Hurricane Katrina.

6. What do you think “hit hard” (underlined) 6. ..........................................................................

means? ..........................................................................

7. Before this disaster, the governor of Louisiana 7. True False

and President Obama disagreed on most
things.

8. What do you think the phrasal verb “head off” 8. ..........................................................................

in the last sentence means? ..........................................................................

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