10 minute read
LESSON 4: IN DANGER OF EXTINCTION
Lesson 1 Lesson 4
UNIT 4
IN DANGER OF EXTINCTION
– What do these animals have in common? – What is the difference between these three words? Give examples of each, animal or plant. - endangered - threatened - extinct
VOCABULARY
1. Look at the categories and name animals which you can typically find in those places. Which animals do you have in your country?
In a forest: ___________________________________________________________________
In the ocean: ___________________________________________________________________
In a river: ___________________________________________________________________
In a desert: ____________________________________________________________________
In a jungle: ___________________________________________________________________
2. Read the characteristics below and match them to proper animal group names, then translate the words in colour.
birds / fish / mammals / reptiles / insects
1) _____ – they give birth to live young animals and the young animals get milk from their mothers. Their skin is usually covered in hair or fur and they are warm-blooded. They usually have 4 legs (forelegs and hind legs), they can be paws with sharp claws or they have hooves.
Many have pointed ears and a tail. Sometimes they have antlers, horns, or tusks, some of them have a trunk. Mostly they live on land, but some of them are adapted for life at sea. 2) _____ – they have wings and usually they can fly, their body is covered in feathers. They have a beak, claws, and a tail. They lay eggs. 3) _____ – they are cold-blooded, they are usually covered in scales. Some of them have 4 legs; others have bodies without any legs. They lay eggs on land. 4) _____ – they are cold-blooded, their body is covered in scales. They live in water and they get oxygen from water by using gills and most of them use fins for swimming in water. 5) _____ – these are organisms without a backbone (spine), they can have 6 or 8 legs, sometimes they have shells and often two pairs of wings, their body is divided into parts.
3. Describe typical features of the following animals and classify them.
orangutans / ants / rats / whales / earthworms / spiders / snails / crabs / kangaroos / antelopes
For example: Tigers belong to mammals, they have large strong bodies covered with thick fur, two pointed ears and two forelegs and two hind legs with sharp claws.
4. Look at these leaves and say to which trees they belong. Match them to the correct names. Which of them are coniferous and which broad-leaved trees?
palm / eucalyptus / birch / pine / ficus / fir / walnut / oak / willow / chestnut / maple
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11
READING
5. Which of the trees mentioned in Ex.4 grow in rainforests? Read the text and say.
Tropical rainforests are of value for their amazing natural habitat and the contribution made to the Earth’s climate and the way we live. Rainforests once covered 14% of the Earth’s land surface; now they cover a mere 6% and experts estimate that the last remaining rainforests could be consumed in less than 40 years. Over a third of all remaining tropical rainforest is found in the Amazon basin in South America, 20% in Africa, 20% in Indonesia and the rest split into smaller areas. Tropical rainforests have evolved over millions of years into highly complex ecosystems. The trees, plant and animal life is incredibly diverse and the cultures of the indigenous and local people are unique. Rainforest trees can reach heights of over 60m high and there are five distinct layers.
The emergent layer is at tree top height and describes the umbrella-like upper branches of the tallest rainforest trees. It is subject to extreme weather conditions, such as intense heat, strong winds and heavy rain, and is home to many animals including butterflies, gliders, eagles, small monkeys, bats, snakes, and insects.
The canopy layer trees are not as tall as the emergent trees. They are packed very close together creating a kind of ‘ceiling’. The billions of leaves in the canopy shade the forest floor from sunlight and protect it from heavy rain. The leaves produce food for the plants and are eaten by the animals. About 70-90% of rainforest life is found here.
Around halfway down the height of the tallest trees is the understorey layer. The temperature and conditions of the understorey are quite sheltered and the dark humid conditions are ideal for insects, birds, butterflies, frogs, lizards, snakes and big cats such as jaguars and leopards. The trees at this height store huge reserves of carbon in their trunks.
The shrub layer, sometimes considered to be part of the understorey layer, lies between the understorey and the forest floor. The plants at this level are hugely important with many having medicinal properties.
In the forest floor only a very small amount of sunlight (around 2%) reaches the dark, humid forest floor, so this layer only has vines and young trees. Fungi help to release nutrients from the leaves on the ground back into the soil, to be reabsorbed by the roots of the rainforest trees as part of an ongoing nutrient cycle. The moist, dark climate of the forest floor makes it ideal for animals like beetles, frogs, lizards, snakes, termites as well as the giant ant eater, apes and even elephants. Around 80% of the developed world’s foods, including potatoes and rice; fruits; nuts, spices and of course, coffee and chocolate, originated in the tropical rainforest. In addition valuable medicines come from some of the plants and many more plants are thought to have useful properties that will help mankind.
Rainforests are vital to the Earth’s weather and are responsible for regulating temperature and weather patterns. Rainforests prevent flooding and droughts, provide rain. The trees soak up tropical rainfall and then slowly release the water into the air to form rain clouds. These clouds are then carried by the winds to other countries where they “feed” the crops. The trees also remove carbon dioxide, a global warming gas. They store the carbon in their trunks and release the oxygen that we breathe. Tropical rainforests store more carbon than any other vegetation type on land.
The hot and wet but stable conditions, combined with year round sun, create the habitats for all the plants and animals in tropical rainforests. And the cloud formation and rainfall effect from the rainforests reach far beyond the forest, providing many countries with fresh water for drinking and growing food crops. They support our way of life and their loss will affect us all.
Lesson 1 Lesson 4
UNIT 4
Lesson 1 Lesson 4
UNIT 4
6. Look at the words in colour in the text, explain their meaning. Match them to the definitions.
7. Answer the following questions according to the text.
all the plant life of a place / the main stem of a tree / the human race / climbing plants / developed / of various kinds or forms / essential / divide into / area along a shore
1) What is a rainforest? 2) Why do rainforests matter? 3) Where are they? 4) What animals live in rainforests? 5) What foods come from the rain forest? 6) How do they create the Earth’s climate?
8. Look at the rainforest layer map. Name them and describe each.
Cross River gorilla
Western lowland gorilla Mountain gorilla
Eastern lowland gorilla
LISTENING
9. Listen to the recording about the threats to
Western lowland gorillas. Make notes about key issues.
– habitat – reasons of extinction – efforts to protect
10. What actions could people take to reduce or reverse the problem?
GRAMMAR
GRAMMAR BANK
The TIME CLAUSES in the English language are introduced by conjunctions such as: as soon as, after, before, till, until, unless, when, whenever, while, providing, provided and are very similar to if-clauses. We do not normally use will in clauses with if or with time words: For example: I’ll come back home and I’ll do it. – I’ll do it when I come back home. (when I come is the time clause) You will push this button and the door will open. – As soon as you push this button the door will open. Don’t stand up. First I’ll tell you. – Don’t stand up till (until) I tell you. You’ll need my car. Take it. – Whenever you need my car you can take it. You’ll tidy up the house and I’ll do the shopping. – You’ll tidy up the house while I do the shopping.
NOTE!
If when introduces a noun clause which is the object of a verb, it is followed by a future tense. For example: I don’t know when she will arrive. I can’t remember when the race will start. You must decide when you will meet them. In all these sentences the question is: What? not When? (I don’t know what, I can’t remember what, You must decide what.)
11. Complete the sentences using the correct tense of the verb.
1) Unless global emissions (to be) _____ reduced, huge areas of land (to be) _____ flooded and the world economy (to collapse) _____. By 2050 up to one million species (to become) _____ extinct due to the loss of natural habitats. 2) If only we (to use) _____ the water we need, we (contribute) _____ to our planet's recovery. 3) In case we (to keep on) _____ using more and more cars, we (to run out) _____ of oil.
When (to run out) _____ of oil, we (to need) _____ other kinds of energy. 4) We (to save) _____ thousands of trees if we (not to waste) _____ so much paper. 5) Pollution (to increase) _____ if we (to use) _____ more oil and coal. If pollution (to increase) _____, more and more trees (to die) _____. The climate (to change) _____ if more trees (to die) _____. 6) If we (to try) _____ to control pollution, it (be) _____ very expensive. Unless we (control) _____ pollution soon, it (to be) _____ too late. 7) Providing we (to recycle) _____ more, we (to help) _____ our planet. 8) As soon as people (to share) _____ their cars to go to work, there (not to be) _____ so many car fumes. 9) Until the government (to fine) _____ those who pollute the atmosphere, some factories (to stop) _____ throwing waste into rivers.
12. Complete the second sentence with the word in brackets so that it has the same meaning as the first one. Use from 2 to 6 words.
1) Air pollution can go down by decreasing carbon emissions. (AS SOON AS) _______ we decrease carbon emissions ___________________. 2) It's unlikely that the impact of global warming will be reduced in the future because we're not taking action now. (UNLESS) _______ we __________________ reduce the impact of global warming. 3) Travelling by train produces only 12.5% of the emissions of a flight. (WHEN) ___________________, we only produce 12.5% of the emissions of a flight. 4) You can offset your carbon emissions by paying an organization to reduce CO2 in the atmosphere. (PROVIDING) _________________ to reduce CO2 in the atmosphere, you will offset your carbon emissions. 5) Buying food from Africa will make Africans richer. (IN CASE) ________we stop buying ___________________ make them poorer. 6) Only by working together will the situation improve. (UNTIL) The situation _________________ we all work together.
13. Continue the sentence with your own ideas.
1) Children will be aware of the importance of recycling… 2) If we keep polluting our planet… 3) When we use recycled paper and glass… 4) As soon as the environmental issues are taught at school… 5) Unless scientists find cures for all major diseases… 6) In case a huge meteorite strikes the earth… 7) Providing petrol is very expensive…
SPEAKING
14. Prepare a presentation about any animal at the verge of extinction. Use the following plan.
– Why is the ... an endangered species? – Description of the animal: type, body, characteristics. – Habitat: Where does this animal live?
What does it eat? Problems? – Conclusion: This species is endangered because... – What can I do to help this animal?: I think...
