2.2
CHANGING ENVIRONMENT
18
READING AND VOCABULARY
THE ENVIRONMENT
1
Work in groups and discuss these questions.
1
Can you give an example of extreme weather in
your country?
2
What are the causes of climate change?
3
What effects of global warming can be seen today?
2
Match words 1–10 with their meanings a–j.
1
emissions
6
habitat
2
fossil fuels
7
ecosystem
3
deforestation
8
glaciers
4
species
9
drought
5
extinction
10
famine
a
a group of animals or plants of the same kind
b
when a type of animal or plant stops existing
c
the natural environment in which a plant or animal lives
d
a long period of weather when there is not enough water
e
fuels such as coal or oil that are produced by
animals or plants decaying over millions of years
f
when a large number of people have little food for a
long time and some people die
g
all the animals and plants in an area and their
relationship to each other and their environment
h
substances that are sent out into the air
i
a large mass of ice that moves slowly down a
mountain valley
j
when all the trees in an area are destroyed
3
Read the article and complete gaps 1–8 with
headings a–j. There are two extra headings.
a
Melting glaciers
f
More wildfires
b
Spread of disease
g
Sea level rise
c
Arctic sea ice is shrinking
h
Increased flooding
d
Decline in polar bears
i
More intense hurricanes
e
Increased drought
j
Threats to forests
4
Read the article again and decide what these
numbers refer to.
15% 2040 2005 2000 9.5 billion
9% 52% 58
5
Identifying sources
Underline all the sources in the
article and answer the questions.
1
What information are they linked to?
2
What phrase (e.g.
according to
) is used?
6
Work with a partner and discuss the questions.
1
Which of the effects of global warming do you think
is the most dramatic?
2
If you could save one species at threat from
extinction (e.g. polar bears, tigers, gorillas, giant
pandas), which would it be?
3
‘Global warming is a myth.’ Do you agree?
4
What can people do to be more environmentally
friendly?
How climate change affects us all
Clear evidence of the effects of climate
change on our world
The Earth is warming up and temperatures may
rise by up to 6oC this century unless we take
steps to prevent it. Such an increase would be
disastrous for all living things.
How the world will change
Loss of species
According to the World Wildlife Fund, the population
of mammals, reptiles, birds, amphibians and fish fell
by 52% between 1970 and 2010. Climate change will
put even more species at risk of extinction.
1
During the summer months polar bears live on land
and eat very little. Now, with warmer weather, the
sea is ice free for longer and the bear’s hunting
season is shorter. The National Wildlife Foundation
has found that the average weight of each bear in
the Hudson Bay area of Canada has fallen by 15% and
reproduction rates have declined.
