talking about animals, expressing urgency last...

TALKING ABOUT ANIMALS, EXPRESSING URGENCY

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Last Chance to See?

1. What is biodiversity?_____________________________________________

2. What are the main causes of extinction? _____________________________________________

3. Find a word that means the same as the following:

i. all dead! ! ! ! ______________ ii. developed! ! ! ______________ iii. dirty in the air or water! ______________iv. living area! ! ! ______________v. dying out!! ! ! ______________

4. Use words from the article to complete the following sentences

• Cutting down trees to create farmland causes ______________.

• There are thousands of different _____________ of insect in the world.

• The Amazon ______________ contains up to 50% of all animal and plant species.

• I don’t like zoos because I like to see animals in the ______________.

5. What do you think is the best way to help?________________________________________________________________________________

Preparatory Reading

According to the WWF, 0.01 and 0.1% of a" species of plant, animal and insect life become extinct each year. It is estimated that there are between 2 -100 mi"ion species on the planet. So what is happening to biodiversity on Earth?

Biodiversity means ‘biological diversity’ , which means the number of plant and animal species there are on the planet. Obviously, biodiversity is highest in places such as the Amazon rainforest. Whereas in places like Antarctica or the Sahara desert biodiversity is low.

In fact, in the whole history of the Earth 99.9 per cent of all species have become extinct. Many disappeared with the dinosaurs. Nevertheless, since human beings evolved, biodiversity on the earth has fallen. Recently more and more species are becoming endangered or extinct.

The main causes of extinction are destruction of habitats, especially through deforestation, overpopulation, pollution, climate change and overuse of land. Humans use so much land for farming and cities that there is no space for other

species. Apparently, humans use 25% more resources than the Earth can sustain.

It’s not simply the loss of species that we need to worry about. We use over 50 000 species of plant for medicines. Plants also regulate our atmosphere. We eat farmed animals kept in captivity, but wild fish and animals are also part of our diet. So with less biodiversity comes less quality of life for humans too.

According to Professor Bob Watson, former chairman of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPPC), we are in danger of approaching “a point of no return”. Surely we need to start thinking of the future and protecting our world.



Choose the best answer or write a new one of your own. Then ask a partner:1. How do you feel about animals?

A. I love them. They are so cute.B. I think they are dirty and smelly.C. I don’t think they are important.D. They taste good with ketchup.E. (Your idea) ______________________________________

2. How much contact do you have with animals?A. I have pets, so I am with animals every day.B. I love to go walking in the countryside and look for animals.C. I never really see or touch any animals.D. I sometimes go to fast food restaurants to eat them.E. (Your idea) __________________________________________

3. Why do you think some animals are endangered?A. Personally, I blame the animals. They are too stupid and weak.B. If you ask me, it’s because people are damaging the environment.C. I think some people hunt them to make money.D. I think it is just part of nature. The dinosaurs all died. Now other animals may die.E. (Your idea) __________________________________________

4. What do you think of animals in captivity as pets or in zoos?

A. I think it’s nice that we can get closer to animals in this way.B. I think it is very good education for children.C. I think it’s a bit cruel. Animals are happier in the wild.D. Personally, I think they smell bad and we shouldn’t go near them.E. (Your idea)__________________________________________

A - Discussion Questions: Talk with your partner

B - Vocabulary: Match the words in bold to their meanings

__________ a. in a cage or house __________ b. protecting animals, plants and birds__________ c. a safe place for wildlife __________ d.living free in a natural environment __________ e. not many left __________ f. to make babies __________ g. all dead __________ h. the type of area an animal lives in

There are very few giant pandas left in the wild. They are not yet extinct, but they are critically endangered. So conservation groups are making efforts to protect wild pandas. Additionally, there are some pandas in zoos. However, it is very difficult to breed pandas in captivity. They need to be in their natural habitat, so wildlife sanctuaries are a more effective way to boost the population.



Personalization Questions

1. What other endangered species do you know?_____________________________________

2. What causes animal species to become endangered?_____________________________________

3. What do you think we should do to protect animal species?_____________________________________

4. What do you think our planet will be like in the future?_____________________________________

C - Conversation: Use the words to fill the gaps

in captivity in the wild endangered extincthabitat wildlife sanctuaries conservation breed

DAVID: Look at this in the newspaper. Apparently, there are less than 30 000 orangutans left ____________.

IZUMI: Really? Isn’t that enough?

DAVID: No. They are an ___________ species. According to this report by the WWF there used to be a lot more. In the last century the number of orangutans has dropped by 90 per cent. And only 20 years ago there were at least 60 000.

IZUMI: At least there are some ____________, in the zoo. So where are they all going to?

DAVID: Well, firstly trees are being cut down and their ____________ is being destroyed. Secondly, orangutans ____________ very slowly. They only have one baby in eight years. And, on top of that, they are hunted for their meat or sold as pets.

IZUMI: That’s terrible. Do you think they might become totally ____________?

DAVID: Well, the WWF wants to create wildlife ____________ and protect them from hunters, but maybe it’s already too late. I think I’m going to try to join a local ____________ group.

Comprehension Questions

1. Apparently, how many orangutans are left in the wild?_____________________________________

2. How many more were there 100 years ago?_____________________________________

3. What are the three main reasons that they are endangered?_____________________________________

4. What are the WWF doing to help?_____________________________________



Complete the sentences using the correct passive continuous form.

1. The environment ______________________ (damage) by pollution.2. A lot of damage ______________________ (cause) by industry.3. Many trees ______________________ (cut down) to make way for agriculture.4. Many species ______________________ (lose) their habitats.

D - Language Focus:

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Passive Continuous AspectMuch of the rainforest is being destroyed.A lot of species are being driven to extinction.

Passive Perfect AspectA lot of farmland has already been developed.Many habitats have already been destroyed.

Complete the sentences using the correct passive perfect form.

1. The environment ______________________ (damage) by pollution.2. A lot of damage ______________________ (cause) by industry.3. Many trees ______________________ (cut down) to make way for agriculture.4. Many species ______________________ (lose) their habitats.

Discuss the ideas below:

How has your life changed / been changed?How is the world changing / being changed?How has the environment changed / been changed?How is your country changing / being changed?How has entertainment changed?How has technology changed?(Your idea) ___________________________________?(Your idea) ___________________________________?



E - Express Yourself

Expressing Urgency We have to protect the forests. Otherwise we will lose many species.We must protect the forests. If we don’t we will lose many species.If we don’t protect the forests we will lose many species.

We urgently need to ... It’s important that we... It’s imperative that we...There is an urgent need to... It’s vital that we ...

Read the conversation and circle the keywords from the box above.

A: We have to protect our oceans. Otherwise it will be an environmental disaster.B: Yes, but how can we do it?A: Well, we urgently need to limit the number of fish that we take from the oceans.B: Why is that?A: If we don’t, within 30 years many of the fish we eat could become extinct. It vital that we use sustainable fishing methods to keep fish stocks up.B: Also, I think it’s important that we protect sea mammals like whales and dolphins. Otherwise we will lose them forever.A: It’s also vital that we try to control global warming and stop environmental disasters like oil spills.B: I totally agree. If we don’t do something soon we will certainly regret it in the future.

What do we need to do? Write a few sentences on each topic.

1. Pollution in the City:• __________________________________________________________________• __________________________________________________________________• __________________________________________________________________

2. Endangered Animals:• __________________________________________________________________• __________________________________________________________________• __________________________________________________________________

3. An Aging Society• __________________________________________________________________• __________________________________________________________________• __________________________________________________________________

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Now discuss these three issues in your group. You should make notes. Then report back to your class.3



1. What did you think of the topic in this unit?2. What new words have you learned?3. What else do you want to know about this

topic?

In this unit we:

1. talked about endangered animals2. reviewed present perfect3. practiced expressing urgency

At www.college-englishmag.com you can find more activities to try out your skills.

Final Discussion

Project Work

Summary

Prepare a presentation on this topic: An Endangered Animal. Go to http://www.college-englishmag.com to print the presentation preparation worksheet.

Nowadays many animals are e____________ s___________. In fact

forms of life go e__________ every day. The main reasons for these

problems are h___________, especially poaching, and loss of

h__________, which leaves wildlife without a suitable living space. Loss

of habitat is caused by d______________, which means cutting down

trees, pollution, overpopulation and c___________ c_________ caused

by global warming. There are many things we can do to help endangered

species. We can b_______ and raise animals in c___________, then

release them into the wild. We can also set up wildlife s_____________ and stop destroying habitats and using up the world’s r____________.

Write a short piece about an endangered animal. Include details of habitat, life span, population, reasons for being endangered, and what we can do to help save this animal.

Written Summary

talking about animals, expressing urgency last...

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