Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct word or phrase that best fits each of the numbered blanks

Few people now realize the reality of global warming and its effects on the world’s climate. Many scientists (26) ______ the blame for recent natural disasters on the increase in the world’s temperatures and are convinced that, more than ever before, the Earth is at (27) ______ from the forces of the wind, rain and sun. According to them, global warming is making extreme weather events, such as hurricanes and droughts, even more severe and causing sea levels all around the world to rise.

Environmental groups are putting pressure on governments to take action to reduce the amount of carbon dioxide which is given (28) ______ by factories and power plants, thus attacking the problems at its source. They are in  (29) ______ of more money being spent on research into solar, wind and wave energy devices, which could then replace existing power (30) ______. Some scientists, however, believe that even if we stopped releasing carbon dioxide and other gases into the atmosphere tomorrow, we would have to wait several hundred years to notice the results. Global warming, it seems, is to stay.

Many scientists (26) ______ the blame for recent natural disasters on the increase in the world’s temperatures and are convinced that, more than ever before