1. Interaction: Talk about the following questions with your partner for about 5 minutes. The pictures are there to help you.
1. How do you think recycling can help the environment? How could we minimize the use of plastic bags?
2. Can you describe any environmental disaster that has occurred in the last decade or so? Was the water or the air murky as a result?
3. Besides being conscientious about switching off appliances and electronic equipment completely when not in use, how else might we conserve energy? How eco-friendly are we? How would you increase environmental awareness and responsibility? Do you think there might be people who defy or dismiss any environmental rules? Is this behaviour hardwired in our brains? What role can nurture play?
4. Do you see any signs of global warming caused by human activity, or do you think it’s all a myth? Do we seem to have a death wish at times?
5. How would you reduce our environmental impact? What alternative energy sources can you think of?
6. Do you know any endangered species of animals or plants? Why are they in danger? What could we do to prevent them from dying out? Do you think authorities should crack down on the illegal trafficking of cubs?
7. Tell us about the last time you went on an outing. Did you hike extensively? Did you see any breathtaking mountain ranges? Did you cross a broad ridge of sharp, jagged rocks? Did you climb a high peak? Do you have a head for heights? Did you drive across huge flat plains? Did you have miles of rolling countryside to explore? Did you have to scramble over rocks, up a cliff or down a sheer drop? Did you stray in the wrong direction and lost your bearings? Did you have to withstand freezing temperatures? Did you have to don a storm-resistant jacket?
2. Monologue: Below there are some issues related to the topic. You must talk about at least two of them for 3 minutes. You may be asked further questions about the topic when you have finished.
Partner A:
1. What are your views on energy and the environment?
2. Will nuclear energy prove a necessary resource when our fossil fuels run out?
3. How do you think the world will look in a hundred years? What environmental damage can you think of? Do you envisage a barren or a lush landscape?
Partner B:
1. What recommendations would you make about the world’s energy options in the next fifty years?
2. Can you think of anything that would improve the state of our environment? How can we protect it?
3. What organizations do you know of that make an effort to improve the state of the environment? What have they endeavoured to do? What do you think about environmentalists and conservationists?
Vocabulary
Questions
murky: /ˈmɜːki/ not clear; dark or dirty.
conserve something to use as little of something as possible so that it lasts a long time. E.g. Help to conserve energy by insulating your home. Renewable energy resources can help conserve fossil fuels and reduce carbon emissions.
eco-friendly: /ˌiːkəʊ ˈfrendli/ not harmful to the environment. E.g. eco-friendly products.
defy: /dɪˈfaɪ/ defy somebody/something to refuse to obey or show respect for somebody in authority, a law, a rule, etc. E.g. I wouldn't have dared to defy my teachers. Hundreds of people today defied the ban on political gatherings.
dismiss: to decide that somebody/something is not important and not worth thinking or talking about.
hardwired: (of a skill, quality or type of behaviour) present when you are born and not changing during your life. E.g. Many aspects of morality appear to be hardwired in the brain. Anxiety is a hardwired response that everyone experiences.
nurture: /ˈnɜːtʃə(r)/ care, encouragement and support given to somebody/something while they are growing. E.g. The study seems to show that nurture is more important than nature in shaping a child’s character and future prospects. These plants will need careful nurture.
death wish: a desire to die, often that somebody is not aware of. E.g. The number of accidents she gets into, you’d think she had a death wish.
die out: to stop existing. E.g. This species has nearly died out because its habitat is being destroyed.
crack down (on somebody/something) to try harder to prevent an illegal activity and deal more severely with those who are caught doing it. E.g. Police are cracking down on drug dealers.
cub: a young bear, lion, tiger, etc. E.g. a lioness guarding her cubs
outing (to…) a trip that you go on for pleasure or education, usually with a group of people and lasting no more than one day. E.g. We went on an outing to London.
hike: to go for a long walk in the country, especially for pleasure. E.g. strong boots for hiking over rough country.
extensively: in a way that covers a large area. E.g. She has travelled extensively.
ridge: a narrow area of high land along the top of a line of hills; a high pointed area near the top of a mountain. E.g. walking along the ridge.
jagged: /ˈdʒæɡɪd/ with rough, pointed, often sharp edges. E.g. jagged rocks/peaks/edges.
have a head for something 1. to be good at something. E.g. to have a head for figures/business.
2. if somebody does not have a head for heights, they feel nervous and think they are going to fall when they look down from a high place.
rolling: (of hills or countryside) having gentle slopes.
scramble: to move quickly, especially with difficulty, using your hands to help you. E.g. He scrambled up the cliff and raced towards the car.
sheer: very steep. E.g. sheer cliffs/slopes. E.g. Outside there was a sheer drop down to the sea below.
drop: a distance down from a high point to a lower point. E.g. There was a sheer drop of fifty metres to the rocks below. a twenty-foot drop
stray: to move away from the place where you should be, without intending to. E.g. He strayed into the path of an oncoming car.
lose your bearings
withstand: /wɪðˈstænd/ (withstood, withstood) withstand something to be strong enough not to be hurt or damaged by extreme conditions, the use of force, etc. Resist. E.g. The materials used have to be able to withstand high temperatures. They had withstood siege, hunger and deprivation.
don something to put clothes, etc. on. E.g. He donned his water-resistant jacket and went out.
envisage: /ɪnˈvɪzɪdʒ/ to imagine what will happen in the future. E.g. envisage something What environmental damage do you envisage?
barren: (of land or soil) not good enough for plants to grow on it. E.g. a barren desert. a barren landscape (= one that is empty, with few plants).
lush: (of plants, gardens, etc.) growing thickly and strongly in a way that is attractive; covered in healthy grass and plants. E.g. lush vegetation. the lush green countryside. endeavour to do something (formal) to try very hard to do something. Strive. E.g. I will endeavour to do my best for my country. He endeavoured in vain to escape the situation. The buyer should always endeavour to negotiate terms.
The Environment: useful language Alternative energy sources
Wind turbine: /ˈwɪnd tɜːbaɪn/ a type of modern windmill used for producing electricity.
Offshore: happening or existing in the sea, not far from the land. E.g. offshore drilling. An offshore island.
Wind farm: an area on which there are a lot of windmills or wind turbines for producing electricity.
Renewable energy: is energy which comes from natural resources such as sunlight, wind, rain, tides, waves and geothermal heat, which are renewable.
Water power: power produced by the movement of water, used to drive machinery or produce electricity.
Tidal power, also called tidal energy, is a form of power that converts the energy of tides into useful forms of power - mainly electricity.
Wave power: power extracted from the motion of sea waves at the coast.
Geothermal energy is thermal energy generated and stored in the Earth.
Environmental damage
Slick: (also oil slick) an area of oil that is floating on the surface of the sea. E.g. a 50 km slick from the damaged tanker. The slick is a serious threat to marine life.
spill: (formal spillage) [countable, uncountable] an act of letting a liquid come or fall out of a container; the amount of liquid that comes or falls out. E.g. Many seabirds died as a result of the oil spill. I wiped up the coffee spills on the table.
cause/contribute to climate change/global warming
produce pollution/CO2/greenhouse (gas) emissions
damage/destroy the environment/a marine ecosystem/the ozone layer/coral reefs
deplete natural resources/the ozone layer
deplete something /dɪˈpliːt/ to reduce something by a large amount so that there is not enough left. E.g. Food supplies were severely depleted.
degrade ecosystems/habitats/the environment
degrade something to make something become worse, especially in quality
harm the environment/wildlife/marine life
threaten natural habitats/coastal ecosystems/a species with extinction
pollute rivers and lakes/waterways/the air/the atmosphere/the environment/oceans
contaminate groundwater/the soil/food/crops
E.g. The drinking water has become contaminated with lead. A river contaminated by pollution
log forests/rainforests/trees
log something: to cut down trees in a forest for their wood.
noise pollution noun dangerous or annoying levels of noise. E.g. proposals to combat noise pollution.
light pollution: the existence of too much artificial light in the environment, for example from street lights, which makes it difficult to see the stars. E.g for many astronomers light pollution has been a disaster
smog noun polluted air that is a mixture of smoke and fog. E.g. exhaust emissions are mainly responsible for the smog.
toxic waste noun industrial or chemical waste products that are harmful to the environment.
Protecting the environment
address/combat/tackle the threat/effects/impact of climate change
fight/take action on/reduce/stop global warming
limit/curb/control air/water/atmospheric/environmental pollution
curb: to control or limit something, especially something bad
cut/reduce pollution/greenhouse gas emissions /iˈmɪʃnz/
offset carbon/CO2 emissions
carbon offset n (emissions compensation) Sp. compensación de emisiones de carbono.
preserve/conserve biodiversity/natural resources
natural resources noun valuable substances such as wood and oil that exist in a country’s land and sea. E.g. the sustainable use of natural resources.
protect endangered species/a coastal ecosystem
prevent/stop soil erosion/overfishing/massive deforestation/damage to ecosystems
raise awareness of environmental issues
save the planet/the rainforests/an endangered species
promote/encourage recycling/sustainable development/the use of renewable energy
sustainable development Economic development that is conducted without depletion (reduction) of natural resources. E.g. international policies should support sustainable development. Sustainable development has become the guiding theme in much environmental literature.
develop/invest in/promote renewable energy
Reduce (the size of) your carbon footprint: a measure of the amount of carbon dioxide that is produced by the daily activities of a person or company. E.g. Flying is the biggest contribution to my carbon footprint. An analysis of the carbon footprints of leading companies. Companies are measuring their carbon footprints.
Use recycled/ recyclable/ biodegradable material
biodegradable /ˌbaɪəʊdɪˈɡreɪdəbl/ adjective biodegradable substances can be separated into very small parts by bacteria so that they are not harmful to the environment. A substance or chemical that is biodegradable can be changed to a harmless natural state by the action of bacteria, and will therefore not damage the environment. E.g. All active ingredients of this soap powder are 98% biodegradable within three days.
non-biodegradable: a substance or chemical that is non-biodegradable cannot be changed to a harmless natural state by the action of bacteria, and may therefore damage the environment. E.g. non-biodegradable plastics.
Recycle bottles/ packaging/ paper/ plastic/ waste
Reduce your dependence/ reliance on fossil fuels.
Get/ obtain/ generate/ produce electricity from wind, solar and wave power/ renewable sources. Build/ develop a (50-megawatt /ˈmeɡəwɒt/ /offshore) wind farm.
Install solar panels (a piece of equipment on a roof that uses light and heat energy from the sun to produce hot water and electricity).
harness: /ˈhɑːnɪs/
harness something to control and use the force or strength of something to produce power or to achieve something. E.g. attempts to harness the sun’s rays as a source of energy. We must harness the skill and creativity of our workforce. How can this energy be harnessed effectively for the good of humankind? They are attempting to harness the power of the sun.
double glazing: windows that have two layers of glass with a space between them, designed to make the room warmer and to reduce noise. E.g. We're having double-glazing fitted.
pane: a single sheet of glass in a window. E.g. a pane of glass. a windowpane.
insulate something (from/against something) /ˈɪnsjuleɪt/ to protect something with a material that prevents heat, sound, electricity, etc. from passing through. E.g. Home owners are being encouraged to insulate their homes to save energy.
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