Hot topic:
The environment
READING
1 Match the words and phrases in the list with the pictures.
2 SPEAKING Work in pairs. Which of the above are easy/difficult/impossible to find in your town or country? Discuss using the expressions below.
- There is/are lots of … in …
- I think 50 years ago there were more/fewer …
- It would be good to have more …
3 SPEAKING Tell your partner about places you have visited. Which of the things in Exercise 1 did you see?
4 Look at the sentences below about the environment. Read and listen to the article to decide if each sentence is true or false. Rewrite the false sentences to make them true.
Hot topic: THE ENVIRONMENT
This week, four experts share with us what they think the key challenges for the world’s environment will be in the future. As always, we are curious to get our readers’ reactions. So tell us what you think.
1 Endangered species
The black rhino in Africa is in serious danger of becoming extinct. This is because some people think rhino horn has special powers. They pay enormous sums of money for it. So people kill rhinos and sell their horns. Tigers are in serious danger, too. At the beginning of the 20th century, there were about 100,000 tigers. Now there are only about 3,000 left. In a few years’ time, there might not be any tigers left at all! These are just two examples. Many other animals are endangered, too. Some of them may be gone forever very soon.
Joc Wagner, Cape Town
3 Deforestation
About 30% of the world’s land is still covered with forests. But every year, we lose areas as big as the country of Panama. Big companies earn millions from producing wood, paper and cardboard from the trees. Forests are also cut down to make more space for growing crops such as soya or creating huge cattle farms. The consequences of deforestation are dramatic and partly responsible for climate change. About 70% of the world’s land animals and plants live in forests. If we lose the forests, we will lose millions of species.
Alejandro Silvas, Quito
2 Overfishing
It’s not looking good for the fish population. Certain species are in danger, and there aren’t many of them in the sea where fishermen usually go. Fishing ships are therefore going further and further out into the oceans. They try to get the rare species because they can get better prices for them. If things go on like this, 40 years from now there won’t be any fish left in the seas. It’s not too late yet, but it may be soon. The oceans need much stricter laws and a fishing industry that keeps to them.
Rick Cavendish, San Diego
4 Rising levels of sea water
Over the last 20 years or so, sea water temperatures have been going up. As a consequence, the ice caps around the poles have started to melt, and sea levels have started to rise. If this doesn’t stop, the water will rise further and may flood many islands. Then some countries like the Maldives won’t be there any more. There is also a danger that some huge low-lying coastal cities might end up below the sea. It’s hard to imagine what the consequences of such changes might be.
Gajkaran Sanu, New Delhi
THINK VALUES
Caring for the world
1 Read and tick the values that are linked with the problems discussed in the article.
2 SPEAKING Work in pairs. Say what you think about the values.
GRAMMAR
will (not), may (not), might (not) for prediction
1 Complete the examples from the article. Underline other examples of will, won’t, may (not) and might (not). Then complete the rule.
2 Complete the sentences. Use will or won’t and the verbs in brackets.
3 Read the sentences and choose the correct words.
4 SPEAKING Work in pairs. Think about your next weekend. Talk about:
a sport you will / won’t do
a film you might / might not watch
someone you may / may not see
VOCABULARY
The environment
1 Match the words with their definitions.
2 SPEAKING Work in pairs. Ask and answer questions.
1 Which animals do you know that are extinct or in danger of extinction?
2 What laws to protect the environment are there in your country?
3 What problems with waste are there where you live?
4 What might happen if the ice around the north and south poles melts?
5 Are floods common in your country?
6 Are the air and water very polluted in your area? What could your class do to help fight pollution?
3 Match the words in the list with the pictures. Then listen, repeat and check.
4 Think about the environment in your country. Make notes.
some rivers polluted
air pollution from factories
5 SPEAKING Work in pairs. Look at your notes from Exercise 4. Make predictions for the next 30 years. Which environmental issues concern you the most? Then report to the class.