CATEGORIES:
BiologyChemistryConstructionCultureEcologyEconomyElectronicsFinanceGeographyHistoryInformaticsLawMathematicsMechanicsMedicineOtherPedagogyPhilosophyPhysicsPolicyPsychologySociologySportTourism
The Green World report on the health of the natural worldECOLOGY Lead -in Unless you’ve been living in a cave – or on the dark side of the Moon – for the last few years, you know what you ought to be doing when it comes to saving energy, helping wildlife and supporting ethical projects. So, do you do all you can, all the time, or is being eco-friendly just a part of your life – but not the be-all and end-all of it? Work your way through these quick 12 questions and see just how green you really are. Do you switch off your TV/computer/sound system at the wall? a) Always. b) Mostly. c) Sometimes. When you clean your teeth, do you let the water run? a) Yes. b) No! c) Sometimes. Do you grow your own food at home? a) Yes – loads. b) Yes, some. c) No, not really. How many of your home’s light bulbs are low energy ones? a) None / one or two. b) About half. c) All of them. How much of your household waste do you recycle? a) We put our bottles in the bottle bank. b) As much as we can. c) Most of what we can. Do you have a wildlife friendly garden? a) We’ve got a bit of a wildlife corner, but it’s nothing special. b) I think we’ve got a bird box. c) We’ve got bird boxes, a wildlife area, a pond and loads of plants for bees and butterflies
How did you travel to your last holiday? a) By boat or train. b) On foot or by bicycle. c) By air. How do you get to school? a) Walk or cycle. b) School bus. c) Car. Shower or bath? a) Bath. b) Shower. c) Don’t care. If you’re buying a present, which matters MOST to you ? a) Price. b) Was it made locally? c) Will the person I’m giving it to like it? How do you think of wasps? a) If they avoid me, I’ll avoid them. b) A nuisance. c) An important part of the natural world. How many times do you re-use the plastic bags shops give you? a) Once, maybe. b) Several times. c) I never take them; I always use my own bag.
class=WordSection5> The Green World report on the health of the natural world
1. Read the World Green report and match the headings with the sections of the report. A) Energy B) Wildlife C) Land D) Health E) Pollution
The Earth is our home, but much of it is dirty or dying. Why? Let’s look at this problem closely. 1) ____________________________ By the year 2030, 25% of all animals, birds, fish and insects may be extinct. Why is this happening? Well, there are three main reasons. The first is pollution. Millions of animals die every year because man has polluted their natural home or 'habitat'. The second is hunting. Man hunts and kills millions of animals every year. The third reason is the environment itself. It's becoming smaller. Every year man cuts down more trees, builds more roads, and uses more land for farming. This leaves fewer jungles, fields and forests for wildlife. 2) _____________________________ Cars and factories are very dirty. They can also be very dangerous for people, wildlife and the environment. Two serious pollution problems are ... Acid Rain – This happens when gases and chemicals mix with water in the air. The mixture travels for hundreds of miles and finally falls back to earth. Because 'acid rain' contains a lot of chemicals, it kills fish and trees. The Greenhousev Effect – Gases and chemicals are the reason for this problem, too. Some of them stay in the airlike a blanket around the world. Because of this blanket, the Earth's climate is changing and getting hotter. 3) _____________________________ People don't just pollute the atmosphere. They pollute themselves, too – for example with • cigarettes • junk food • alcohol • illegal drugs (like heroin and cocaine). The question is how can human beings become healthier? 4) _____________________________ 94% of the world's energy comes from oil, gas and coal. But these 'fossil fuels' won't last for ever. There's only enough oil and gas for the next 50 years. Coal will last longer - perhaps another 300 years. Then what? Well – there are two possible answers. 1 Nuclear Power – 20 years ago this seemed to be the answer. But today, after Chernobyl, many people think it's too dangerous. 2 Natural Energy- This means energy from the sun, sea, wind and under the ground. It's clean and natural, but there's a problem. It's also very expensive. 5) _____________________________ 40% of the world's rainforests have disappeared in the last 80 years. Today in South America 50 hectares disappear every minute. This is happening because people need (a) wood and paper (b) minerals and medicines (c) more room for farms and houses. But land isn't just disappearing in South America. It's an international crisis. In Africa, for example, the Sahara desert is growing bigger every year. Here the problem is erosion. That's what happens when farmers use the soil too much. It becomes poor and thin. Then, in the end, the wind blows it away or 'erodes' it,
2. Read the report again. Tick the true statements. Correct the false ones. 1) Nowadays wildlife is endangered because of pollution, hunting and the environment itself. 2) Cars and factories are very ditry, but the smoke rom them is not very dangerous for people, wildlife and the environment. 3) Cutting down tropical rainforests happenes because people need wood, paper, minerals and medicine. 4) People pollute only atmosphere, they do not pollute themselves. 5) The greenhouse effect is very good for the environment because plants will grow quickly. 6) Nuclear energy is very powerful, but people think it is dangerous.
3. Answer the questions. 1) What are the three reasons for wildlife destruction? 2) What does acid rain consist of? 3) How does acid rain travel? 4) What are the negative effects of the greenhouse effect? 5) What is junk food? Is it dangerous for our health? Why? 6) What are the alternative sources of energy? 7) What are two major environmental problems, connected with land?
4. Read the report again aand complete the charts below with key words
5. Match the words with their definitions.
Then, divide the words from Column A into two groups: Environmental problems Components of wildlife
6. Using the key words, tell about the reasons, problems and negative effects and possible solutions of each of the sections
Grade these environmental problems, beginning from the most important one and ending with the least important problem. Explain your choice.
Date: 2016-03-03; view: 837
|
reasons
problems
Health
sources
problems