Green consumerism is becoming a pox on the planet - Unit 5
C2 Proficiency · Multiple Choice Reading · Based on C2 Proficiency exam text
You are going to read an article about a new phenomenon called ethical shopping. For questions 1–6, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.
I'm as environmentally concerned as the next man, probably more so, in fact, but a spate of new books telling us to live 'better, greener lifestyles' and to 'live within nature's limits' leaves me rather cold. Evidently, it's about buying products that don't exploit other humans, animals or the environment. Don't shop at the traditional supermarkets, support small shops which sell environmentally friendly products, buy local produce when possible, and, while you're about it, just make your own butter, cheese, jam, keep a milking cow, a few pigs, some chickens, beehives, gardens and orchards. Well, what are you waiting for? Take A Slice of Organic Life by Sheherazade Goldsmith. It contains plenty of useful advice, and she comes across as modest, sincere and well-meaning. But of lobbying for political change, not a word. According to Goldsmith, we can save the planet from your own back garden – if you have endless time and plenty of money. When I was reading it on the train, a passenger asked me if he could take a look. He flicked through it for a moment, then summed up the problem in seven words: 'This is for people who don't work.' It's an obsession with beauty, wealth and fame that devalues very issue it touches, but none more so than environmental issues. There is an inherent conflict between the conventional lifestyle journalism that makes readers feel good about themselves and sells country-style kitchens to those who can afford them, and the central demand of environmentalism – that we should consume less. 'None of these changes represents a sacrifice,' Goldsmith tells us. Really? So being conscientious isn't about giving up things? But here, you own more than one home when others have none? There are two markets developing – one for unethical products, one for ethical products, and the expansion of the latter does little to hinder the growth of the first. We're drowning in a tide of ecojunk. Over the past year I have come to learn that organic cotton bags (along with packets of ginseng tea and jojoba oil) are now the obligatory gift at every environmental conference. I have several lifetimes' supply of ballpoint pens made from recycled paper and about half a dozen mini-solar chargers for gadgets that I do not possess. Last week one leading newspaper told its readers to abandon the fight to save the planet. 'There is no hope, and the middle classes, with their cosy lifestyles and their eco-gadgets, will be leading us to hell.' It made some helpful suggestions, however, like buying an electric car or a hydrogen-powered model. The latter, for £74.99, comes with a box containing an electrolyser and a fuel cell. One might ask what rare metals and energy-intensive processes were used to manufacture this children's toy in the name of environmentalism. It seems we have simply created new opportunities for surplus capital. But there is another danger with ethical shopping. I've met homeowners who have bought solar panels and wind turbines before they have done the simple things and insulated their lofts, partly because the government gives grants for them, but partly, I suspect, because everyone can see how conscientious and how rich they are. We are in danger of assuming that buying such products encourages us to think more about environmental challenges, but it is just as likely to be depoliticising. Green consumerism is a substitute for collective action. No political challenge can be met by shopping.
the impossibility of what is being proposed.
the urgency of the environmental problem.
how unclear it is as to what action is required.
how long it will take to change people's mindsets.
By using the phrase 'Well, what are you waiting for?' (lines 11–12), the writer is emphasising
how people will react to being told how to run their lives.
how the media can best promote the concept of ethical shopping.
the need for the media to get involved in environmental matters.
the need for people to make sacrifices.
In the third paragraph, the writer disagrees with Sheherazade Goldsmith on
It has a part to play in limiting waste.
It goes hand-in-hand with lack of quality.
It creates its own unnecessary demand.
It results in items that are ever more expensive.
What is the writer saying in the fourth paragraph about the growth of ethical products?
The supposedly 'green' substance used to fuel the car is harmful.
The production of the car contributes to environmental damage.
The cost of the car puts it beyond the reach of those who would benefit from it.
The target market for the car is people who cause the most environmental problems.
What irony does the writer pick up on in the fifth paragraph?
It may lead to unfair situations.
It could become a political tool.
It is becoming a signifier of social status.
It encourages us to save money in the wrong areas.
What is the 'danger with ethical shopping' that the writer refers to in the sixth paragraph?
It has become a plaything for the super rich.
There is very little in it which is new or relevant.
It has served its purpose and should now be replaced.
There is a better way of tackling environmental issues.
What is the writer's position on ethical shopping in the article as a whole?
The problem with ethical shopping
Green consumerism is becoming a pox on the planet
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