(ACAFE - 2012/2)
The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development
Published by DSEWPaC - Australian Government (The text below has been slightly modified to better suit the exam)
1. The United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development will take place in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 20 to 22 June 2012. Also referred to as Rio+20, the conference is convened under the authority of the United Nations General Assembly.
2. The Rio+20 Conference is an important step in ongoing international efforts to accelerate progress towards achieving sustainable development globally. The conference will mark the 20th anniversary of the 1992 UN Conference on Environment and Development in Rio de Janeiro (the Earth Summit).
3. It will also mark the 10th anniversary of the 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg.
4. The 1992 and 2002 summits were headline international events ____ key drivers of the sustainable development agenda. Similarly, Rio+20 presents an opportunity ____ re-direct and re-energise political commitment ____ the three pillars ____ sustainable development: economic growth, social improvement and environmental protection.
5. The objectives of the Rio+20 Conference are to:
• secure renewed political commitment to sustainable development
• assess the progress to date and the remaining gaps in the implementation of the outcomes of the major summits on sustainable development
• address new and emerging challenges.
6. The conference will focus on two themes:
• a green economy in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication
• the institutional framework for sustainable development
7. It is expected that tens of thousands of people will be involved in the Rio+20 Conference and the many related side events, including heads of state and senior representatives from nongovernmental organisations from around the world.
What do secure, assess and address have in common as they appear in the fifth paragraph of the text?
They are in the gerund form.
They are all irregular verbs.
They are in the infinitive form.
They have the same meaning.