Дидактический материал к занятиям 6.2.1, 6.2.2, 6.2.3

Environmental Protection

Lesson 6.2.1.Ecological Problems

Lead-in

Ex.1 Listen to the poem. What is it about?

Ex.2 Choose three pictures (on the previous page) which best match the poem. Now look at the list of problems and match them with the pictures. What do you think has caused these problems?

water pollution, litter, destruction of the rainforests, air pollution, drought.

Pre-reading

Ex 3. a) Study these examples with clauses of reason and result.

Reason

· The workers went on a strike due to/because of/owing to/ on account of bad working conditions.

· They put the animals into the game parks because/as/since theywere threatened with extinction by hunters.

Result

· It is so dangerous to sunbathe nowadays that people tend to stay in the shade.

· He is such an interesting professor that students crowd his classroom.

· It was raining hard. As a result/Consequently/So/ Therefore, the match was cancelled.

b)join the following sentences below in every possible way.

· New laws have been introduced to stop factories polluting the atmosphere,

Pollution is damaging our environment.

· The ozone layer is getting thinner. More and more people are getting skin

cancer.

· Tigers may become extinct. Hunters are killing them for their valuable skins,

· The climate is changing. The Sahara Desert is spreading.

· Fish are dying. Industrial waste is polluting our seas.

· Many cosmetic companies have stopped testing their products on animals.

There has been pressure from animal rights groups

Ex 4. Do this exercise in writing. Giving Russian equivalents:

a) put nouns as synonyms: threat, extinction, survival, unwanted things, species,

living, animals, crops, danger, waste, destruction, issue, grave, dry weather,

damage, famine, drought, hunger, plants, fumes, gases, question.

b) form Past Simple, Past/Present Participles of the verbs: release, pour, heal,

choke, chop, contaminate, threaten.

c) express your points of view in writing using the words given above with clauses of reason and result.

Ex 5. Read the sentences, then listen to the tape and underline the correct word.

1. Rare plant and human/animal species are disappearing.

2. The trees are being cut/chopped down for paper or to make room for cattle farms.

3. Birds and animals lose/miss their homes.

4. Factories are polluting our rivers and lakes with dangerous oils/chemicals.

5. Sea life is threatened with extinction/loss.

6. Cars and factories are giving off dangerous waste/fumes.

7. We can plant trees and adopt/adapt animals.

During-reading

Ex 6. Read this article about the problems of our planet. Choose the most suitable heading from the list A - F for each part (1-4). There is one heading you do not need to use. There is an exam­ple at the beginning (0). Write the thesis of the text.

A A watery grave. D Nature can healitself.

B Running out of time. E No trees - no life.

C Chokingto death. F We can do it!

We have spent thousands of years fighting for our survival. Yet now we have discovered that our planet is under threat and, to make matters worse, it's all our fault.

[0] [B]

The rainforests are dying, rare plant and animal species are disappearing, rivers and seas are being contaminated, crops are failing to grow, people are dying of hunger and the air is being polluted. It's time we woke up to these problems and started repairing the damage.

[1] [ ]

One of the major problems is the destruction of the rainforests in South America. They are home to half the world's species and to millions of people. Moreover, the rainforests clean the air by absorbing carbon dioxide and giving out oxygen. The trees are being cut down for paper or to make room for cattle farms. As a result, birds and animals lose their homes and die. This destruction is also bringing about changes in the climate, air pollution, flooding, drought and famine. If we continue to burn and cut down the rainforests as we are doing now, the earth will never be the same again.

[2] [ ]

Another big problem is water pollution. Do you like swimming in the sea or drinking a cool glass of water on a hot day? These simple pleasures may soon become a thing of the past. Factories are polluting our rivers and lakes with dan­gerous chemicals. Oil tankers are releasing thick, black oil into our oceans. Tons and tons of industrial and domestic waste are poured into our seas. Consequently, sea life is threatened with extinction.

[3] [ ]

Air pollution is another important issue. The cars and factories in and around our cities are giving off dangerous fumes. In the past few years, more and more people than ever before have developed allergies and breathing problems. If we don't do something now, our cities will become impossible to live in.

[4] [ ]

Fortunately, it is not too late to solve these problems. We have the time, the money and even the technology to prepare the way for a better, cleaner and safer future. We can plant trees and adopt animals. We can create parks for endangered species. We can put pressure on those in power to take action. Together we can save our planet. All we need to do is open our eyes and act immediately.

(V. Evans, J. Dooly. Enterprise 3. Coursbook. U.18, p. 79)

Post-reading

Translating

Ex 7. Vocabulary note: There is the difference between affect and effect. Use the verb affect to talk about making changes, and the noun effect to talk about the result of changes: Do you think the changes in the law will affect us? / I don’t know what effect they will have. Effect can be used as a verb, but only in very formal English. Translate the following:

1. Their health was badly affected by the climate. 2. Some plants are quickly affected by pollution. 3.I think it is necessary to effect a change in the plan. 4. The deterioration of the biosphere affects all the population of the planet. 5. He was affected by the news. 6. The changes in the environment affected the climate. 7. The payments of his debts can be effected by an agreement. 8. I don't think this measure can effect a favourable change.

Ex 8. Pay attention to the conjunctions while translating the sentences:

1. Acid rains affect both plant and animal life. 2. Environmental problems, despite their relatively short history, have already been an object of a number of international discussions. 3. Despite drastic anti-pollution measures taken by the government the ecological situation remains serious. 4. Environmental problems are being intensively studied at present, yet they are far from being solved. 5. Overuse of synthetic chemical fertilizers is affecting fish and wildlife, as the chemicals drain through the fields into streams and ponds. 6. As the population of large cities continues to grow, the pollution problems get worse. 7. Urgent measures must be taken, if we are not to leave a dangerous and despoiled planet to future generations. 8. Environmental pollution affects every country, whether industrial or agrarian. 9. Since acid rains are a major threat to forests, possibilities of preventing them are being worked out.

Ex 9. The information of the following text may be used later in speaking and writing. Translate into Russian:

“The Effects of Global Warming”

Climate change would increase the number of people suffering from disease, injury and death from heatwaves, floods, storms, fires and droughts. Floods and tropical cyclones have the greatest impact in South Asia and Latin America. In August 2003, a heatwave in Europe resulted in excess mortality in the range of 35,000 total deaths. Drought reduces variety in diets and reduces overall consumption leading to malnutrition and micronutrient deficiencies.

Climate change would increase cardio-respiratory morbidity and mortality associated with ground-level ozone. Ground-level ozone is both naturally occurring and is the primary constituent of urban smog. Ozone in smog is formed through chemical reactions involving nitrogen oxides and other compounds. The reaction is a photochemical reaction, meaning that it involves electromagnetic radiation, and occurs in the presence of bright sunshine and high temperatures. Exposure to elevated concentrations of ozone is associated with increased hospital admissions for pneumonia, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, asthma, allergic rhinitis and other respiratory diseases, and with premature mortality.

A study by the World Health Organization (WHO, 2009) estimated the effect of climate change on human health. Climate change was estimated to have been responsible for 3% of diarrhea, 3% of malaria, and 3.8% of dengue fever deaths worldwide in 2004. Total attributable mortality was about 0.2% of deaths in 2004; of these, 85% were child deaths. (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia)

Listening

Ex 10. First listen and tick. Then, listen and repeat.

	/u:/	/ju:/		/u:/	/ju:/
shoot			suit
fume			true
few			new
shoe			proof

Ex 11. Read the table, then listen to the tape and fill in the missing information. Finally, talk about the problems, causes and effects mentioned.

PROBLEM CAUSES EFFECTS
litter	lack of education	streets are……………, people catch diseases
air pollution	factories and……. Pollute the air	cause serious…problems, trees and…are damaged
water pollution	factories dump waste into…, sea is polluted with….from tankers.	people suffer from……….. problems, fish are killed, rivers are contaminated
destruction of forests	people cut down or……. ………forests	animals and plants lose their….., ….., animals may even become extinct, people have less………. to breath

Speaking

Ex 12. Discussion questions:

1. Global environmental hazards: which are more alarming?

· global warming

· ozone depletion

· toxic and nuclear waste

(continue the list, look at the pictures of the unit)

2. In what ways can you help solve environmental problems facing our planet?

Ex 13. Look at the sentences and match the suggestions with their results. Then, link the sentences with so that or to and talk about how we can improve the living conditions in our cities.

SUGGESTIONS

1. Governments should improve public transport.

2. People should get involved in recycling schemes.

3. We should ban cars from city centers.

4. Government should force factories to put filters on chimneys.

5.We should stop using the products of companies whose factories cause pollution.

RESULTS

a) There will be less rubbish to pollute the environment.

b) We will force them to use environmentally friendly production methods.

c) We can make the streets cleaner, safer and quieter.

d) People won’t have to use cars to get around.

e) The harmful gases won't be able to pollute the atmosphere.

Ex 14. The situation: Your town is facing serious problems. The streets are full of rubbish, there are too many cars, people keep cutting down the trees to make space for more buildings, the nearby river is being polluted with chemicals from the factories and people are suffering from breathing problems and stomach illnesses. Suggest ways to improve the situation, explaining the results of each suggestion.

Ex 15. The situation of intercultural communication:

You’re participating in the International Conference on Ecological Problems. You’re to speak about the results of the studies conducted with the effects of climate change on human health.

Writing

Ex.16. a) Read a brief information on letter writing:

A good letter should consist of:

a. the correct greeting (Dear John, Dear Mrs Newton, Dear Sir/Madam).

b. an introduction in which we clearly state the reason we are writing.

c. the main body in which we develop our subject, introducing each main point in

separate paragraphs.

d. a final paragraph in which we sum up what we talked about before or we express

our wish for sth to be done.

e. an appropriate ending (Yours/Best Wishes, + name, Yours sincerely/Yours faithfully, + full name).

The characteristics of formal style in letters are:

· the greeting (Dear Mr Rydd, Dear Sir)

· frequent use of passive voice

· formal language (complex sentences, non-colloquial English)

· no abbreviated forms

· the closing remark (Yours sincerely/Yours faithfully, Mary Hill)

b) Some of your relatives suffer from serious stomach diseases caused, as doctors say, by polluted water. Write a letter of complaint to the local mass media about the nearby polluted river.