THE ENVIRONMENT

A. Read these definitions and write down the problem described:

1. Chemicals from aerosols are destroying the part of the atmosphere which protects us from the
sun’s rays. = Hole in the ozone layer. (Ozonloch)

2. Too many trees are being cut down. =

3. Emissions from factories and cars are raising the Earth’s temperature. =

4. Climate change is causing long periods of time without rain. =

5. Bad harvests mean millions of people have nothing to eat. =

B. Write definitions for these problems:

1. Acid rain. =

2. Oil slick. =

3. Radioactive waste. =

4. Flood. =

5. Extinction of animals. =

C. Use the words below to complete this text:

(conditions destruction disposal over-fishing farming greenhouse industrialised

layer over-populated resources pollution polluted atmosphere environmental
consequences rainforests)

___________ is a major problem of our times. Air, water and land are all ___________. Poor
waste ___________ is to blame for many of the problems and the situation is particularly bad in
heavily ___________ and ___________ regions. Pollution of the ___________ has led to the
destruction of the ozone ___________ and to the ___________ effect. Other ___________
problems have been caused by too rapid a use of ___________. There are fewer fish in the sea
because of ___________ and the ___________ of the ___________ is having unforeseen
ecological ___________. Battery ___________ provides a lot of food but keeps animals in
unnatural and unhealthy ___________.

D. Complete these compound nouns with a suitable word (there is more than one possibility):

acid rain (saurer Regen) industrial

carbon oil
catalytic ozone
to die ice
to dry power
energy nuclear
environmentally rainforest (Regenwald)
environmentally toxic
global waste
acid rain the greenhouse effect habitat a poacher smog
endangered
evolution nitrogen oxides trophy atmosphere
species
nuclear power
conservation ozone biosphere pollution
station
a reserve national park insecticide rainforest extinct

The very slow process by which

The protection of the biosphere from A species which is in danger of living creatures change and
destruction becoming extinct become increasingly suited to
the place where they live

No longer in existence anywhere on The process by which the Earth is

The place where a plant or
the Earth heated when the atmosphere
animal naturally lives and grows
traps heat from the Sun

An area of open land set aside by A mixture of gases in car

A chemical which is used by people
a government specially for the exhausts which contribute to
to kill insects conservation of wildlife pollution and acid rain

A gas in the Earth's atmosphere

produced in small quantities near
An electricity-generating station
the ground when sunlight shines A person who kills wildlife
which uses radioactive fuel to drive
on polluted air. It is more illegally to make money
the generators
common very high up in the
atmosphere

The contamination of the A rich woodland habitat which An area of land in which wildlife
environment by substances harmful occurs in regions of warm climate is protected from hunting and
to living creatures and high rainfall collecting

Polluted air consisting of a The part of the Earth which

Part of a dead animal used for mixture of fog, smoke and contains all the living creatures
decoration or exhibition sulphur dioxide

The mixture of gases which

surrounds a planet or a star Rain made acid by falling in
polluted air