ENVIRONMENT

Task 1. Choose the correct option to complete the text.

Cars are responsible (1)………air pollution. They produce chemicals that cause (2)
…………problems. Air pollution causes acid rain, too, which kills trees and plants. If
people (3)…………….public transport rather than cars, the quality of our life would
improve. Another enemy of our environment are (4)…………… companies, who chop (5)
……………trees and destroy rainforests. This is very dangerous because trees (6)
……………….oxygen which is vital to us. If governments stopped these companies,
rainforests (7) ………………….safe and we could all breathe (8) …………….air.

1. a. of b. on c. for d. about
2. a. breath b. breathing c. breathe d. breathed
3. a. use b. used c. would use d. will use
4. a. loggy b. log c. logging d. logger
5. a. down b. off c. up d. on
6. a. make b. give c. take d. produce
7. a. were b. would be c. would have been d. had been
8. a. more clean b. most clean c. cleanest d. cleaner

Task 2. Match the words in Column A with the words in Column B to make
partnerships. Translate the word-combinations into Ukrainian.

A B
1. oil a) rain
2. exhaust b) friendly
3. ecological c) warming
4. acid d) spill
5. ozone e) schemes
6. global f) energy
7. recycle g) disaster
8. environmentally h) fumes
9. nuclear i) layer
10. replanting g) waste

Task 3. Read the sentences below and use the word patterns from the previous
task to fill in the gaps:

1. I think that the smoke from factories is more dangerous to the atmosphere than the
…………………from cars. It contributes to ……………………….which can destroy
forests.
2. I like hot weather so I don’t think that …………………………….is a problem.
3. I don’t believe that there is a hole in the …………………………because I can’t see
it.
4. In my opinion furniture companies should all have ………………….. I’m sure a lot
of them destroy the forests without thinking about replacing the trees.
5. The aerosol sprays I use are …………………….. They don’t contain any CFC’s so
they don’t damage the ozone layer.
6. I think we should …………………………….because it’s good to re-use things.
7. To my mind the ……………………….in the Galapagos Islands was a preventable
………………………...

Task 4. Fill in the gaps with the appropriate vocabulary from the box.

polluted pesticides seep dissolve bury poisonous

wastes sewage dump fertilizers

Water pollution occurs when harmful substances enter water sources. Some
pollutants (1) ________ in the water. Others float. Many lakes and rivers were once
used for drinking and swimming. Today, many of these are polluted. Not even fish can
live in some of these waters.
Wastes that usually are flushed away in water, such as biological wastes, are called
(2) _________. Sewage is a source of water pollution. Bacteria and other disease-
causing organisms live in sewage. Sewage also contains soaps and chemicals.
Many different chemicals pollute the water. (3) __________ are chemicals that help
plants to grow. (4)__________are used to kill animal pests and weeds. Farmers use
fertilizers and pesticides on their food crops.
Many of the chemicals that make up fertilizers and pesticides are (5) _________ to
living things. They can be washed off of farm fields and (6)__________ into the
groundwater. This water is then carried to lakes and rivers. The chemicals in the water
may harm organisms that live in the water.
Chemical pollutants also come from industry. Some industries illegally (7)
_________ their wastes in barrels, or metal drums, in the ground. If the drums rust or
break apart, the wastes can leak into the groundwater.
Industries also (8) ___________ chemical wastes directly into water. These wastes
are harmful to fish living in the water. They are also harmful to people who eat the
fish. Mercury is a poisonous element that is sometimes found in (9) __________water.
Many fish cannot be eaten because they contain mercury.
Sewage treatment plants have been built in many cities and towns. These plants
change sewage into less harmful materials.
Laws also help fight water pollution. These laws require industries to clean their
(10) __________ before dumping them into lakes and rivers. Laws have also banned
the use of certain pesticides and soaps.

Task 5. Finish the sentences with your own ideas:

1) If I saw somebody throwing an empty packet on the street, I would ..................................

2) If I discovered the factory I worked in was secretly polluting the environment, I
would.........................................................................................................................................
3) If I were minister for the Environment, I would ..................................................................
 4) If I had to do without perfume / deodorant, I would ...........................................................
5) If I were a fish, I would ........................................................................................................
6) If I lived on an island, I would .............................................................................................
7) If a nuclear bomb exploded, I would ....................................................................................
8) If they tried to build a nuclear power station near my house, I would..................................
9) If I lived in a jungle, I would ................................................................................................
10) If I were an endangered species, I would ...........................................................................
11) If I wanted to dump a box of rubbish, but I could not find a bin, I would..........................
12) If the local council were planning to build a dump near my house, I would......................

Task 6. Complete the table with the causes, results and possible solutions to the
following environmental problems.

Problems Causes Results Solutions

air pollution

water contamination

litter/rubbish

deforestation

acid rain

nuclear waste

noise

+ READING (attached pdf file) + write out new words from the texts + The
Environmental quiz (in writing)