did you know?

Article by Alison Tetlow

Expressions about
the environment
There is a lot of discussion nowadays about environmental issues,
so it may help you to know some of the following English expressions.

Gas guzzler
This is a slang phrase for a large car with very high fuel consumption. It first
came into use in America when Gas Guzzler provisions in the 1978 Energy
Tax Act were introduced to discourage the production and purchase of such
vehicles. The verb ‘to guzzle’ means ‘to drink or eat greedily’, and ‘gas’ is
the American abbreviation for ‘gasoline’ (‘petrol’ in the UK). “His car is a real gas guzzler.
It’s expensive to run and it certainly contributes to air pollution.”

Carbon footprint
In this day and age, we should all strive to reduce our carbon footprint. So, what does
this mean exactly? Your carbon footprint is the measurement of the amount of carbon
dioxide that is produced by various activities that you undertake. The main areas that determine
it are your use of electricity and natural gas, your car mileage and how many trips you take by plane.
“My carbon footprint is higher than I would like, because my job involves flying abroad frequently.”

To go green
Although you can say that somebody goes this colour when they are feeling
sick, if you are using the phrase in an environmental sense, it means that you
are making decisions that are more environmentally friendly. For instance,
you can say that you have decided to go green by recycling, ditching the
car in favour of walking and eating organic, locally produced food. “James
thinks we should all go green by cycling to work.”

Eco-warrior
Are you an eco-warrior – somebody who takes an active part in supporting
environmental causes? You don’t just talk about these types of issues; you
attend demonstrations, hand out leaflets and generally take action to stop
damage to the environment. A famous British eco-warrior is Daniel Hooper,
who is also known as Swampy. He has protested against the building of
several roads and a new runway at Manchester Airport, and has become
something of a celebrity.

16 Go English No 94 January-February 2019

 19-20 C1

Eco-terrorist
An eco-terrorist is similar to an eco-warrior, but is willing to break
the law. He or she may use violence against people or damage
property. Arson is sometimes used, and a well-known act of
eco-terrorism is tree spiking. Spikes are driven into trees, so that
harm is caused to loggers who are cutting them down, or to
their equipment.

Green belt
An area of land around a town or city that consists of fields,
forests or parkland is known as a green belt. It is forbidden
by law to build houses or factories on this land, giving
town-dwellers access to open spaces for outdoor activities.
It also helps to provide clean air and areas for food production.
“There is a severe shortage of housing, but they can’t build

© CC BY-SA 3.0
anything on that land, as it’s a green belt.”

Brownfield land
This is land that has been previously used or
built upon, but is not currently in use, sometimes
because of contamination. Greenfield land, on
the other hand, has never been built upon.
“Alex told me that the Queen Elizabeth Olympic
Park in London was built on one of the most
contaminated brownfield sites in the capital.
The soil had to be completely cleaned before
construction began.”

Noise pollution
Pollution is damage caused to air, water or land by
harmful substances. So, what does noise pollution
mean? It is loud or unpleasant noise that is harmful
or annoying to the people who can hear it. It might
be caused by machinery, a car or even your
neighbour playing his music too loud!

Go English No 94 January-February 2019 17

 10 words B2 C1
Article by Alison Tetlow

Talking about
global warming
Here are some keywords to help you talk about saving the planet.

En vi ro nm en ta lly fr ie nd ly
(e co -fr ie nd ly )
An adjective describing something that does
not harm the environment. “Reusable coffee
cups are more environmentally friendly than
plastic ones.”
Fossil fuels
These are fuels such as coal, gas, peat
and oil. They are formed in the ground
over a long time from dead plants and
animals. They cannot be renewed once
these fuel sources are depleted.

Greenhouse gases
The main greenhouse gases,
carbon dioxide, methane and
nitrous oxide, are causing climate change by
trapping the sun’s heat and slowly increasing
the temperature of the Earth’s atmosphere.
Recycle
The system where waste products are collected
and processed so that they can be used again is
called recycling. “We should always recycle our
empty cans and bottles.”

Deforestation
The destruction of large areas of trees by
humans. “Cattle farming is the main cause
Extinct
of deforestation in the Amazon rainforest.” An extinct species is one that no longer
exists. The Mauritian dodo, which died
out in the 17th century, is a good
example of this.
Endangered
Endangered species are seriously
Drought
in danger of extinction, because
there are so few of them left.
This might be as a result of hunting
A long period of unusually low
or deforestation.
rainfall which causes a shortage
of water

Landfill
Large amounts of waste are buried
in the ground on landfill sites.
Wind turbine
“We recycle so that not so much This tall structure with blades
waste goes to landfill.” looks rather like a windmill and
uses wind power to produce
electricity. A group of wind
turbines is called a wind farm.

18 Go English No 94 January-February 2019

 quiz
Article by Talitha Linehan

Endangered species
How much do you know about endangered species?
Take our fun quiz to find out!

A. Facts and figures

Match these statements with the relevant estimated figures.

1. the number of critically endangered species · · a. 60

2. the number of species that become extinct every
· · b. 415,000
24 hours · c. 5,500
3. the number of new species discovered every year · · d. 15,000
4. the number of African elephants · · e. 150-200
5. the number of Amur leopards in the wild ·

B. True or false?
Decide whether the following statements are true or false.
1. Experts estimate that there are 8.7 million species on the planet,
plus or minus 1.3 million.
True False

2. The term ‘endangered species’ first came into use in the mid 1960s.
True False

3. The leading cause of extinction today is climate change.

True False

4. Species are becoming extinct at 1,000 times the natural rate.

True False

5. All dinosaurs became extinct 66 million years ago.

True False

6. Experts suggest that 95 percent of all species that have ever lived
are now extinct.
True False

46 Go English No 94 January-February 2019

 B2 C1

C. The dodo
One of the most famous extinct species is the dodo.
It was endemic to the island of Mauritius, in the Indian
Ocean, and became extinct around the late 1600s.
What else do you know about it? Choose the correct
answers below to complete these statements.
1. The dodo was a bird that...
a. could fly a few feet off the ground.
b. couldn’t fly at all.

2. It was...
a. fat and clumsy.
b. well-adapted for its ecosystem.

3. It became extinct mainly because it...

a. couldn’t find enough food to survive.
b. was hunted by people and other animals.

4. It became famous because it was in the popular

storybook...
a. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland.
b. The Wonderful Wizard of Oz.

5. The saying ‘as dead as a dodo’ means...

a. ‘no longer effective, valid or interesting’.
b. ‘broken beyond repair’.

Answers are on page 49.

Go English No 94 January-February 2019 47