The environment is about plants and animals but it's about humans, too. They need to work and earn money, and they also need to eat. Many people do not have enough food. So scientists and governments are always looking for new ways to feed them . The problem is that many of these new discoveries and ideas bring new problems!
For example, are GM crops a solution or problem?
Supermarkets want too sell cheap food and fruit and vegetables that look big and bright and 'perfect'. To grow these, some farmers use more and more chemicals on their crops. When you eat an apple , do you know what chemicals are on the skin? What is the effect of these on our health?
GM (Genetically-modified) crops sound like a great idea. They don't
get diseases like normal crops. They produce lots of strong plants. They are cheap . Isn't this a great way to feed the world , especially poor countries?
The problem is that nobody knows the consequences! Will these
crops affect human health? What happens if something goes wrong? Can GM crops encourage diseases like cancer? Nobody knows for certain! So people are nervous.
Are GM crops a step too far?
Will they affect our environment- and us?
We don't know!
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i'6l Do the group project and make a leaflet on the environment.
NRead the situation and follow the instructions below.
ECO-Action (Environmental Community Action; www.eco-act.org) is a new environmental group in your city. In order to encourage more people to take part in community activities, such as clearing up the local surroundings, they have decided to ask secondary school students to design a leaflet, which would invite people to participate in the forthcoming project and also provide necessary information.
1Discuss and include the following points in the text of your leaflet.
point out the increasing number of people taking part in such activities
briefly present the project
explain what way people can participate
say how this project will help the environment
2Write 180-200 words.
choose a catchy title
be informative, concise and convincing
use subheadings for clarity
write in short sections
write something about each of the points in the instructions
use present tenses
make it visually attractive Present your leaflet in class.
1 Get some information and discuss it in pairs.
Discursive essays are pieces of formal writing which discuss a particular problem or issue. The aim of these essays is not to persuade the reader that the writer's opinion is the only right one, but to make him/her consider the problem from various points of view. The writer focuses on various aspects of a problem or issue.
Each viewpoint and opposing viewpoint should be discussed and supported by relevant examples .
There are three main types of discursive essays :
1 For and Against Essays
2 Opinion Essays
3 Essays Suggesting Solutions to Proble s
2 In groups, choose one of the following topics and decide which type of discursive essay would be most appropriate to deal with the topic. Make a list of points you could include in the essay.
G) Money Is the Best Motivator
@How TO REDUCE STRESS AMONG STUDENTS
0Domestic Robots Will Make Our Lives Easier
Violence in (a,-f:oons ฎ Working on a Family Firm
3 Suggest two topics for different types of discursive essays you'd like to write about.
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for and against essay
opinion essay
solutions to problems essay WRITING
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Opinion Essay
It is a kind of a discursive essay in which you express your personal opinion on a particular topic . You must state your opinion clearly and support it with relevant information and examples. You should also present the opposing arguments supported by reasons. Subsequently you should indicate why they are in your opinion , rather unconvincing. The opposing viewpoint is written in a separate paragraph .
The structure of an "' is as follows:
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1- INTRODUCTORY PARAGRAPH
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.Jintroducing the topic and clearly stating your opinion