The Norwegian government is doing its best to keep the oil industry under control. A new law limits exploration to an area south of the southern end of the long coastline, production limits have been laid down, and oil companies have not been allowed to employ more than a limited number of foreign workers. But the oil industry has a way of getting over such problems, and few people believe that the government will be able to hold things back for long.
Ever since the war, the government has been carrying out a program of development in the area north of the Arctic Circle. During the past few years this program has had a great deal of success. Tromso has been built up into a local capital with a university, a large hospital and a healthy industry. But the oil industry has already started to draw people south, and within a few years the whole northern policy could be in ruins.
The effects of the oil industry would not be limited to the north, however. With nearly 100 percent employment, everyone can see a situation developing in which the service industries and the tourist industry will lose most of their workers to the oil industry. Some smaller industries might even disappear altogether when it becomes cheaper to buy goods from abroad.
1. The Norwegian Government would prefer the oil industry to _____.
A. provide more jobs for foreign workers B. slow down the rate of its development
C. sell the oil it is producing abroad D. develop more quickly than at present
2. The Norwegian Government has tried to ____.
A. encourage the oil companies to discover new oil sources
B. prevent oil companies employing people from Northern Norway
C. help the oil companies solve many of their problems
D. keep the oil industry to something near its present size
3. According to the text, the oil industry might lead in Northern Norway to ____.
A. the development of industry B. a growth in population
C. the failure of the development program D. the development of new towns
4. In the south, one effect of the development of the oil industry might be _____.
A. a large reduction in unemployment
B. a growth in the tourist industry
C. a reduction in the number of existing industries
D. the development of a number of service industry.