ENVIRONMENT

Environmental problems
- Deforestation = cutting down trees=illegal logging
- cutting down/ chopping down and burning trees.

- e.g: 27 thousand trees are chopped down everyday for toilet paper, 84% of all
household waste can be reduced/plastic thrown into our oceans kills about a
million sea creatures every year

- Poaching = killing endangered animals illegally=

- poacher(n)
- rampant illegal hunting
- Light / Air / Noise pollution/contamination
- pollute/ contaminate(v)
- pollution/contamination(n)
- pollutant/contaminant(n)
- polluted/contaminated(a)
- soil erosion
- Desertification = making land dry and like a desert, not arable, not fertile
- Carbon dioxide ≈ greenhouse gases (khí thải nhà kính) ≈ emissions (khí thải)
- extreme weather conditions: những điều kiện thời tiết khắc nghiệt
- the greenhouse effect: hiệu ứng nhà kính
- Illegal dumping = putting waste into a landfill / the sea without
permission
- waste rubbish (UK) garbage (US) debris trash (US) litter (UK) junk
refuse
 - A landfill (n.) (C) = a place where rubbish is dumped and buried People
dump rubbish in the sea, on the streets, in the landfills….
- the burning of fossil fuels: việc đốt nhiên liệu hóa thạch
- ozone layer depletion: sự phá hủy tầng ô-zôn
- melting of the polar ice caps: việc tan chảy các tảng băng ở cực

What are the environmental issues in Vietnam

and in the world?
What are the consequences of this issue?
How we damage the environment
- negative consequences/ results
- negative/ detrimental effects/ impact/ influence on….
- threaten(v)
- threat(n)=> serious threat
- Hunting and damage to habitats where animals live continue to threaten
animal numbers as well./ Hunting is one of the biggest threats to many different
species, including rhinos.
- posing a serious threat to
- human activity: hoạt động của con người
- the extinction of many species of animals and plants: sự tuyệt chủng của nhiều loài
động thực vật
- on the verge/brink of extinction
- extinct(v)
- extinction(n)
- People’s health: sức khỏe của con người
- absorb: hấp thụ=> absorption
- - Illegal wildlife trade
- Rampant illegal hunting of elephant ivory to cure serious illnesses although it
is not true.
- Industrial activities are destroying wild animals’ natural habitats, forcing them
to leave their homes to look for food and shelters.
- =>These activities are considered significant factors that result in the
decreased livelihood, and consequently, the disappearance of many wild
species.

How can we protect the environment?

- responsible for(a)
- responsibility(n)
=> Government/ individual responsibility
- solve(v) the problem
- solution(n)/ measure(n)
- solve = tackle = address = deal with
- address the issue
- take action
- raise public awareness
- introduce laws to…:
- Put in place strict / stringent policies
- renewable energy from solar, wind or water power
- Save energy Save water, by not leaving the tap running unnecessarily Do some
volunteer work Run a campaign to raise awareness Clean up beaches Participate
in a beach clean-up Reduce plastic waste Protect wildlife habitats

1.Which of types of energy do you think is the most

environmentally friendly?Why?

What are the responsibilities of governments/ individuals to

protect the environment?
What can you do to protect the environment?

- I am careful to recycle rubbish and waste at home

- I strive not to use disposable plastic, such as coffee cups in Starbucks
- I endeavor to turn off the lights in my home
- I make an effort to turn taps off when possible
- We should steer clear of….. = to avoid
- We should be wary of = be careful and cautious with.
Global warming is one of the most serious issues that the world is facing today. What
are the causes of global warming and what measures can governments and individuals
take to tackle the issue?

Other words related to Environment

- flora and fauna: plants and animals
- Ecosystem (eco= environment, ecosystem is ‘an environment system’)
- Ecology (n.) = the study of the environment Ecological (adj.)
- Eco-friendly (adj.) = describes things that protect and look after the
environment, rather than damaging it.
- Go green: sống xanh
 - =>When Chau Bui declares it's going to go green and be profitable, it has a powerful
impact on other great institutions. (Khi Châu Bùi tuyên bố sẽ sống xanh và tạo ra giá
trị, điều này đã tác động mạnh mẽ đến các đại gia đình khác.)
-

Exercise. Choose the correct option

1.Poaching ____ the greatest threat to many species.
A. creates B. presents C. poses D. produces

2. Smoke, dirt and noise are all kinds of ___

A. pollution B. polluted c. pollutant d. pollute

A. fruit and vegetables B. plants and animals

C. flowers and trees D. mountain and forest

A. imminent B. fascinating C. destructive D. mysterious

 A. biodegradable B.biodiversity C. Ecosystem D. environment

A. filled in B. removed C. kicked D. dropped

A. destruction B. fertilizer C. contamination D. variety

READING COMPREHENSION
What is ‘extreme‘ weather? Why are people talking about it these days? ‘Extreme‘
weather is an unusual weather event such as rainfall, a drought or a heat wave in
the wrong place or at the wrong time. In theory, they are very rare. But these days,
our TV screens are constantly showing such extreme weather events. Take just
three news stories from 2010: 28 centimeters of rain fell on Rio de Janeiro in 24
hours, Nashville, USA, had 33 centimeters of rain in two days and there was record
rainfall in Pakistan.
The effects of this kind of rainfall are dramatic and lethal. In Rio de Janeiro,
landslides followed, burying hundreds of people. In Pakistan, the floods affected
20 million people. Meanwhile, other parts of the world suffer devastating droughts.
Australia, Russia and East Africa have been hit in the last ten years. And then there
are unexpected heat waves, such as in 2003 in Europe. That summer, 35,000 deaths
were said to be heat-related.
So, what is happening to our weather? Are these extreme events part of a natural
cycle? Or are they caused by human activity and its effects on the Earth‘s climate?
Peter Miller says it‘s probably a mixture of both of these things. On the one hand,
the most important influences on weather events are natural cycles in the climate.
Two of the most famous weather cycles, El Niño and La Niña, originate in the
Pacific Ocean. The heat from the warm ocean rises high into the atmosphere and
affects weather all around the world. On the other hand, the temperature of the
Earth‘s oceans is slowly but steadily going up. And this is a result of human
activity. We are producing greenhouse gases that trap heat in the Earth‘s
atmosphere. This heat warms up the atmosphere, land and oceans. Warmer oceans
produce more water vapor – think of heating a pan of water in your kitchen. Turn
up the heat, it produces steam more quickly. Satellite data tells us that the water
vapor in the atmosphere has gone up by four percent in 25 years. This warm, wet
air turns into the rain, storms, hurricanes and typhoons that we are increasingly
experiencing. Climate scientist, Michael Oppenheimer, says that we need to face
the reality of climate change. And we also need to act now to save lives and money
in the future.
Question 43: It is stated in the passage that extreme weather is ______.
A. becoming more common B. not a natural occurrence
C. difficult for scientists to understand D. killing more people than ever before
Question 44: The word “lethal” in the second paragraph probably means ______.
A. far-reaching B. long-lasting C. happening soon D. causing deaths
Question 45: What caused thousands of deaths in 2003?
A. a period of hot weather B. floods after a bad summer
C. a long spell of heavy rain D. large-scale landslides
Question 46: According to the passage, extreme weather is a problem because
______.
A. we can never predict it B. it only affects crowded places
C. it’s often very destructive D. its causes are completely unknown
Question 47: The word “that” in the third paragraph refers to ______.
A. Earth‘s oceans B. human activity
C. greenhouse gases D. Earth‘s atmosphere
Question 48: Extreme weather can be caused by ______.
A. satellites above the Earth B. water vapor in the atmosphere
C. very hot summers D. water pans in your kitchen
Question 49: Satellites are used to ______.
A. change the direction of severe storms
B. trap greenhouse gases in the atmosphere
C. measure changes in atmospheric water vapor
D. prevent climate from changing quickly
Question 50: Which statement is NOT supported by the information in the
passage?
A. Extreme weather is substantially influenced by human activity.
B. Unusual weather events are part of natural cycles.
C. We can limit the bad effects of extreme weather.
D. Such extreme weather is hardly the consequence of human activity.