Баранова, Starlight 8. Учебник. Module 3. Skills

The text is about a conservationist who dedicated his life to raising awareness about sharks and made a documentary which became an international success.

1 Key words: Most people, not aware, sharks, in danger
Related words in the text: –
2 Key words: Sharks kill more people, than any other animal
Related words in the text: … Sharks kill about 5 people every year … Elephants kill at least 100 people …
3 Key words: interested in sharks, after graduating, university
Related words in the text: … Stewart first became fascinated by sharks as a child …
4 Key words: Shark fins, prized ingredient
Related words in the text: … Shark fins are incredibly valuable … luxury item …
5 Key words: ran out of money, while making, film
Related words in the text: –
6 Key words: Not everyone, happy, Costa Rica, was doing
Related words in the text: … after coming into conflict with organised crime and local authorities …
1 NS 2F 3F 4T 5NS 6T

1 How long, Brendan, work – all summer/two weeks/ six weeks
2 Brendan’s job – raise money/conduct guided tours/ feed animals, clean enclosures
3 to work, shelter, you have to – work well/team/be caring, strong
4 thinks – anyone, volunteer/volunteers, be trained/ enough volunteers

1 С – I did some voluntary work for six weeks
2 В – I was asked to organise guided tours for tourists
3 B- You have to be caring with them but you also have to be strong
4 A – They never have enough volunteers, Anyone can learn how to take care of animals

Extinction, endangered species, conservation, habitat destruction, poaching, deforestation, soil erosion, soil contamination, desertification, pollution, nuclear waste, waste, carbon emissions, pollution, air pollution, air quality, vehicle emissions, water pollution, water quality, asthma, life expectancy, acid rain, air quality, nuclear waste, global warming, climate change, ozone depletion, sustainability, waste, carbon dioxide absorption, logging, catalytic converters

My country has many environmental problems. Air pollution is a major problem affecting most of the country, particularly big cities. This makes it difficult for people to breathe properly and causes illnesses such as asthma. Vehicle emissions cause most of the pollution because people drive their cars more and more these days. One solution for this problem would be to get people to use public transport more, or even ride their bicycles to work. Lorries also cause some of this pollution. They should be banned from the centres of cities and towns at certain times. Finally, both lorries and cars could be made less polluting by using cleaner fuels. Pollution from factories is also a major problem. Waste from factories pollutes the air and our rivers and lakes. This means that people drink water that is bad for their health which can lead to serious diseases. Carbon emissions from factories also cause ozone depletion and global warming. We must encourage companies to be more environmentally friendly, but also fine them if they do not follow our laws which are designed to protect the environment.
Plants and animals also suffer from environmental problems in my country. Lots of forests are being cut down which is leading to habitat destruction. One solution to this problem would be to make logging more efficient, as many trees are cut down and not even used. Illegal logging must be stopped by catching those who do it and fining them or sending them to prison.

Homeless charities give people who have nowhere to live a place to stay, raise money, raise awareness, environmental charities help us preserve the environment, hold a bazaar, bring in things that they no longer need, make some nice food, sell these things to people in the community, organise a clean up day, local lake/forest and pick up any rubbish

S: Can you tell me which charities the school is considering helping, please1
T: The school is considering helping homeless people or environmental groups.
S: How do those charities help people and society?
T: Homeless charities give people who have nowhere to live a place to stay. Environmental charities help us preserve the environment so that everyone can benefit from it.
S: Great. What kind of events can we run to help one of these charities?
T: If we decide to help homeless people, we can hold a bazaar.
S: What would that involve?
T: Everyone could bring in things that they no longer need, or perhaps make some nice food. Then we would hold a bazaar and sell these things to people in the community. In this way we would raise money to help get homeless people off the streets.
S: What if we decide to help an environmental charity?
T: If we decide to help an environmental charity, then we can organise a clean up day. We can go to the local lake and pick up any rubbish next to it so that people can enjoy being next to it.
S: I think we should help homeless people. I know the environment is really important, but I believe that we need to help those who live on the streets get back on their feet.
T: Yes, I think that too.

teacher, opinion essay, should we spend great amounts of money on space exploration

1 In the future, environmental problems, nuclear war or a sudden collision with a meteor may threaten our existence. If we find another planet where we can live, we can avoid being wiped out.
2 If governments stopped spending money on armies, weapons and war, for example, then a great deal more money would be free to spend on space exploration.
3 For example, we may discover new resources on other planets. We may also develop new technologies for growing crops in space which may be helpful on Earth.
4 For instance, there are still a great number of problems here on Earth such as poverty, disease and hunger that need to be solved before we launch into space.
5 For example, there have already been the Challenger and Columbia space shuttle disasters. Each time something goes wrong it costs lives and lots of money.

The reasons/examples were quite similar to mine.

Space exploration is a hot topic these days, especially when so many things that used to be science fiction are now becoming reality, but not surprisingly it is very expensive. This leads some people to question whether we should spend great amounts of money on space exploration. I think we must if we are to prepare for the future.
Firstly, we need to explore other planets to ensure the survival of the human race. In the future, environmental problems, nuclear war or a sudden collision with a meteor may threaten our existence. If we find another planet where ive can live, we can avoid being wiped out. Secondly, important scientific discoveries made in space can help us here on Earth. For example, we may discover new resources on other planets. We may also develop new technologies for growing crops in space which may be helpful on Earth.
On the other hand, some people believe that it can be very expensive and the money could be better spent on other things. They feel that there are still a great number
of problems here on Earth such as poverty, disease and hunger that need to be solved before we launch into space.
All in all, I believe space exploration is very important for the future of mankind. There is so much out there to discover and although it is expensive, it is an investment in the future.

1 conservation
2 equipment
3 curiosity
4 sight
5 appearance

1 wishes he had helped (wish referring to the past)
2 where he volunteered was (relative)
3 if he doesn’t pay (conditional Type 1)
4 had more money, she could (conditional Type 2)
5 I was/were able to go (wish referring to the present)