Read this passage from Alan Weisman's "The City Without Us": As (New York City] already had sewer lines, the only place
for subways to go was below them. "So," explains Schuber,
"we have to pump uphill." In this, New York is not alone:
cities like London, Moscow, and Washington built their
subways far deeper, often double as bomb shelters.
Therein lies much potential disaster.
Now read this passage from Jared Diamond's "The Ends of the World as We
Know Them":
There is a similar story from Iceland. When the island was
first settled by the Norse around 870, its light volcanic soils
presented colonists with unfamiliar challenges. They
proceeded to cut down trees and stock sheep as if they
were still in Norway, with its robust soils. Significant
erosion ensued, carrying half of Iceland's topsoil into the
ocean within a century or two.
What common theme of green literature is most strongly evident in both
passages?
A. Of all the myriad impressive forces of nature, water and gravity
may be the most destructive.
B. In order to thrive in coming centuries, people must find viable
alternatives to fossil fuels, such as coal.
C. In order meet their goals, environmentalists must help people
develop a personal desire to protect nature.
D. Working against the natural tendencies of the environment leads
to long-term consequences.

Read the passage. excerpt from "why equal pay is worth fighting for" by senator elizabeth warren, april 17, 2014 i honestly can't believe that we're still arguing over equal pay in 2014. when i started teaching elementary school after college, the public school district didn't hide the fact that it had two pay scales: one for men and one for women. women have made incredible strides since then. but 40 years later, we're still debating equal pay for equal work. women today still earn only 77 cents for every dollar a man earns, and they're taking a hit in nearly every occupation. bloomberg analyzed census data and found that median earnings for women were lower than those for men in 264 of 265 major occupation categories. in 99.6 percent of occupations, men get paid more than women. that's not an accident; that's discrimination. the effects of this discrimination are real, and they are long lasting. today, more young women go to college than men, but unequal pay makes it harder for them to pay back student loans. pay inequality also means a tougher retirement for women. . for middle-class families today, it usually takes two incomes to get by, and many families depend as much on mom's salary as they do on dad's, if not more. women are the main breadwinners, or joint breadwinners, in two-thirds of the families across the country, and pay discrimination makes it that much harder for these families to stay afloat. women are ready to fight back against pay discrimination, but it's not easy. today, a woman can get fired for asking the guy across the hall how much money he makes. here in the senate, sen. barbara mikulski (d-md.) introduced the paycheck fairness act to give women the tools to combat wage discrimination. it would ensure that salary differences have something to do with the actual job that they are doing, and not just because they are women. senator warren states that the effects of pay discrimination are long-lasting. is this a valid argument supported by accurate evidence? no; warren weakens her point by claiming that the paycheck fairness act would "give women the tools to combat wage discrimination." yes; warren supports her point by noting, "for middle-class families today, it usually takes two incomes to get by." yes; warren supports her point by noting, "pay inequality also means a tougher retirement for women." no; warren weakens her point by noting, "today, a woman can get fired for asking the guy across the hall how much money he makes."