Retell the text using the words from exercise 2.

Text 2.“China's air pollution again at danger levels”

Beijing residents advised to stay indoors as much as possible with severe pollution at high levels. Dangerously high pollution levels have covered Beijing in smog for the second time in about two weeks, forcing airlines to cancel flights because of poor visibility and asking the city government to warn residents to stay indoors.

The outlines of buildings in the Chinese capital receded into a white mist as pedestrians wore face masks to guard against the thick air. The US embassy reported a level of PM2.5, one of the worst pollutants, at 526 micrograms per cubic metre, and more than 20 times higher than World Health Organisation safety levels over a 24-hour period.

The Beijing city government advised residents to stay indoors as much as possible because the pollution was "severe". It said that because there was no wind, the smog probably would not dissipate quickly.

Visibility was less than 100 metres in some areas of eastern China, the official Xinhua news agency reported. Air China cancelled 14 domestic flights in or out of the Beijing airport, and an airport in the eastern city of Qingdao was closed, cancelling 20 flights.

The disorganization came in the first week of the country's apogee, six-week period for travel, linked to the 10^th of February lunar new year. Every year, China's transport system bursts at the seams as tens of millions of people travel for the holiday, in the world's largest seasonal migration of people.

Celebrity Pan Shiyi, who has previously pushed for cities to publish more detailed air quality data, called for a clean air act on Tuesday and said he would use his status as a delegate to the National People's Congress to propose such legislation.

In less than three hours, his post was forwarded more than 2,300 times and received 14,184 votes, with 99.1% in favour.

Read and translate the text.

Find the following words and expressions in the text. Read the sentences with them.

оставаться в помещении, серьезное загрязнение окружающей среды, смог, отменить полеты, плохая видимость, очертания зданий, тонуть в белом тумане, пешеходы, маска, уровень безопасности, рассеиваться, дезорганизация, лопнуть по швам

Make up your own sentences using the words from exercise 2

Explain the words in bold with your own words

Read the statements and decide which of them are True or False.

1) Beijing residents advised to stay indoors because of the tsunami

2) It was the first time when Beijing was covered in smog

3) Although the town was covered in smog, the flights were not canceled

4) People had to wear masks to protect themselves from the mist.

5) Due to the absence of wind the smog didn’t disappear quickly

6) It was hard to see farther than 100 meters

7) Lots of flights in China were cancelled

8) Pan Shiyi called for a clean air act on Tuesday

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?

Make the summary of the text using the words and expressions from exercise 2.

 

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.