Listening: What Is in the Air We Breathe

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B2 | Listening from video | 11 min

Watch the video (0:06 - 5:04). You can watch more than once, then answer the questions.

Where does most of the nitrogen in Earth's atmosphere come from?

____ Ocean-dwelling microorganisms____ Volcanic activity under the crust____ The radioactive decay of potassium

ONE WORD from the video.

Oxygen gas appeared only after tiny sea ____ evolved to produce it.

What is argon, and how does it form?

____ A gas produced by burning wood and dung____ A gas that comes from the breakdown of pollutants____ A gas made when potassium slowly decays

What does the speaker say about the small remaining part of each breath?

____ It contains man-made pollutants only in big cities____ It differs from place to place but always likely has pollutants____ It is the same everywhere because the air mixes quickly

ONE WORD from the video.

Burning wood or dung can create dangerous compounds linked to ____ and long-term DNA damage.

What happens to some pollutants when they react with oxidants in the air?

____ They turn into even more toxic secondary pollutants____ They always disappear completely within hours____ They stay near the factory where they were released

Sulfurous smog is no longer a problem in any city today.

____ True____ False____ Not Given

ONE WORD from the video.

Car exhaust releases nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons, which react to form ____ .

Photochemical smog is worst in cities with very cold winters.

____ True____ False____ Not Given

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