Part 1
Do you think pollution is a big problem nowadays?
Yes, definitely. Air and water pollution are huge issues in the
modern world... The air pollution problem is especially grave due to
the increasing amount of exhaust fumes, which are produced by
cars, and result into poor air quality.
What do you do to prevent our environment from pollution?
A lot of things... First of all, I don't litter. Also, my family and me
try to buy only environmentally friendly goods whenever we can...
And finally, I try to save trees... I print on both sides of every sheet
of paper I use and use any left over white space to scribble notes.
Have you ever participated in any environmental events?
Yes, of course! Last year I participated in an event in my hometown,
which was all about preserving nature... We were taught about
the greenhouse effect and I learned about many endangered
species in the world.
Part 2
Now, have a look at the card and prepare a monologue.
Describe an environmental problem or event. You should say:
What is it
Where is it happening
What problems does it cause
I would like to talk about global warming. In my opinion, it is a big,
if not the biggest, problem that we are facing nowadays. The main
reason of global warming is the greenhouse effect ... Nowadays
people are producing excessive amounts of greenhouse gases,
mostly by burning fossil fuels. These gases let sunlight in, which
warms the Earth, and then block that heat from leaving... That
breaks the delicate natural balance and causes our planet to warm...
As global warming changes the climate on the whole planet, it
affects all countries in the world and causes many serious
problems... For example, global warming causes melting of
glaciers, which in turn raises the sea-level... Eventually, coastal
areas are flooding and agriculture is damaged unless appropriate
measures are taken... As it is a worldwide problem, I think that only
joint efforts will help us to overcome this issue.
Part 3
In which way do people damage our planet?
Er... In my point of view, we damage the Earth in many ways. Just
take a look at all those factories that empty toxic waste into rivers
and lakes... People also destroy a great deal of natural areas in
search of fossil fuels. Not to mention poaching and endangering of
wild animals.
Do you think that the environmental situation will improve in the
nearest future?
Yes, I would like to believe so... People are getting more and more
aware of the major environmental issues that we're dealing with
nowadays... I hope that we will get back to nature and start caring
about our planet more.
Vocabulary:
air quality: the cleanliness of the air we breathe.Due to the
opening of a new factory nearby, the air quality here went
down.
bio-diversity: a diversity in nature, among plants and
animals.Nowadays, we suffer the loss of bio-diversity.
endangered species: a category of animals or plans that might
become extinct.White rhinos are endangered species. There
are only 5 white rhinos left in the world.
environmentally friendly: products that do not harm the
environment.I try to use only environmentally friendly goods in
order to preserve the nature.
exhaust fumes: gases, ejected from an engine as waste
products.I bought an electric car to avoid producing exhaust
fumes when I drive.
fossil fuels: energy resources like gas and oil.Gas is one of the
most well-known fossil fuels.
global warming: an increase in temperature all-over the world,
as a result of greenhouse effect.Global worming is a very
serious problem that our society is dealing with.
greenhouse effect: heating of the atmosphere due to the carbon
dioxide and other gases.Greenhouse effect causes global
warming.
melting of glaciers: the process of icebergs' melting.Melting of
glaciers increases the sea-level.
natural disaster: an event like an earthquake, hurricane etc.I
experienced a natural disaster in the form of an earthquake last
year.
paper recycling: the processes of reprocessing waste paper for
reuse.It was found that paper recycling causes 35% less water
pollution and 74% less air pollution than making virgin paper.
poacher: one who kills or takes wild animals
illegally.Poaching is considered a violation of hunting rules
and impedes wildlife conservation.
toxic waste: poisonous rubbish, produced by industrial
processes.Many factories in my city dump toxic waste into
rivers and lakes.
Useful phrases:
to become extinct: to stop existing.Dinosaurs became extinct
may centuries ago.
to be under threat: to be in danger of becoming extinct.White
Rhinos are under the threat of becoming extinct.
to dry up: to have all the water drained away.The small river
in my hometown dried up this summer due to the enormous
heat.
to get back to nature: live a life that is closer to nature.My
friend decided to leave his boring job and move to the
countryside to get back to nature.
to litter: to throw rubbish in inappropriate places.I always try
to find a garbage bin to throw my trash in. I don't like to litter.
