Do you agree with results? Why/why not?

Exercise 1. Do the quiz.

How green are you?

  1.Do you sort out glass, paper, plastic bottles and cans?

 a. Yes, always.

 b. Sometimes.

 c. Never.

 

2. Do you buy fair trade products or organic or local food.

 a. Yes, always..

 b.  Sometimes.

 c. Never, it’s too expensive.

 

3. Do you use your own shopping bags?

a. Yes, always

b. Often

c. Once in a while 

 

4. Do you recycle light bulbs and used batteries?

 a. Yes, always.

 b. Sometimes.

 c. Never.

 

5. Do you always dispose of garbage in a proper way?

 a. Yes, always of course.

 b. Most of the times

 c. Sometimes I don’t pay attention!

 

6. Do you bother picking up other people’s litter?

 a. Yes, always.

 b. Sometimes.

 c. Never

 

7. Do you switch off the lights when you leave a room?

 a. Yes, always.

 b. Sometimes.

c. Never

 

8. Do you switch off other electric appliances at night? (TV,computer..)

a. Yes, always.

b. Sometimes.

   c. Never

 

9. Do you put on warmer clothes when it’s cold instead of putting on the heating?

a. Yes, always.

b. Sometimes.

c. Never, I prefer putting the heating on more.

 

10. Do you have showers instead of baths?

a. Yes, always.

b. Often.

c. Never

 

11. Do you close the tap while you brush your teeth?

a. Yes, always.

b. Sometimes.

c. Never, I never think about it.

 

12. Do you leave the fridge door open when you do the cooking?

a. No, never, I always close it.

b. Sometimes.

c. Yes, it often happens

 

13. Do you use public transport or a bike or walk when possible?

 a. Yes, always.

 b. Sometimes.

 c.Never

 

14. Do you have and use a composter at home?

a. Yes.(2 pts)

b. No. (0 pt)

 

Check the number of points you have and see if you are GREEN

a -2 points   

b -1 point    

c - point (except question14)

 

From 22 to 28

Congratulations, you are making real good efforts to help save our planet. Keep up the good work!

From 13 to 21.

Well, you should do better, the environment is not really your priority but you can improve, can’t you!

Below 12

No, no, no!!That’s not possible, you should definitely do a lot more to leave an acceptable environment to your children and grandchildren!

Do you agree with results? Why/why not?

 

Exercise 2. Read the words and translate them. Match the words with their definitions.

1. Starvation

2. Rainforest destruction

3. Drought

4. Greenhouse effect

5. Smog

6. Climate change

7. Deforestation

8. Nuclear meltdowns

9. Overpopulated

10. Global warming

11.  Desertification

12.  Endangered species

13. Water, land and air pollution

 

a. The presence in the environment of a substance has a harmful or poisonous effect. E.g. The _______________ of local rivers.

b. A type of animal or plant that may soon become extinct or disappear from the world. E.g., The bald eagle may be __________________.

c. A gradual increase in the temperature of atmosphere worldwide generally attributed to the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide and other pollutants. 

d. A mixture of smoke, gases, and chemicals, especially in cities, that makes the atmosphere difficult to breathe and harmful for health. E.g., Exhaust fumes are mainly responsible for the ____________.

e. A prolonged period of dry weather affecting harvest. E.g., the _____________________ affects crops in Europe. 

f. The changes that are thought to be affecting the world’s weather because of an increase in the average atmospheric temperature. E.g., Melting glaciers imply that life in the Arctic is affected by _____________________.

g. An accident in a nuclear reactor in which the temperature increases in the nuclear fuel until it melts and bursts through its container so that radiation comes out. E.g., Three reactors in Fukushima had _____________________ in 2011 after an earthquake.

h. The cutting down of trees in a large area, or the destruction of forests by people. E.g., ____________________ is destroying large areas of tropical forests.

i. The process in which heat is unable to escape from the atmosphere and causes the temperature of the Earth to rise. This atmospheric heating phenomenon is because of an increase in the amount of carbon dioxide and other gases in the atmosphere (a mixture of gases around the earth.

j. Suffering or death caused by lack of food. E.g., Millions are threatened by ___________ and disease each year.

k. Caused mainly by logging and extensive agriculture and farming, but also by the building of large dams and by tourism. 

l. The process by which land becomes so dry that it cannot be used for farming. E.g., This land is threatened with ____________.

m. If a country or city has too many inhabitants for the available space or resources of food or materials. E.g., India is an ____________________ country.

 

Text 1. Pollution

Pollution is the fouling of the environment – that is, land, water and air – by waste, smoke, chemicals and other harmful substances. Every industrial country faces the problem of waste. As factories make new goods for people to buy, old ones are thrown out with the household trash. Burning this garbage pollutes the air; throwing it in rivers and seas pollutes the water; and rubbish tips are unpleasant and take up much- needed space. Getting rid of plastic is particularly difficult- with time wood and paper decay through action of bacteria, but plastics never decay.

As industry needs a regular supply of raw materials, the best solution to the problem of waste is to make use of it as a raw material by reusing or ‘recycling’ it. For example, old cars can be taken apart and the valuable metal used again.

The world’s oceans have been used as ‘dustbins’, with millions of tons of litter being thrown into the seas every year, endangering marine life. If too much sewage is poured into sea, lakes and rivers the water can no longer dilute it – all the oxygen gets used up and the fish die. The bacteria which normally break down the refuse into harmless matter also die; only harmful bacteria which do not need air remain, and these cause disease.

In the 1950s, people in Japan became ill with a new disease, named Minamata disease. It was found that they had been eating tuna fish containing mercury. The mercury had come from chemicals poured into the sea by factories.

Smoke from factories and gases from motor vehicles pollute the air.Chemicals in the air combine with the wetness in the air make acids, which eat away stone and brick, and damage buildings. Carbon monoxide gas and substances called hydrocarbons – given out by the engines of cars and lorries and buses – can damage people’s health.

Smog formed by chemical reactions among the fumes (gases) in strong sunlight darkens the skies. It is bad for health, especially for people with lung problems. Smog also damages trees and other plant life.

Chemicals in the fumes, especially from coal – fired power stations mix with moisture to make acid rain which may fall hundreds of kilometers away.

Another very serious form of pollution is the build - up of carbon dioxide in the upper layer of air. As we burn coal, wood, petrol and oil, more carbon dioxide is sent into this layer. This is causing the sun’s warmth to be caught near the earth’s surface, by what is called the ‘green house effect’.If the burning continues, average temperatures could rise by around 3⁰ to 5 ⁰ C in the next fifty nine years or so. Weather patterns will change, so that regions that now grow wheat or corn will receive no rains at all. Also, the polar ice caps may melt and raise sea levels by over five meters. This would mean that big sea port cities and vast areas of low -lying land, such as the Netherlands and Maldives, will be covered with water.

Pollution is also caused by the fertilizers and insecticides used by farmers. The chemicals in fertilizers may be washed from the soil into rivers. They can build up in water supplies, and they can also make algae (a very small sea plant) grow so fast that they use up all the oxygen in the water, and kill all life in it.

Nuclear energy has two main drawbacks. It can result in accidents, as at Chernobyl in the Soviet Union in 1986. It also produces radioactive wastes which need to be dealt with. By its very nature this form of deadly pollution will be around for thousands of years. The present solution is to put away radioactive waste in concrete and bury them or drop them to the sea bed. But we cannot go on doing this forever.

Making our world free of pollution is an unimaginably big task. There are so many people, for one thing. Also many governments and big companies are slow to act, since anti pollution measures are not welcome or are expensive. Many people like the idea of reducing pollution, but not when it changes the way they live.

Pollution must be controlled, and the sooner the better. It will cost a great deal, both in terms of money and a change of life style. For example, acid rain can be stopped by checking the harmful fumes before they go out from power stations chimneys. This may push up the price of electricity. Perhaps the packaging of goods in bright plastic and the ‘throw away’ culture should also be discouraged.

There are different pollutants (substances which cause pollution) in the modern world. Scientists are trying to find ways to avoid using them so as to bring back the ‘balance of nature’ which man has upset.

Read and translate the text

Choose the correct answer

1. Pollution refers to

a) cleaning of land, water and air.

b) fouling of the environment by waste, smoke, chemicals and other harmful substances.

c) closing down of factories.

2. Getting rid of plastics is particularly difficult because

a) they never decay, unlike wood and paper.

b) they can never be broken down into pieces.

c) they cannot be burnt.

3. When too much sewage is poured into the sea

a) the water turns brown.

b) the sea water turns salty.

c) it kills marine life.

4. ‘ Recycling’ means

a) using bicycles instead of cars and other motor vehicles.

b) the build-up of carbon monoxide in the upper layer of air.

c) using waste materials again for making new things.

5. When chemicals in fertilizers are washed from the soil into rivers

a) this river water helps plants grow very fast.

b) plants on the land die.

c) they make algae grow very fast they use up all the oxygen in the water and kill all the life in it.

Answer the questions.

1. Why are Beijing residents advised to stay indoors?

2. How long has Beijing been covered in smog?

3. Why do pedestrians wear face masks?

4. Why does the government say that the smog would not dissipate quickly?

5. How many flights did Air China cancel?

6. What do Chinese people celebrate on the 10th of February?

7. How many votes did Pan Shiyi’s idea get?

Text 3. The Earth Day

April 22 is Earth Day. Every year, million of people from 200 countries celebrate Earth Day to teach people to protect the planet and its natural resources. Here’s what you can do to help.

ORIGIN

The idea for the first Earth Day came from Senator Gaylord Nelson, an American politician. In 1970, pollution in the USA was very bad: about 60% of lakes and rivers were polluted. Senator Nelson told Americans to protest and over 20 million people joined demonstrations around the country.

In 1990, 20 years after the first Earth Day, environmental leaders from other countries asked to join the movement. That year, 200 million people from 141 countries celebrated Earth Day. In 2000, 500 million people from 184 countries participated.

 

YOU CAN HELP THE PLANET

The planet has many problems, like air pollution, deforestation and water pollution.

GO GREEN!

GOING GREEN means thinking and caring about the environment. The three R’s of going green are: REUSE, RECYCLE, REDUCE.

+ REUSE We should repair things instead of throwing them away.

+ RECYCLE In the UK, people throw away seven billion drink cans a year.

+ REDUCE Carbon dioxide (CO2) is essential for the photosynthesis of plants, therefore for life on Earth. Its origin is mainly natural, but deforestation, intensive use of petrol and coal, and cars produce huge quantities of this gas, which contributes to the greenhouse effect.

We have to learn how to reduce our consumption of energy.

Choose the correct answer

 1) The first Earth Day took place in.....................

 a) 1970          b) 1990         c) 1997

 2)................................... of American lakes and rivers were polluted.          

a) 43%        b) 60 %       c) 0%

 3) The first Earth Day took place...........................

 a) in France          b) all over the world       c) in the USA

 4) Earth Day makes you remember that you............................ your environment

a)  mustn’t protect         b) must protect         c) can’t protect

5) Today there are.....

 a) no more environmental problems b) more environmental problems

 c) still some environmental problems

6) Earth Day became international in                

 a) 1970   b) 1990      c) 1997

7)....................... are acceptable on Earth Day.  

 a) only individual actions b) only collective actions  c) both collective and individual actions

5) Read again THINGS YOU AND YOUR FAMILY CAN DO TO HELP THE and agree with those you do

Retell the text

 

 Text 5. Saving the planet

Years ago there wasn't a problem with rubbish because things like plastic and disposable nappies hadn't been invented. There wasn't so much packaging on items you bought either. But now with everything so over packaged wrapped and disposable we are suffering the consequences of far too much waste. The trouble is not everything can be recycled or will rot away. You used to be able to get a refund on glass bottles when you took them back to the shop. Now they are either collected from your house by the council or you can take them to a bottle bank.

The fact that paper can be recycled and is easy to dispose is great, but remember paper is made from trees, which are important to the environment. The rainforests have been slowly disappearing for a while now. We need them not just because it helps with the climate. They are important as like all plants they give us oxygen. They are also a home to many animals who rely on them for their survival.

 The best waste is organic, dead leaves; carrot tops, onion skins and so on all rot down and make fertile soil. This in turn will help the plants and vegetables giving them much needed food. So if you are able to have a compost heap in your garden you'll be helping the environment and your garden will love you for it.

       Acid rain is another serious problem it is damaging to plants and is caused by pollutants such as sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. These come from the burning of coal, oil and gas.

Dropping litter is not just a lazy thing to do it makes work for other people, is bad for the environment and looks ugly. So think before you drop litter either bin it or keep it and then bin it.

When rivers and seas are polluted by waste we are not only stealing their beauty but were spoiling it for ourselves too. Our health can also suffer. Sadly accidents do occur; oil slicks sometimes happen and wreck the environment. Animals tend to suffer the most from these incidents. We should really have in place something that will prevent so much destruction, rather than just waiting for it to happen, then trying to clean up the damage.

Nuclear waste has been the cause of controversy over the years. Radioactive material leaking out would be very serious indeed, it can cause real harm. This is why it is the most worrying.

Although we are trying to stop the hole in the ozone layer getting any bigger, nuclear waste is still a serious problem. The ozone layerprotects us from harmful ultra - violet rays. Its hole has been caused by chlorofluorocarbons (cfc's) a chemical that was found in some products. Refrigerators used to contain them. So do we care enough about the earth we have inherited and our passing onto future generations? Or is it now all too late to do anything? Each one of us can make a difference and each and every one of us is responsible to the environment. It takes care of us; we should take care of it.

Exercise 1. Do the quiz.

How green are you?

  1.Do you sort out glass, paper, plastic bottles and cans?

 a. Yes, always.

 b. Sometimes.

 c. Never.

 

2. Do you buy fair trade products or organic or local food.

 a. Yes, always..

 b.  Sometimes.

 c. Never, it’s too expensive.

 

3. Do you use your own shopping bags?

a. Yes, always

b. Often

c. Once in a while 

 

4. Do you recycle light bulbs and used batteries?

 a. Yes, always.

 b. Sometimes.

 c. Never.

 

5. Do you always dispose of garbage in a proper way?

 a. Yes, always of course.

 b. Most of the times

 c. Sometimes I don’t pay attention!

 

6. Do you bother picking up other people’s litter?

 a. Yes, always.

 b. Sometimes.

 c. Never

 

7. Do you switch off the lights when you leave a room?

 a. Yes, always.

 b. Sometimes.

c. Never

 

8. Do you switch off other electric appliances at night? (TV,computer..)

a. Yes, always.

b. Sometimes.

   c. Never

 

9. Do you put on warmer clothes when it’s cold instead of putting on the heating?

a. Yes, always.

b. Sometimes.

c. Never, I prefer putting the heating on more.

 

10. Do you have showers instead of baths?

a. Yes, always.

b. Often.

c. Never

 

11. Do you close the tap while you brush your teeth?

a. Yes, always.

b. Sometimes.

c. Never, I never think about it.

 

12. Do you leave the fridge door open when you do the cooking?

a. No, never, I always close it.

b. Sometimes.

c. Yes, it often happens

 

13. Do you use public transport or a bike or walk when possible?

 a. Yes, always.

 b. Sometimes.

 c.Never

 

14. Do you have and use a composter at home?

a. Yes.(2 pts)

b. No. (0 pt)

 

Check the number of points you have and see if you are GREEN

a -2 points   

b -1 point    

c - point (except question14)

 

From 22 to 28

Congratulations, you are making real good efforts to help save our planet. Keep up the good work!

From 13 to 21.

Well, you should do better, the environment is not really your priority but you can improve, can’t you!

Below 12

No, no, no!!That’s not possible, you should definitely do a lot more to leave an acceptable environment to your children and grandchildren!

Do you agree with results? Why/why not?

 

Exercise 2. Read the words and translate them. Match the words with their definitions.

1. Starvation

2. Rainforest destruction

3. Drought

4. Greenhouse effect

5. Smog

6. Climate change

7. Deforestation

8. Nuclear meltdowns

9. Overpopulated

10. Global warming

11.  Desertification

12.  Endangered species

13. Water, land and air pollution

 

a. The presence in the environment of a substance has a harmful or poisonous effect. E.g. The _______________ of local rivers.

b. A type of animal or plant that may soon become extinct or disappear from the world. E.g., The bald eagle may be __________________.

c. A gradual increase in the temperature of atmosphere worldwide generally attributed to the greenhouse effect caused by increased levels of carbon dioxide and other pollutants. 

d. A mixture of smoke, gases, and chemicals, especially in cities, that makes the atmosphere difficult to breathe and harmful for health. E.g., Exhaust fumes are mainly responsible for the ____________.

e. A prolonged period of dry weather affecting harvest. E.g., the _____________________ affects crops in Europe. 

f. The changes that are thought to be affecting the world’s weather because of an increase in the average atmospheric temperature. E.g., Melting glaciers imply that life in the Arctic is affected by _____________________.

g. An accident in a nuclear reactor in which the temperature increases in the nuclear fuel until it melts and bursts through its container so that radiation comes out. E.g., Three reactors in Fukushima had _____________________ in 2011 after an earthquake.

h. The cutting down of trees in a large area, or the destruction of forests by people. E.g., ____________________ is destroying large areas of tropical forests.

i. The process in which heat is unable to escape from the atmosphere and causes the temperature of the Earth to rise. This atmospheric heating phenomenon is because of an increase in the amount of carbon dioxide and other gases in the atmosphere (a mixture of gases around the earth.

j. Suffering or death caused by lack of food. E.g., Millions are threatened by ___________ and disease each year.

k. Caused mainly by logging and extensive agriculture and farming, but also by the building of large dams and by tourism. 

l. The process by which land becomes so dry that it cannot be used for farming. E.g., This land is threatened with ____________.

m. If a country or city has too many inhabitants for the available space or resources of food or materials. E.g., India is an ____________________ country.