11 Environment
11.1 Warming up. Discuss in pairs: What do know about greenhouse effect? How does it influence our planet?
Exercise 11.1.1 Read and translate the article
What is the greenhouse effect?
To stop global warming from destroying our environment, we need to act now…
Many greenhouse gases, e.g. carbon dioxide, methane and ozone, exist naturally and are needed to create the greenhouse effect that keeps the Earth warm enough to support human life. However, the use of fossil fuels, e.g. oil, natural gas and coal, has produced excessive amounts of greenhouse gases, and the result is global warming: an increase in the average temperature on Earth. Of the 15 warmest years on record, 14 have occurred since 2000.
The effects of climate change can already be seen in our everyday lives. Summers are getting hotter and winters are getting wetter, so drought and floods are becoming more common. With it, animal and plant life is suffering – some species will disappear altogether – and certain illnesses, e.g. hay fever, asthma and skin cancer, are becoming more common.
Reference [1]
Exercise 11.1.2 Vocabulary:
1) environment – окружающая среда;
2) destroy – разрушать;
3) carbon dioxide – углекислый газ;
4) exist – существовать;
5) to support – поддерживать, помогать, содействовать;
6) average temperature – средняя температура;
7) global warming – глобальное потепление;
8) drought – засуха;
9) flood – наводнение;
10) suffer – страдать, терпеть;
11) disappear – исчезать, скрываться.
Exercise 11.1.3 Make used combinations:
1) global; a) layer;
2) greenhouse; b) warming;
3) acid; c) effect;
4) ozone; d) rain.
Exercise 11.1.4 Match the vocabulary (a-k) with definitions 1-10:
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1) are real or present; 2) make something happen or exist; 3) help (human life) to continue; 4) more than you want or need; 5) something that happens because of something else that has happened; 6) if information is on record, it has been written down or kept on a computer; 7) happened; 8) a change or result that is caused by something; 9) a long time without rain when people do not have enough water; 10) when water covers an area that is usually dry, often from too much rain; 11) experiencing something which is unpleasant; 12) damaging something so badly that it does not exist or cannot be used; 13) the air, land and water around us. |
a) effects; b) destroying; c) drought; d) exist; e) suffering; f) on record; g) to support; h) floods; j) to create; k) excessive; l) result; m) environment; n) occurred.
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Exercise 11.1.5 Match the words (1-4) with their definition (a-d):
1) the land surface on which we live and move about;
2) the soil and rocks on the earth's surface;
3) the substance on the surface of the earth in which plants grow;
4) an area of ground that is used for a particular purpose such as farming or building;
- a) soil;
- b) land;
- c) ground;
- d) earth.
Exercise 11.1.6 Read about six ways to reduce global warming then complete the list by your own variants:
1) Don’t throw things away – recycle paper, glass, plastic, etc. so that they can be used again;
2) Change light bulbs for more energy-efficient ones;
3) Save energy, for example, switch off lights when you leave a room;
4) Don’t waste water, e.g. turn off the tap when you are brushing your teeth;
5) Drive less and walk more;
6) Plant trees because trees reduce the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, and so reduce greenhouse gases.
Exercise 11.1.7 Do you agree or disagree with the following statements:
1) We all need to do more to protect the environment;
2) Progress on environmental problems is very slow.
11.2 Read the text and come up with a suitable title for it
The earth is getting hotter because of climate change and this is having a negative effect on water resources in many countries. At the same time, there is a rising demand for water, which comes from population growth and the economic development of countries like China and India. In years to come, it is likely that the world’s water supply will no longer be able to meet the demand. In countries with lots of water, it is easy to think that the water shortage isn’t a problem. In the UK, for example, the price of water is quite low and the average person consumes 145 liters per day, considerably less than in many developed countries. However, large quantities of water are used to make the products we consume: 15,500 liters for a kilo of beef, 2,700 liters for a cotton T-shirt. If you include all this “virtual water”, the average daily consumption in the UK is around 4,500 liters per person, of which 3,000 liters are imported, according to the environmental charity WWF (World Wide Fund for Nature). A recent study describes the water situation in the world as a serious threat to economic growth and our food supply. If we don’t stop thinking about water as somebody else’s problem, this situation could soon turn into a global crisis.
Reference [1]
Exercise 11.2.1 Vocabulary:
1) climate change – изменение климата;
2) demand – потребность, потребляемое количество;
3) population growth – рост населения;
4) supply (n) – снабжение, поставка, обеспечение;
5) to meet the demand – удовлетворить спрос;
6) shortage – нехватка, недостаток;
7) average – средний, обычный;
8) consume – потреблять, расходовать;
9) charity – благотворительность, милосердие;
10) threat – угроза;
11) turn into – превратиться в.
Exercise 11.2.2 Are these sentences true or false?
1) The amount of usable water in the world is decreasing;
2) The world will need more and more water in the future;
3) The price of water in the UK is rather high;
4) The problem of water only exists in certain parts of the world;
5) Water is used to produce a lot of consumer products, such as clothing.
Exercise 11.2.3 Match the antonyms:
1) shortage; a) reduced;
2) negative; b) destroy;
3) demand; c) overage;
4) increase; d) positive;
5) damage; e) supply;
6) usable; f) retrogression;
7) consume; g) decrease;
8) create; h) useless;
9) excessive; j) produce;
10) improvement; k) profit.
Exercise 11.2.4 Match the phrases in bold in the text to definitions 1-8:
1) A possible dangerous situation ______;
2) The amount of water available in the world _______;
3) An increase in the need for smth. _______;
4) Increases in temperature and their effect ______;
5) An improvement in the financial situation of a country _____;
6) A situation where there is not enough water _____;
7) A very difficult situation in the world ______;
8) An increase in the number of people ______.
Exercise 11.2.5 Replace the words in italics with a synonymous verb or phrase:
1) A recent study calculates that by 2050, 2.5 billion more people will live in cities and this could create many social and environmental problems;
2) Social media and the Internet are dangerous for our private lives;
3) We predict that air pollution will be the biggest risk to people’s health in the future;
4) The standard of living of people in rich countries will continue to go down in the years to come;
5) We’ll have no more natural resources if we don’t stop buying things we don’t need;
6) Climate change has an impact on people in poor countries more than in the developed countries.
Exercise 11.2.6 Using the studied vocabulary write an essay about environmental problems and ways to protect our planet
Exercise 11.2.7 Think about the following questions:
1) What is a hurricane?
2) Where do hurricanes usually occur?
3) How often do hurricanes occur in your country?
Exercise 11.2.8 Write the letter of the word or phrase with the same meaning as the underlined word:
- a) almost the same; alike;
- b) find;
- c) facts;
- d) big trouble;
- e) happen;
- f) choose;
- Strong winds can cause danger;
- People try to detect typhoons before they come to land;
- I need information about when the storm will begin;
- Typhoons often occur in summer;
- Hurricane Fred and Hurricane Gloria had similar wind speeds;
- We should decide what to call this
11.3 Read and translate the text.
Hurricane Who?
Tropical cyclones are called typhoons in Asia and hurricanes in North and South America. These storms go around like a wheel turning to the left when they hit in the northern part of the world. They have wind speeds of 60 kph or more. In the United States, the Tropical Prediction Center in Miami, Florida keeps an eye out for hurricanes.
When meteorologists detect a hurricane, they give it a name. They can use either a male or female name. Why should tropical cyclones have names? The name makes it easier for people to keep up with information about a hurricane and its possible dangers.
The World Meteorological Organization (WMO), an international weather group, decides what names will be used. The WMO makes lists of names using the English alphabet. Each name on the list starts with a different letter. The first hurricane of the year gets the first name on that year’s list. The second hurricane gets the next name. For example, if the first hurricane is named Abel, the second might be named Betty. The name lists do not include names beginning with the letters Q, U, X, Y, and 20 Z. There aren’t many names that begin with these letters. Asian countries use a different list, which is made up by the WMO’s Typhoon Committee. This list has a few personal names, but most of the names are of flowers, animals, trees, and other similar things.
Reference [21]
Exercise 11.3.1 Choose the best answer:
1) What is the main idea of this reading?
- Why tropical cyclones are named b. What tropical cyclones can do
- How tropical cyclones are named d. Who watches for tropical cyclones
2) In which direction do tropical cyclones go around in the northern part of the planet?
- Down The same direction as a clock
- The opposite direction of a clock d. Up
3) The fifth hurricane of 2015 might have the name .
- Diana Darren
- Eric d. Connie
4) Which name would a hurricane NOT have?
- Rita Veronica
- William d. Yanni
Exercise 11.3.2 Find these idioms in the reading:
- keep an eye out for [to watch for trouble or danger]
Swimmers need to keep an eye out for sharks.
- keep up with [to continue getting useful information]
It’s hard to keep up with fashion these days.
- make up [to prepare something]
I’ll make up a new address list for the class.
Exercise 11.3.4 Fill in the blank with one of the above idioms. Change its form if necessary:
1) I will ___________a list of questions to ask the travel agent.
2) She always ___________the latest music.
3) When you cross the street, ______________cars.
Конец формы
Exercise 11.3.5 Discuss the following questions:
1) What kinds of names are better for cyclones--human or non-human names?
2) Have you ever experienced a tropical cyclone?
3) Which season in your country has the worst weather? Which has the best?
Exercise 11.3.6 Choose the best word or phrase to fill in the blank:
1) The teacher decides her students’ grades____their test scores and homework.
- creating b. deciding c. according to d. naming
2) He often uses the Internet to get _____.
- information b. danger c. taste d. people
3) My house is very small. Surprisingly, it does not ____a bathroom.
- keep up b. catch on c. list d. include
4) We named our dog George. Then we found out she was a ____dog!
- female b. possible c. easy d. freezing
5) ______ countries like Singapore are hot all the time.
- Fantastic b. Male c. Tropical d. International
6) This street is very busy. You should___for cars when you walk across it.
- keep up with b. find out c. watch out d. check in
7) Hurricanes usually _____in summer.
- occur b. go around c. make d. detect
8) My sister and my mother have very___hairstyles.
- similarly b. similar c. similarity
9) I can’t ____ the problem with my computer.
- detect b. detective c. detection
10) It is not to swim here. This beach is very safe.
- danger b. dangerous c. dangerously