Module 2 Environmental problems
Unit 3 The environment
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Reading
The world is in danger
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Our world is in danger. We must do something to protect the environment. But, what are the main problems we face?
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The greenhouse effect
The atmosphere around the Earth is necessary for all living things. It is like the glass of a greenhouse, letting sunlight in and keeping heat from getting out. Without it, the Earth would be the same as the Moon—cold and lifeless.
When we burn fuels such as petrol and coal, we produce a gas called carbon dioxide (CO2 ). Too much of this gas pollutes the atmosphere, and causes it to keep in too much heat. As a result of the greenhouse effect, the Earth's temperature is increasing. This causes sea level to rise, and in the future may cause cities to disappear.
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Cutting down forests
Every year, we destroy nature by cutting down huge areas of forests. This makes the greenhouse effect worse because trees take in CO2 and produce oxygen. Cutting down trees also destroys the homes of the animals that live in our forests, and causes the surface of the soil to be easily destroyed by rain. This can result in floods and even more damage to the environment.
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Bad habits
Many of our habits cause pollution. People often use things once and then throw them away, or leave them on the ground as litter. This creates mountains of rubbish and pollutes our land and seas.
In order to protect the environment, we need to take proper action. We should be different from many consumers and become "green consumers". This means that we should only buy and use products friendly to the environment. We should also recycle as many things as we can. We can reuse things for the same purpose as before, or we can use them for new purposes. If we just learn to live in new and different ways, we can make a difference.
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Listening
Caring for the environment
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A Listen to two women calling into a radio programme to talk about environmental problems. Arrange the pictures below in the correct order by writing the numbers 1–3 in the boxes.
Radio host: Our next caller is Tammy. Tammy, you're on the air.
Tammy: I live near an underground station. This morning, the ground outside the station was clean. But in the afternoon, some people started giving out advertisements outside the station. Many people threw these advertisements on the ground. Now the road is full of litter. What can we do?
Radio host: Well, you can go out with your friends and help pick up the litter. You can also ask the workers at the underground station to put up a sign saying, "Do not litter."
Tammy: Thanks. That sounds great.
Radio host: I'm glad to help. Now we have Louise. How can we help you, Louise?
Louise: My family has a lot of problems with noise pollution. First, our neighbour plays the drums and we cannot sleep at night! Next is the awful noise from cars. That goes on all day. Finally, next year, there'll be a building site nearby. It'll be noisy. What can we do?
Radio host: Well, when you have a noisy neighbour, you need to talk to the building manager. As for the cars and building site, you can contact the city government and see if that helps.
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B Listen to the recording again and fill in the table below. Write one word in each blank.
Radio host: Our next caller is Tammy. Tammy, you're on the air.
Tammy: I live near an underground station. This morning, the ground outside the station was clean. But in the afternoon, some people started giving out advertisements outside the station. Many people threw these advertisements on the ground. Now the road is full of litter. What can we do?
Radio host: Well, you can go out with your friends and help pick up the litter. You can also ask the workers at the underground station to put up a sign saying, "Do not litter."
Tammy: Thanks. That sounds great.
Radio host: I'm glad to help. Now we have Louise. How can we help you, Louise?
Louise: My family has a lot of problems with noise pollution. First, our neighbour plays the drums and we cannot sleep at night! Next is the awful noise from cars. That goes on all day. Finally, next year, there'll be a building site nearby. It'll be noisy. What can we do?
Radio host: Well, when you have a noisy neighbour, you need to talk to the building manager. As for the cars and building site, you can contact the city government and see if that helps.
| Problems |
Solutions |
Litter on the ground outside the (1) _____ _____ |
• Go out with friends and help (2) _____ _____ the litter.
• Ask the workers at the station to (3) _____ _____ a sign saying, "(4) _____ _____ _____." |
(5) _____ pollution |
• Talk to the (6) _____ _____.
• (7) _____ the city government. |
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Speaking
A Talk time
Read the conversation below and practise it in pairs. Pay attention to the words in blue.
Amy: Have you noticed that the air in the city is very dirty recently?
Kevin: Yes, I have. I'm worried about that because the smoke makes it difficult for many people to breathe.
Amy: I'm concerned that the dirty air might make some young children ill.
Kevin: Me too. I think we should ask people to use public transport more often.
Amy: I agree.
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B Speak up
In groups, talk about environmental problems in your city. Follow the example.
S1: What environmental problems are there in our city?
S2: There is more and more rubbish in our city.
S3: What can we do to solve this problem?
S4: I think we should ask people to recycle as many things as possible.
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