What causes acid rain? - English Reading Practice

Read this article in 4 levels: Basic A1 (英検3級), Intermediate B1(英検2級), Advanced C1(英検1級), original version. Multiple choice content questions for each level. Free English reading practice. The more you read in English, the more your English will improve. What causes acid rain?

A1 Beginner 英検3 級
 B1 Interm ediate 英検2級
 C1 Advanced 英検1級
 Origi nal article

Basic A1 (英検3級) Version:

Article: Acid rain is caused when water in the sky meets with pollution. This pollution comes from burning things like coal and oil. Acid rain was a big problem in the USA and Europe in the 1980s and 1990s, but now we don’t hear about it much.

Rain usually has a pH of 5.6, which means it is a little bit acidic. Acid rain is more acidic than normal rain, with a pH of around 4.2 to 4.4. This is bad for buildings, trees, and lakes. Acid rain can break down stone and metal and can make the soil too acidic for plants to grow. It can also harm animals and insects.

Acid rain happens when sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide go into the air and mix with water. These chemicals make sulfuric acid and nitric acid in the clouds, which then fall as acid rain. These chemicals come from burning fossil fuels like coal and oil, especially in power stations and cars.

The USA and Europe were able to fix the acid rain problem by using filters in factories and power plants that caught the bad chemicals before they went into the air. But some countries, like China and India, still have a lot of acid rain because they burn a lot of coal and oil, and the filters are expensive.

The pollution that causes acid rain can travel very far in the wind, so even countries that don’t burn much coal or oil can still get acid rain.

When countries decide to fix a problem, they can do it. We fixed acid rain and the hole in the ozone layer, so maybe we can also fix climate change one day. And as we move away from using fossil fuels, acid rain might go away too.

Questions:

What causes acid rain?
- A) Salt in the ocean
- B) Pollution from burning coal and oil
- C) Too much rain
- D) High winds
What is the pH of regular rain?
- A) 7
- B) 5.6
- C) 4.2
- D) 11
Why is acid rain bad for buildings?
- A) It makes them dirty
- B) It makes them too hot
- C) It can break down stone and metal
- D) It makes them colorful
What does acid rain do to plants?
- A) Helps them grow faster
- B) Makes them green
- C) Makes the ground too acidic
- D) Water them
How do sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide get into the air?
- A) From trees
- B) From the ocean
- C) From burning coal and oil
- D) From factories only
What did the USA and Europe do to fix acid rain?
- A) They stopped using cars
- B) They added filters to power plants
- C) They used more oil
- D) They moved to another place
Why can some countries still have acid rain even if they don’t burn much coal or oil?
- A) Because of acid lakes
- B) Because the pollution travels far
- C) Because of trees
- D) Because of the sun
Which countries still have a big problem with acid rain?
- A) USA and UK
- B) China and India
- C) Japan and Korea
- D) Canada and Australia
What else did we fix besides acid rain?
- A) Climate change
- B) The hole in the ozone layer
- C) Rising sea levels
- D) Pollution from plastic
What might happen as we use less fossil fuel?
- A) Acid rain will increase
- B) Acid rain will go away
- C) We will use more coal
- D) We will need more cars

Answers:

B) Pollution from burning coal and oil
B) 5.6
C) It can break down stone and metal
C) Makes the ground too acidic
C) From burning coal and oil
B) They added filters to power plants
B) Because the pollution travels far
B) China and India
B) The hole in the ozone layer
B) Acid rain will go away

Intermediate B1 (英検2級) Version:

Article: Acid rain occurs when rainwater interacts with sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide in the atmosphere. These pollutants mainly come from burning fossil fuels, such as coal and oil, especially in power plants and vehicles. Acid rain was a significant issue in the USA and Europe during the 1980s and 1990s, but it’s less of a problem there now due to strict environmental laws.

Rain usually has a pH of 5.6, slightly acidic because it picks up carbon dioxide in the air. Acid rain, however, is much more acidic, with a pH between 4.2 and 4.4. Even though this might sound mild, acid rain is highly corrosive, causing damage to buildings, bridges, and natural habitats. It can wear away stone and concrete, corrode metal structures, and harm lakes, forests, and soil, making it difficult for plants to grow.

The sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide that cause acid rain are released when fossil fuels are burned. When these pollutants mix with water in the atmosphere, they form sulfuric and nitric acids, which then fall as acid rain. While power stations are the primary source, cars and other vehicles also contribute.

In response to the damage caused by acid rain, the USA and European countries implemented regulations that required factories and power stations to install filters that capture these harmful pollutants before they reach the atmosphere. This significantly reduced acid rain in those regions.

However, in developing countries like China and India, acid rain remains a severe issue because they burn large amounts of fossil fuels without the costly pollution controls used in developed countries. Furthermore, pollutants can travel long distances on the wind, meaning that even countries without many power plants can still experience acid rain.

The case of acid rain shows that when a problem is recognized and action is taken, it can be addressed effectively. The success in reducing acid rain and fixing the hole in the ozone layer gives hope that other environmental problems, like climate change, could also be solved if similar efforts are made. With the world slowly moving away from fossil fuels, the hope is that acid rain will eventually disappear altogether.

Questions:

What is the main cause of acid rain?
- A) Saltwater from the ocean
- B) Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide from burning fossil fuels
- C) Too much rainfall
- D) High altitudes
What is the pH of normal rainwater?
- A) 6.5
- B) 7
- C) 5.6
- D) 4.2
Why is acid rain damaging to buildings?
- A) It discolors them
- B) It can corrode metal and erode stone
- C) It makes them too cold
- D) It attracts insects
How does acid rain affect soil and plants?
- A) It helps plants grow faster
- B) It makes the soil too acidic
- C) It provides nutrients
- D) It increases soil fertility
How do sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide reach the atmosphere?
- A) Through volcanic eruptions
- B) By burning coal and oil
- C) From underwater sources
- D) Through plant respiration
What did the USA and Europe do to reduce acid rain?
- A) Closed all power plants
- B) Introduced pollution control filters
- C) Stopped using fossil fuels
- D) Imported electricity
Why do developing countries still struggle with acid rain?
- A) They use wind power
- B) They lack money for pollution controls
- C) They have too many trees
- D) They are near the ocean
How can acid rain affect countries that don’t produce much pollution?
- A) Through heavy rainfall
- B) Pollutants travel by wind
- C) By international shipping
- D) Through global warming
What other environmental issue was successfully addressed similar to acid rain?
- A) Melting glaciers
- B) Plastic pollution
- C) The hole in the ozone layer
- D) Deforestation
What is a hopeful sign for the future regarding acid rain?
- A) Acid rain is increasing
- B) More fossil fuels are being used
- C) The world is reducing fossil fuel use
- D) There are no solutions available

Answers:

B) Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide from burning fossil fuels
C) 5.6
B) It can corrode metal and erode stone
B) It makes the soil too acidic
B) By burning coal and oil
B) Introduced pollution control filters
B) They lack money for pollution controls
B) Pollutants travel by wind
C) The hole in the ozone layer
C) The world is reducing fossil fuel use

Advanced C1 (英検1級) Version:

Article: Acid rain is a form of precipitation that is unusually acidic due to the presence of pollutants like sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide in the atmosphere. These pollutants are primarily emitted from the burning of fossil fuels, such as coal and oil, particularly by power stations and vehicles. Acid rain was a significant environmental issue in the USA and Europe in the 1980s and 1990s, but due to regulations and technological advancements, the problem has been largely mitigated in these regions.

Normal rainwater has a pH of around 5.6, which is slightly acidic due to the presence of carbon dioxide that forms a weak acid called carbonic acid. Acid rain, however, has a pH between 4.2 and 4.4, making it far more corrosive. Even though this acidity is comparable to that of tomato juice, it is enough to cause extensive damage to infrastructure, corrode metals, and erode stone surfaces. Additionally, it significantly impacts ecosystems by acidifying lakes and soils, harming aquatic life, and making land inhospitable for plant growth.

The formation of acid rain occurs when sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides released into the atmosphere react with water, oxygen, and other chemicals to form sulfuric and nitric acids. These acids then mix with rainwater and fall to the earth, causing widespread environmental damage. While power plants are the predominant source of these pollutants, vehicles also contribute substantially.

In response to the extensive damage caused by acid rain, the USA and European countries enacted regulations that required power plants and factories to install scrubbers and other filtration systems to capture sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides before they were released into the atmosphere. This intervention significantly reduced the occurrence of acid rain in these areas.

However, acid rain remains prevalent in developing countries, particularly in China and India, where coal and oil are still heavily relied upon for energy production. The cost of implementing pollution controls is often prohibitive for these nations. Moreover, sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide pollutants can travel great distances via atmospheric currents, meaning that regions far from the original source can also suffer the effects of acid rain.

The resolution of the acid rain problem in developed countries demonstrates that environmental issues can be addressed with the right combination of technology, policy, and public will. The reduction of acid rain, along with the recovery of the ozone layer, suggests that significant environmental challenges like climate change could also be managed if similar actions are taken. As the world moves away from fossil fuel dependence, there is hope that acid rain will become a thing of the past.

Questions:

What makes rain acidic in the case of acid rain?
- A) Increased humidity
- B) Pollutants like sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide
- C) Too much sunlight
- D) Sea salt
What pH level does normal rainwater usually have?
- A) 7
- B) 5.6
- C) 4.4
- D) 3.5
What effect does acid rain have on buildings?
- A) It makes them shine
- B) It corrodes metals and erodes stone
- C) It strengthens them
- D) It cools them down
How does acid rain affect lakes and forests?
- A) It fertilizes the soil
- B) It acidifies lakes and makes the ground too acidic for plants
- C) It improves fish growth
- D) It cleans the water
Which industries are the primary source of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides?
- A) Farming and fishing
- B) Power plants and vehicles
- C) Textile and garment
- D) Solar and wind energy
How did the USA and Europe successfully reduce acid rain?
- A) They banned fossil fuels
- B) They implemented strict pollution controls and scrubbers
- C) They increased tree planting
- D) They imported clean energy
Why do developing countries struggle more with acid rain?
- A) They have more rain
- B) They lack the resources for expensive pollution controls
- C) They are near the sea
- D) They use more solar power
How can pollutants from acid rain travel long distances?
- A) By water currents
- B) Through underground tunnels
- C) Via wind and atmospheric currents
- D) By airplanes
What environmental success stories give hope for addressing other issues?
- A) Wildlife conservation
- B) Acid rain reduction and ozone layer recovery
- C) Urban development
- D) Deforestation control
What is the future hope for acid rain as fossil fuel use declines?
- A) Acid rain will increase again
- B) Acid rain will disappear
- C) New forms of pollution will emerge
- D) Acid rain will remain the same

Answers:

B) Pollutants like sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide
B) 5.6
B) It corrodes metals and erodes stone
B) It acidifies lakes and makes the ground too acidic for plants
B) Power plants and vehicles
B) They implemented strict pollution controls and scrubbers
B) They lack the resources for expensive pollution controls
C) Via wind and atmospheric currents
B) Acid rain reduction and ozone layer recovery
B) Acid rain will disappear

Original Version:

Article: What causes acid rain? Acid rain happens when water molecules in the atmosphere encounter sulfur dioxide or nitrogen oxide. Acid rain was a big problem in the USA and European countries during the 1980s and 1990s, but we don’t hear so much about it anymore. Has the problem been solved, or has it just shifted elsewhere?

Acid rain happens when the water that falls as rain becomes more acidic. The pH scale goes from 0 to 14, with 7 being in the middle. A substance that has a pH of 7 is completely neutral. If the pH goes lower, the substance is acidic and if the pH goes higher, the substance is alkaline. A vulture, for example, has a stomach acid with a pH of 0, which makes it a very strong acid that can dissolve pretty much anything. Bleach has a pH of between 11 and 13, making it very alkaline and able to kill most bacteria and germs. Rain usually has a pH of 5.6, which makes it ever so slightly acidic. This happens because the rain picks up carbon dioxide, which makes a weak acid called carbonic acid. This is one of the reasons why rain is so effective at erosion.

Acid rain is more acidic than regular rain, hence its name. Acid rain has a pH of between 4.2 and 4.4. That doesn’t sound so bad, tomato juice has a pH of about 4, but it is enough acidity to make it highly corrosive to buildings and other structures. It can erode the surface off concrete and stone and it can corrode the metal that bridges are made of. Repairing the damage can cost a lot of money.

So, what causes acid rain? Rain becomes acidic when the water in clouds comes into contact with sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide. When sulfur dioxide comes into contact with water and oxygen, it reacts to form sulfuric acid. Nitrogen oxide does the same thing and forms nitric acid. Both of these acids are very strong, but they are diluted in the rain. They are still strong enough to damage buildings, but it is what they do to nature that is more of a worry. Acid rain can destroy habitats, pollute lakes, kill animals and insects, and make the ground too acidic for plants to grow.

So, how do the sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide get into the atmosphere in the first place? Both of these compounds are released when fossil fuels, such as oil and coal, are burned. Because of that, coal and oil-fired power stations are the largest source of these compounds. Vehicles with combustion engines are another large source, but power stations are far and away the greatest source.

However, acid rain has mostly disappeared from the USA and many European countries because they saw what damage the acid rain was doing and they saw what was causing the acid rain, so they introduced rules to govern how much of certain compounds factories and power stations could release into the atmosphere. It took a few years and a lot of money, but all of the places that produced sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide were fitted with filters that caught the compounds. After a few years, acid rain disappeared from the news, but it hasn’t disappeared from the world. There is still a lot of acid rain in developing countries that are burning huge amounts of fossil fuels for their energy and don’t have the ability to enact the laws that the developed countries used to fix the problem. The filters and scrubbers that have to be fitted to the power stations are extremely expensive. Acid rain and air pollution are huge problems in countries like China and India, so they may have to do something about the problem soon, whether they want to or not. And a secondary problem with sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide is that they are tiny and they can travel very far in the wind. A lot of countries are getting acid rain, even though they don’t have the power stations that are producing the pollutants. The pollutants can be carried all around the world.

Two things of interest with this. When we decide to fix a problem, we can do it pretty quickly. The hole in the ozone layer and acid rain produced by developed countries were both fixed as soon as there was the will. We must be able to do the same with climate change. The second thing is that we are slowly shifting away from burning fossil fuels, so hopefully acid rain, at least, will go away in the near future.

Questions:

What happens when water in the atmosphere encounters sulfur dioxide or nitrogen oxide?
- A) It becomes salty
- B) It becomes acidic, leading to acid rain
- C) It evaporates faster
- D) It turns into snow
How does the pH scale work?
- A) 0 is neutral, 7 is acidic, and 14 is alkaline
- B) 7 is neutral, 0 is acidic, and 14 is alkaline
- C) 14 is neutral, 7 is alkaline, and 0 is acidic
- D) 7 is alkaline, 0 is neutral, and 14 is acidic
What is the pH range of acid rain?
- A) 7.0 to 8.0
- B) 3.0 to 4.0
- C) 4.2 to 4.4
- D) 5.6 to 6.0
How do sulfuric and nitric acids form in the atmosphere?
- A) By volcanic activity
- B) Through natural plant emissions
- C) By reacting with water and oxygen
- D) By oceanic evaporation
What are the main sources of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxide?
- A) Power plants and vehicles
- B) Forest fires and lightning
- C) Wind turbines and solar panels
- D) Marine life
What measures helped reduce acid rain in the USA and Europe?
- A) Reduced rainfall
- B) Filters and regulations in power stations
- C) New car designs
- D) Using more coal
Why do developing countries still have acid rain problems?
- A) They have more rain
- B) They cannot afford expensive pollution controls
- C) They use a lot of wind power
- D) They are closer to the ocean
How can pollutants from acid rain travel far from their source?
- A) By boats
- B) By trains
- C) Through atmospheric wind currents
- D) By animals
What environmental issue was successfully addressed alongside acid rain?
- A) Ocean acidification
- B) The ozone layer hole
- C) Plastic waste
- D) Rising temperatures
What is the long-term hope for acid rain?
- A) It will remain the same
- B) It will increase with more industrial activity
- C) It will decrease as fossil fuel use declines
- D) It will turn into another form of pollution