| Noun | Verb |
| waste | |
| protect | |
| pollution | |
| damage | |
| destroy | |
| survive |
Match the words to form compound words or phrases. Use them in the sentences of your own.
peace resources
civil settlement
natural warming
global war
Complete the definitions.
- Global warming is an increase in temperature caused by an increase in …
- A disaster is when something …
- A famine is a long period of time when …
- A flood is the result of too much …
- A drought happens when …
5. How can we help the environment? Complete the sentences with the verbs from the box.
| cut waste save throw recycle protect |
1) We shouldn’t ……… away paper, bottles and cans; we should ……… them.
2) We shouldn’t ……… water and energy; we should ……… them.
3) We shouldn’t ……… down rainforests; we should ……… them from human damage.
A) Read the text and complete the sentence.
This text is about …………………………………………………………………
People are more worried about the environment (the air, water, and land around us) as a result of the harmful effects of human activity. Some of these activities cause pollution (dirty air, land or water) and some destroy the environment. Here are some of the problems:
1) the ozone layer: a layer of gases which stop harmful radiation from the sun reaching the earth; recent researches show that there is now a hole in parts of the ozone layers;
2) global warming: an increase in world temperature caused by an increase in carbon dioxide;
3) acid rain: rain that contains dangerous chemicals; this is caused by smoke from factories.
Because of these problems, there are many groups of people whose aim is conservation (the protection of natural things, e.g. plants and animals). They are often referred to as greens, e.g. ‘Greenpeace’ and ‘Friends of the Earth’.
Common causes of damage are smoke from factories, car exhaust fumes, dumping (throwing away) industrial waste in seas and rivers, aerosol cans (usually called sprays), cutting down tropical rainforests (e.g. the Amazon) which increases carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.
If we want to look after the environment, there are certain things we should do. We should recycle paper, bottles and clothes; save, keep and protect tropical rainforests; plant more trees; save water and energy.
B) Answer the questions.
1. Why are people worried about the environment?
2. What is pollution?
3. What are the major environmental problems?
4. What causes damage to the environment?
5. What is conservation?
6. What should we do to protect the environment?
C) Complete the word forks.
__________ __________
be worried about __________ cause __________
__________ __________
__________ __________
destroy __________ recycle __________
__________ __________
__________ __________
protect __________ save __________
__________ __________
D) Retell the text using the words and word combinations in bold type.
A) Read and translate the six mini-texts.
The greenhouse effect
Pollution from cars, factories, and power stations is causing harmful greenhouse gases to build up in the Earth’s atmosphere. These gases prevent heat from escaping, and as a result our planet is getting warmer. This process is known as global warming.
Global warming is causing the ice at the North and South Poles to melt and sea levels and sea temperatures to rise, leading to serious flooding and violent storms in many parts of the world. In other places, there will be less rain and the land will be turned into desert.
Pollution from cars
The biggest polluter today is the car. Exhaust fumes are the main cause of poor air quality, which can make people feel ill and have difficulty in breathing. This problem is especially bad in cities, where the number of cars is increasing every year, causing serious congestion and filling the air with smog.
Governments try to improve the situation by encouraging people to use their cars less or buy cars that do not use as much fuel.
