ENVIRONMENT

Name and surname: ________________________________________

Points achieved:

THE DATE OF WORKING ON THIS EXERCISE: ______________________

Read the paragraphs below and match them with the threat they
refer to:
1. Environmental racism is inequitable distribution of
environmental hazards based on race. The Federal Agency for Toxic
Substances and Disease Registry considers lead poisoning to be the
number one environmental health problem for children in the United Animal
States. Some 4 million children many of whom are African extinction
American, Latino and Native American- have dangerously high lead
levels in their bodies. This lead is absorbed from contaminated
drinking water and soil polluted by industrial effluents and Acid rain
automobile exhaust.
2.Every year humans kill about 100 million sharks, skates and rays,
about half of them caught as unwanted by-catch while fishing for Air pollution
other species. Sharks are particularly sensitive to overfishing
because they grow slowly, mature late and have few young each
generation. As top predators, sharks play a crucial role in the health Overpopulation
of the ocean ecosystems and their extermination could lead to
major ecological changes in the ocean.
3. In February 2002, a huge section of the Larsen B Ice Shelf along Water pollution
The Antarctic Peninsula coast suddenly disintegrated into thousands
of icebergs. The total volume of ice released was the equivalent to
29 trillion bags of party ice. Climatologists warn that this dramatic Deforestation
collapse could be a signal of global climate change and an omen of
catastrophic events to come.
Ozone Depletion
4. A 1 percent loss of ozone results in a 2 percent increase in UV
rays reaching the earths surface and could result in about a million
extra human skin cancers per year worldwide.
Global warming
5. Every second, on average, four or five children are born
somewhere on the earth. I that same second, two other people die.
This difference between births and deaths means a net gain of Toxic waste
roughly 2.5 more humans per second in the world population. This
means we are adding 9,000 per hour, 217,000 per day, or about 79
million more people per year.
6. Sulfur dioxide and sulphuric acid released by industry causes
massive destruction of the vegetation. Rains then wash away the
exposed soil, leaving a barren moonscape.
7.Pollution from factory pipes has been vastly reduced but erosion
from farm fields, construction sites, airborne mercury, sulphur and
other substances are increasingly contaminating lakes and
wetlands.
8. Worldwide, we lost between 9 million and 12 million ha of forest
per year from 1990 to 2000. Clear-cutting and burning especially in
order to get pasture and cropland have turned many forests into a
dry, barren ground.
9. How does the air taste, feel, smell, and look in your
neighbourhood? Chances are that wherever you live, the air is
contaminated to some degree. Smoke, dust, corrosive gases and
toxic compounds are present nearly everywhere.
B. Read the following text carefully:
The Amazon forest covers five million square kilometers, an area as big as
the whole Europe excluding Russia. It contains one third of the worlds
trees. However, the trees are disappearing. By 1974, a quarter of the
forest had already been cut down. In the following year, 1975, four per
cent of the remaining trees went. If the destruction of the forest continues
at the same rate, there will be nothing left in a
few years. Scientists say that the disappearance
of trees is already causing changes in the
climate. In Peru, there is less snow than before
on the high peaks of the Andes mountains. In
Bolivia there is very little rain. What will happen
if more of the Amazon forest is cut down?
According to climatologists if the Amazon forest
disappears, there will be less oxygen and it will
be difficult for us to breathe, the temperature will rise, the ice-caps at the
North and the South poles will melt. Even the sea level will rise. Therefore,
seaside cities will be flooded. Scientists do not agree about the
calculations which can be done in different ways with different results. But
all the scientists agree that if we destroy the Amazon forest, it will be an
environmental suicide. Life on earth will become difficult, and it may
become impossible.
Give a title to the text.
________________________________________________________
Are the following statements are true or false:
a-The Amazon forest is bigger than Europe. ________________
b-It contains most of the worlds trees. ______________
c-Deforestation leads to climate change. _______________
d-If the Amazon forest is destroyed, the coastal towns will be under
water. ____________
Answer the following questions according to the text:
How big is the Amazon forest?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
Why is the Amazon forest so important?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
What will happen if it ever disappears?
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________

Match the words with their synonyms:

1-whole a- weather
2-climate b-go up
3-rise c-result
4-consequence d- complete
Find in the text words that are opposite in meaning to:

-including _____________________ -low __________________________

-drop _____________________ -easy _________________________
D. Match the words from the two columns to create phrases or
collocations.
1 ozone A waste
2 nuclear B layer
3 natural C rain
4 greenhouse D effect
5 global E dioxide
6 dumping F warming
7 carbon G resources
8 acid H ground
 THE DATE OF WORKING ON THIS EXERCISE: ______________________

Phrasal verbs and the environment

1. Complete using the correct form of the phrasal verbs.

a The rivers are ______________ because it hasnt rained for a

long time.
b They are ______________ ancient trees to make packaging for
toys.
c People should think carefully before they ______________ the
tap to use water.
d Ignoring environment problems doesnt help; we have to ______________ them.
e The planet is ______________ precious resources like oil and fresh water.
f We shouldnt ______________ all our resources; we have to think of the future.
g We should ______________ the TV when we arent watching it.
h We should recycle to ______________ all the waste we produce.

2. Complete the phrasal verbs.

a Many trees are cut ______________ without being replaced.

b We should turn ______________ the lights when we leave the room.
c We have to find solutions for these problems. We cant give ______________.
d We have to save our planet now. We are running ______________ time.
e Environmentalists have to deal ______________ some insensitive politicians.

3. Underline the correct phrasal verb.

a Because whales are hunted, their numbers are going up / going down.
b The number of species on the endangered lists is going up / going down.
c We are using up / cutting down all the planet resources.
d People forget to turn off / turn on the tap while they are brushing their teeth.
e We have to go down / cut back on the amount of water we use.

Plastic pollution

http://www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice/learningenglish/general/sixminute/201
0/02/100218_6min_plastic_page.shtml

Vocabulary - What do the following words mean?

1 waste .
2 rubbish
3 litter .
4 garbage
5 discarded .
6 packaging .
7 biodegradable..
Questions for comprehension
1 What is the Great Pacific Garbage
Patch?........................................................................

..
2 When was it
discovered?..............................................................................................
.
3 How large is it estimated to
be?..................................................................................
4 How many million sea birds are killed each year as a result of plastic
pollution? ..
5 What things are found in the stomachs of birds?
.... .

..
6 What percentage of litter in the ocean was thrown away on land?
...
7 What percentage of plastic produced each year is used for packaging?

8 What are the three Rs that scientists recommend?
...

 THE DATE OF WORKING ON THIS EXERCISE: ______________________

We're asking the wrong questions about conservation

When looking at the best way to protect wildlife
from the growing climate change crisis,
conservation scientists usually ignore the most
significant impact on fauna and flora: the
changes that global warming causes in the
behaviour of humans and resultant effects on
the living world and natural processes. Those
effects are already causing many of the climate-
related ecological changes that we are seeing
across the globe.
For example, the opening up of the Arctic for oil and gas because of sea-ice reduction directly
impacts polar biodiversity. Expansion of agricultural activities due to changes in rainfall in the
mountains of Africa's Albertine Rift and the valleys of the Congo Basin now put gorilla habitat
at risk there.
Elsewhere, the construction of ineffective seawalls in Papua New Guinea to slow down the
impact of sea-level rise has caused the complete destruction of some of the most biodiverse
coral reefs in the world. Increasing temperatures across the Tibetan plateau also contribute to a
change in the balance between indigenous herders and wildlife.
The list is endless but it is not all negative. For example, in the Maya Biosphere Reserve in
Guatemala, efforts by local communities to control a growing number of wildfire incidents are
having a positive impact on vulnerable populations of threatened species like jaguar.
However, some people could say that in their work on climate change, conservation scientists
have forgotten a basic concept of our field: that conservation is fundamentally about people.
A look at the literature shows that in 2013, more than 6,500 papers related to climate change
have been published in conservation journals. The majority of them examine how and where
future changes in temperature and rainfall can make species more vulnerable.
Its true that direct threats to species are often less difficult to identify, quantify and predict, but
indirect threats can often be much more significant and permanent. This is also true with
climate change. For example, the risk for a national park to become the best place to grow
food can be the most relevant threat to species there.
The wrong direction of conservation science in terms of climate change is not because of not
enough data or no time to do relevant research. It is more basic than that. We're asking the
wrong questions.
Understanding the ecology of species and possible responses to climate change is helpful, but
understanding how humans are going to be affected by climate and what impact this will cause
on those species is much more important.
As a conservationist who has spent his career looking at climate change impacts, I have
stopped worrying about how species are going to respond and begun focusing on how human
adaptations will affect those species. It is clear to me that this is what our immediate priority
should be.
Failure to predict human adaptations to climate change brings us to a future of emergency
responses that are completely inadequate to the needs for this century. With greater attention to
this subject, we can focus on conservation resources and work more effectively and efficiently
with what many of us believe to be the greatest global challenge of our time.

Adapted from: http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/jul/29/conservation-

climate-change-species

Read the article, and do the activities below:

a) Using your own words, explain the meaning of the title.
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
________________
b) The author presents two points of view. Which are they? Explain in your
own words.

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
______
c) How does the author defend his point of view? Mention at least one
argument that he uses for this purpose.

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________

d) What is the situation of wildlife protection in our country? Explain.

___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________________
______

Going Green Quiz

1-Whats the biggest consumer of power in homes?
o Clothes dryer

o Refrigerator

o Iron

o Hair dryer

2- Which of the following countries has enacted legislation to reduce the

use of plastic shopping bags?
o Australia

o Bangladesh

o Italy
 o All of the above

3- Which saves more energy:

o Turning your computer off

o Putting it in sleep mode

4- Homes in rural areas have less indoor pollution than homes in high
industrial areas.
o True

o False

5- When you want to recycle your old computer, its 20 times more
energy-efficient to
o Refurbish it for reuse
o Dismantle it

o Place it in storage

o Ship it to another country

6-How much household heat is lost through a non-insulated roof?

o 25%
o 10%
o 5%
7- On average, how long does it take for a person in the UK to produce
their own body weight in rubbish?
o 7 weeks
o 7 months
o 7 years

8- How much energy is saved by recycling an aluminum can instead of

making anew?
o 96%- enough to run a 20 watt CFL ( compact fluorescent light) lamp or 100
hours.
o 76%- enough to run a refrigerator for 5 minutes
o 50%- enough to power an iPhone for a week

9- What is the most common cause of pollution of streams, rivers, and

oceans?
o Dumping of garbage by cities
 o Surface water running off gardens, city streets and farm fields
o Trash washed into the ocean from beaches
o Waste dumped by factories

10- Planting a tree will create oxygen, provide wildlife habitat, and soak
up waste CO2. Which variety should you choose?
o a fast-growing poplar
o a long-lived oak
o a variety native to where you live
o An evergreen

11- Where does most of the garbage in the U.S. end up?
o Oceans
o Incinerators
o Recycling centers
o Landfills

12- Which of the following household wastes is considered hazardous

waste?
o Plastic packaging
o Glass
o Batteries
o Spoiled food

13- Whats the most common reason for a species becoming extinct?
o Pesticides are killing them
o Their habitats are being destroyed by humans
o There is too much hunting
o They smoked as teenagers

THE DATE OF WORKING ON THIS EXERCISE: ______________________

ENDANGERED SPECIES DISCUSSION
STUDENT As QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

1) Do you worry about the worlds endangered species?

2) Which animals, fish and plants do you think are most endangered?
3) What do you think the growing list of endangered species says
about humankind?
4) Which endangered species would you least like to see disappear?
5) Are there endangered species in your country?
6) Do you do anything to protect endangered species?
7) Forty percent of all organisms are endangered. What do you think
about this?
8) Why are so many species becoming endangered?
9) Do you think the list of endangered species can ever get shorter?
10) Do you like actors from other countries?

ENDANGERED SPECIES DISCUSSION

STUDENT Bs QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

1) Do you think humans will ever be an endangered species?

2) What should governments do to protect endangered species?
3) What do you think of the sale of products made from endangered
species and how can we stop it?
4) Do you think endangered species can be bred in zoos or captive
breeding programmes and then released into the wild?
5) Would you like to work for an agency that protects endangered
species?
6) Do you know of any endangered species success stories?
7) How important is it to teach children about endangered species?
8) Which countries do you think are most guilty for endangering life?
9) Do you think honest politicians are an endangered species?
10) What question would you like to ask an endangered species?
 Reading
In Danger

A- Complete the text with the words in the box.

Sea turtles are (1) _________ that have a protective shell and live in the
ocean. sea turtles have existed for 125 million years, since
the time of the (2) _________, but now each of the
remaining eight 83) _________ of sea turtles are listed as dinosaurs
threatened or (4) _________. One of the most (5)
species
_________ sights you can see is the annual nesting
lay
ceremony of the giant sea turtle. Thousands of these
creatures leave the ocean to (6) _________ their eggs. Year endangered
after year, they instinctively return to the beach where they
extinct
themselves hatched. They dig a (7) _________ in the sand
crabs
and release up to 150 eggs at a time. Most of the eggs will
never hatch, for they will be eaten by predator birds, (8) habitat
_________, or insects. These days the worst enemy of the
reptiles
turtle is man. He takes their eggs and kills the adults for their
hole
shells. The turtles nesting (9) _________ is disappearing
fast, developed for tourism. If more is not done to protect it, magical
this ancient creature will soon be (10) _________.

THE DATE OF WORKING ON THIS EXERCISE: ______________________

Watch the video and fill in the blanks with the vocabulary.
5 WAYS TO SAVE THE PLANET
So, Super Power Bloke1, you think you can _______________ the planet?
Thats the spirit!
No doubt about climate change, do you?
When we _______________fossil fuels such as oil, gas, _______________
we create energy for our day-to-day needs. But we also create CO2. We call
these: _______________emissions. The extra CO2 in the earths atmosphere
traps the _______________from the _______________which causes
temperatures to _______________. This global warming is causing all sorts of
problems: _______________ice caps, changing weather systems,
_______________, to name a few. And each problems lead to another. If the
_______________caps melt, the _______________levels rise, the rivers break
their banks and then those wellies2 of yours wont be much use at all it doesnt
look too good, does it?
In the UK the average person has a carbon _______________of nearly 11 000
kilos of CO2 per year. That will not do if everyone cut _______________their
carbon footprint, then we can lessen the effects of _______________change.
And heres the good news: the cost to you is zero! Want to help by cutting down
your footprint, old chap? Good man!
There are 5 simple things that you can do right now to make the real difference.
Number 1 Warm enough, are you? _______________your thermostat down by
1 or 2 degrees and buy yourself some warmer clothes with money you save on
your heating bills.
Number 2- Dont leave _______________on stand-by and remember not to
leave them on charge unnecessarily. _______________them off of the socket.
Number 3- Excuse me. Arent you forgetting something? Always
_______________off the lights when you leave a room. And do you really need
quite so many?
Number 4- When you do any laundry or dish washing, make sure you do a full
load!
Number 5 Making a cuppa3? Stop! How many cups of tea are you making?
What? Theres enough for 10 cups in there! Only boil the amount of water that
you actually need! Very good, old boy!
Remember, 5 ways to save the planet! A _______________change from you,
can really make a difference!

1 Bloke UK Informal a man, often one who is considered to be ordinary. E.g. Pauls
really a good bloke!
2 Wellies UK Informal for Wellington boots, US or Australian English rubber boots
3 Cuppa UK Informal for a cup of tea
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C8jTaT0GENs