8th GRADE SEPTEMBER 24

ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES

. Read the following text carefully:

     The Amazon forest covers five million square kilometers, an area as big as the whole Europe excluding Russia. It contains one third of the world’s trees. However, the trees are disappearing. By 1974, a quarter of the forest had already been cut down. In the following   year, 1975, four per cent of the remaining trees went. If the destruction of the forest continues at the same rate, there will be nothing left in a few years.

      Scientists say that the disappearance of trees is already causing changes in the climate. In Peru, there is less snow than before on the high peaks of the Andes mountains. In Bolivia there is very little rain.

      What will happen if more of the Amazon forest is cut down? According to climatologists if the Amazon forest disappears, there will be less oxygen and it will be difficult for us to breathe, the temperature will rise, the ice-caps at the North and the South poles will melt. Even the sea level will rise. Therefore, seaside cities will be flooded.

     Scientists do not agree about the calculations which can be done in different ways with different results. But all the scientists agree that if we destroy the Amazon forest, it will be an environmental suicide. Life on earth will become difficult, and it may become impossible.

1-Give a title to the text.

_________________________________________________________________________________________

2-Say whether the following statements are true or false:

    a-The Amazon forest is bigger than Europe. ________________

    b-It contains most of the world’s trees. ______________

    c-Deforestation leads to climate change. _______________

    d-If the Amazon forest is destroyed, the coastal towns will be under water. ____________

3-Answer the following questions according to the text:

a- How big is the Amazon forest?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

b- Why is the Amazon forest so important?

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________________________________________

c-      What will happen if it ever disappears?

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________________________

4-Match the words with their synonyms:

     1-whole                                a- weather

     2-climate                              b-go up

     3-rise                                    c-result

     4-consequence                     d- complete

5-Find in the text words that are opposite in meaning to:    

-including §1  _____________________               -low §2 __________________________  

 -drop §3   ________________________               -easy §4 _________________________

    

1.Gap-filling

Fill in the gaps in the text below with the words from the table.

acid – change – endangered – environmental – layer –  ozone – polluted – rainforests – reduction – renewable

Friends of the Earth is the world’s largest international network of (1) ………………………………………. Groups represented in 68 countries. In the UK, it was the first organization to campaign to save whales, (2) …………………………………….. species and tropical (3) …………………………………………. . Friends of the Earth also fought against (4) ………………………………………… rain, (5) …………………………………… depletion and climate (6) …………………………………………………. .

The organization’s present campaigns cover many more issues, such as protecting the wildlife and the countryside and cutting air pollution. They promote waste (7) ……………………………………………… and cleaning up of (8) …………………………………………. Rivers. They also campaign for the reduction of traffic levels and the improvement of public transport.

They lobby politicians and political parties to protect the ozone (9) …………………………………………… and control dangerous chemicals.

to control dangerous chemicals. Their objectives also include promoting energy efficiency and (10) …………………………………………….. energy.

2.Matching

Match the words from the two columns to create phrases or collocations.

                                                                                       

                                                                          SOLUTIONS:

1.       ozone	A.     waste
2.       nuclear	B.      layer	OZONE LAYER
3.       natural	C.      rain
4.       greenhouse	D.     effect
5.       global	E.      dioxide
6.       dumping	F.      warming
7.       carbon	G.     resources
8.       acid	H.     ground

3.Find words that best complete the sentences. Each line corresponds to one letter. Some letters have already been given.

1.       Car  _ x _ _ _ _ _  emissions are a major source of lead pollution in the atmosphere.

2.       The company is very environmentally friendly: all the products come in
_ _ _ d _ _ _ _ d _ _ _ _  packaging.

3.       Using energy efficiently reduces the emission of  _ _ _ _ _ h _ _ s _  gases.

4.       Oxygen in the atmosphere forms a screen – the ozone layer – which filters the
_ _ _ _ a _ _ _ l _ _  rays of the sun.

5.       The Chernobyl nuclear power plant accident released huge amounts of  r _ d _ _ _ _ _ n  into the environment.

6.       The dinosaurs  _ _ _ d  out 65 million years ago.

     7. _ m _ _ _  is the major cause of air pollution in big cities.

 III . writing

Which of the Environmental problems mentioned in exercise A worry you the most. Account for your answer (about 50 words).

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________