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Business is often seen as the “bad guy” in environmental matters because people feel that businesses will do anything to make a profit. Unluckily, this is too often the case. Many business people, in fact, believe that they cannot make a profit and be kind to the environment at the same time. However, it does not necessarily have to be this way. Using common business strategies, companies have found ways to become environmentally friendly, or “green”, and increase their profits at the same time.
One such strategy that businesses use is known as “product differentiation.” This term means that a company advertises the fact that its product is different from other similar products. A number of environmentally friendly companies have done this succesully. For example, in marketing their products, organic food companies emphasize the organic aspect. That is, they highlight the fact that no chemicals have been used to grow the food, and so it is better for consumers’ health and for the environment. These days, many consumers are looking for products that have no negative health or environmental effects.
Another “green” business strategy that has been succesul is waste reduction. Many companies have regarded waste and pollution as a necessary part of the production process. They have done little to prevent either waste or pollution, unless there are laws that force them to. However, other companies have realized that there are surely some advantages to reducing waste and pollution. Less waste and less pollution means a more efficient production process. The 3M Company in the United States is a good example of this. In 1975, it started a program that rewarded employees for succesul ideas about how to reduce waste and prevent pollution. This program has helped the company pollute much less and save more than half a billion dollars.
Some companies have taken the idea of waste prevention even further and have become “zero-waste” companies. That means they produce no waste at all because everything from the production process is used or recycled. Asahi Breweries of Japan, for example, sends the waste from its beer production to farms to be used as animal feed. The plastic and cardboard pieces left over from packaging are all recycled, too.
Finally, companies can become “greener” by planning for a “greener” future. For example, two energy companies, Royal Dutch/Shell and British Petroleum, have started to invest in renewable energy sources, such as solar, wind, or hydrogen energy. Shell is also working with Daimler-Chrysler, an automobile company, and the government of Iceland on a special project to make Iceland the first country with a hydrogen-based economy. Other multinational companies have also realized that global warming and climate change could hurt their business, and they have decided to cut down the amount of harmful gases that their factories produce. Of these, Dupont is one of the leaders. It aims by 2020 to reduce harmful gases by 65 percent from the 2010 amounts. It also plans to limit its energy use to 2010 levels and to use renewable sources of energy for 10 percent of all the energy it uses.
50. How can businessmen make profits without doing much harm to the environment?
A. By carrying out some strategies. B. By marketing their products.
C. By competing with other companies. D. By advertising the strengths of products.
51. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to Paragraph 3?
A. Many companies care little about reducing waste despite the laws.
B. All companies actively participate in the waste reduction campaign.
C. Some companies have realized that they can benefit from less pollution.
D. Employees in the 3M Company are rewarded for any idea about pollution.
52. Asahi Breweries is an example of companies that ________.
A. use animal feed to make beer B. make no profits
C. have reduced waste and pollution D. produce no waste at all
53. We can infer from the last paragraph that many companies ________.
A. stop producing harmful gases
B. are already “zero-waste” companies
C. have abandoned traditional energy resources
D. will take action to become environmentally friendly
54. Which of the following shows the structure of the whole text?
A. B.
C. D.
(①=Paragraph 1; ②=Paragraph 2; ③= Paragraph 3; ④=Paragraph 4; ⑤=Paragraph 5)
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