Speed Reading — Penguins - Level 6 — 500 wpm 

Now do this put-the-text-back-together activity.

This is the text (if you need help).

The government of Chile has rejected plans for a billion-dollar mining project because it would disrupt marine life. The area that was threatened with mining is home to 80 per cent of the world's Humboldt penguin. Other creatures that live in the waters include blue whales, fin whales and sea otters. A mining company called Andes Iron had wanted to extract millions of tons of iron and copper in the north of Chile. It also wanted to build a new port to facilitate the mining process. Chile's Environment Minister told reporters: "I firmly believe in development, but it cannot be at the cost of our environmental heritage or cause risk to health, or to unique ecological areas in the world."

Chile's National Mining Society said the decision was bad news for mining and for the country. It said the mining project was essential for the economic development of the region and the country. The controversial mining project would have generated $2.5 billion in revenue. Government ministers said the mining company had not shown the full negative impact of the mining project on the local environment. It also questioned the project's finances. The Environmental Minister said: "There are deficiencies in basic information and insufficiencies in mitigation, compensation, and reparation measures, meaning we believe that the eventual impacts have not been properly taken care of."

Comprehension questions
  1. What did the Chilean government say the mining project would disrupt?
  2. How many of the world's Humboldt penguins live in the region?
  3. What is the name of the mining company?
  4. What did the mining company want to build to aid the mining process?
  5. What did Chile's Environment Minister say he firmly believed in?
  6. What kind of news did Chile's mining society say the decision was?
  7. How much revenue would the project have generated?
  8. Who said the mining company had not shown the full negative impacts?
  9. What did the Environment Minister question about the project?
  10. What did the Environment Minister say had not been taken care of?

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