Read a passage and then listen to a conversation on the same topic. Get organized, using a chart like the one in the example above. Draw it quickly on your scratch paper before you begin reading. Then fill.it in as you read the passage and listen to the conversation.

INTEGRATED WRITING TASK 1: INTEGRATED ESSAY

Reading Time: 3 minutes

Although bottled water was an alternative during even the earliest civilizations, it has become more popular in the past few decades, for a variety of reasons. First, it is a healthier choice. In the United States, bottled water is comprehensively regulated by the Food and Drug Administration as a packaged food product. Minerals such as magnesium and chloride have been removed, along with salt. In contrast, the potential for heavy metals exists in public water supplies, such as copper and lead from storage tanks and industrial chemicals like dry-cleaning toxins. Of course, these issues are not a concern for bottled water, which is pure and free of contamination.

Furthermore, bottled water tastes better. Most bottled water comes from natural springs and wells, whereas local water supplies come from ground water that is trapped in aquifers or from wells drilled near rivers and streams. To make these water supplies safe to drink, water treatment plants remove contaminants and disinfect their tap water with chemicals, usually chlorine, which smells and leaves an aftertaste.

Finally, bottled water is convenient, and the packaging is, for the most part, reusable and recyclable. In fact, most plastic water bottles are 100 percent recyclable and are among the most recycled packaged products in the recycle system. In recent years, campaigns have raised public awareness .and the recycling of water bottles has increased by as much as 6 percent per year. The introduction of lighter-weight plastics has also allowed the bottling industry to further reduce its environmental footprint.

[audio|src:'\listening\toefl_advanced\SynthesizingGetOrganisedActivity3.mp3']

Now listen to part of a lecture in a general science class. The professor is talking about bottled water.