Problems We Face

Words in Use (Lesson 27)

• despite
• disrupt
• rash
• rapid
• exhaust
• severity
• feeble
• unite
• cease
• thrifty
• miserly
• monarch

Read the following passage to see how the new words are used in it.
   
Problems We Face
Despite wars, disease, and natural disasters,* our world is experiencing a population explosion (boom) that threatens* to change or disrupt life as we have known it. Vast* numbers of people must be fed and housed, and in the process a whole rash of problems has descended* upon the human race. First has been the pollution* of the air and the contamination* of the water supply. Second has been the rapid exhaustion of fuels, minerals, and other natural resources. The response* to this situation has ranged from utter* disbelief to exaggerated* concern. Since scientists themselves disagree on the severity of the problem, our feeble knowledge is surely unable to suggest the correct course of action. But we cannot stand still because there is too much at stake. We are, therefore, compelled* to unite in our efforts to insure that human life on this planet does not cease. We must learn to be thrifty, even miserly, with the gifts of nature that we have formerly taken for granted. If our past reveals* a reckless* squandering* of our natural possessions, we must now find an intelligent guide* to their use so that we may remain monarchs of a world that has peace and plenty.