English for Geographers

English For Geographers_____________________________________________

1. Read the text and give its main idea:

National parks, nature reserves, protected areas and sites of special scientific interest are an important part of the natural landscape in most countries. Their habitat and terrains vary massively from tundra and glacier parks in the north to wetlands in Europe, steppes in central and eastern Europe, and prairie grasslands and deserts in other areas. Virtually all kinds of landscape are protected somewhere. And these protected areas are important for the variety of plant and animal life they harbour: caribou, bears, wolves, rare types of fish and birds.

But these areas are under threat from a recent peril – global climate change. No amount of legislation in any one country can protect against a world-wide problem.

If climatic change is severe, and in particular if the change is happening as quickly as it is at the moment, then the boundaries of the park no longer make much sense. A park that was designated as a protected area 90 years ago may suffer such change in its climate that the nature of it changes too. It will no longer contain the animal and plant life that it did. So the area which once protected, say, a species of reindeer or a type of scenery, will have changed. In effect, you lose the thing you were trying to protect. This effect has already been seen in Canada, where parks which once contained glaciers have seen the glaciers melted by global warming.

The problems are manifold. First, it is difficult or impossible to predict which areas are most in need of help. Predicting climate change is even more unreliable than predicting the weather. Secondly, there is a sense that governments in most areas are apathetic towards a problem which may not manifest itself until long after that government’s term of office has come to an end. Third, and perhaps most important, even in areas where there is both the political will and the financial muscle to do something about the problem, it is hard to know what to do.

Certainly, climate change is not going to go away overnight. It is estimated that fossil fuels burnt in the 1950s will still be affecting our climate in another 30 years, so the changes will continue for some time after that. If we want to protect the remnants of our wild landscapes for future generations, the impetus for change must come from the governments of the world.

2.Answer the questions to the text:

1.Does every country have protected areas or national parks?

2.Can countries protect their parks by changing their laws?

3.Has Canada, more than any other country, felt the effects of global warming?

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4.Are fossil fuels burnt in the 1950s still affecting our climate?

5.How long will it last?

Part 5

Progress Check

Progress Check 1

This unit reviews all the main language points from units 1-4. Complete the exercises

1. Present Simple and frequency adverbs.

Interview a partner about work habits. Tick your partner’s answers in the questionnaire below.

Example:

Student A: How often do you arrive at the university before your

1.arrive at the university before your classmates?

2.leave the university after normal hours?

3.take work home at weekends?

4.think about work when you are at home?

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5.make tiring business trips?

6.continue working when you are very tired?

Now add up the score and tell your partner the results: Usually = 5, often = 4, sometimes = 3, rarely = 2, never = 1.

2. Frequency adverbs:

Make true sentences about your lifestyle. Add five more sentences. Use

5.read a newspaper

3.Present Simple questions and short answers:

Work in pairs. Match A and B below. Then prepare questions in the Present Simple to ask your partner. Use short answers.

Student A: Do you speak English on the phone at work?

Student B: Yes, I do.

4. Present Simple, Present Continuous, or Past Simple?

Complete the text with the correct form of the verb in brackets.

Travel Writer on Safari

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Jane Allen is a travel writer. She ……… (write) travel articles for international magazines. Last year she ……… (move) to Montreal, Canada, where she ……… (live) with her husband and teenage son, but she ………

(not be) at home very often because she ……… (spend) more than 50 % of her time travelling! At present, she ……… (do) research for an article on safari holidays in Africa. She ……… (visit) organisations which ………

(specialise) in adventure holidays, and she ……… (interview) people who

……… (have) experience of safari holidays. Two months ago, she ………

(fly) to Africa and ……… (spend) five weeks travelling around Kenya.

When she ……… (be) there, she ……… (join) a group of people on a safari holiday and ……… (talk) to them about the experience.

She ……… (enjoy) the African trip but she ……… (not like) the mosquitoes! Jane really ……… (love) travelling because she ……… (meet) all kinds of people. What ……… she ……… (enjoy) after months of travelling? She usually …..….. (like) to spend a few days at home after a trip, doing absolutely nothing at all.

5. Past Simple questions:

You asked a friend about her holiday. She gave you these answers. What were your questions?

Example: With Iberia. Which airline did you fly?

1.To Majorca.

2.Only for five days.

3.No, it wasn’t. I first went there two years ago.

4.At a hotel on the beach.

5.Yes, it was delicious. And the wines were very good, too.

6.I did a lot of sunbathing and swimming.

7.It was very good. Sunny and hot every day.

8.Yes, I did. I lost my passport!

6.Which city do you think is the most exciting in the world? Give your reasons. Work in groups.

7.List five features which make a city good for a holiday. Compare your lists with other groups.

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8. Read the article about Sidney. Does Sydney have any of the features you listed in 7?

Sydney

Sydney is the biggest, liveliest, and most cosmopolitan city in

Australia. It has one of the world’s loveliest harbours, and its Opera House is as famous as the Statue of Liberty. Sydney is also famous for its many beaches, where you can swim, surf, sail, and sunbathe. The nearest, Bondi

Beach, is less than fifteen minutes’ drive away. It’s not surprising that one in five Australians chooses to live in Sydney. Few cities in the world offer a better climate, or a healthier and more enjoyable lifestyle.

Today it’s difficult to imagine the view of Sydney Harbour without the Opera House. Its adventurous design by a Danish architect won an international competition in 1957. Many people think it’s the most spectacular building of this century. It took nineteen years to complete and the final cost was fifteen times more than the original estimate. Inside there are five theatres, the largest with seats for 2,700 people.

Sydney’s other famous landmark is a lot older than the Opera House.

The Harbour Bridge opened in 1932. One of the best views of the harbour and the city is from the top of its south-east tower. There’s an even more impressive view from the 305 metre high Sydney Tower.

The Rocks is Sydney’s most historical part, where the British landed in

1788 to build the colony of New South Wales.

It has the city’s oldest buildings, and its shops, museums, and pubs make it one of the most popular tourist attractions. At night, sitting at one of its waterfront cafes with the lights of Sydney Harbour all around you, it’s easy to feel you’re in one of the most exciting cities in the world.

9. Match the word with its explanation:

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10. Insert the missing letters:

a......raction, hi...tori...al, ...ar...ours, s...…f, spe…ta…ular, exc…t...ng, i...pre…sive, be……hes, …useu…s, p…b…, i…a…ine, s……l, en…o…able, c…smop…litan, t…w…r, b…ildin…s, to……ist, ce…tur…, l……d, li…ht…, sur…ris…ng, c…l…ny.

11. Quick test. Comparative and superlative adjectives:

13. Welcoming a visitor:

You are welcoming visitors from another country. Think of five questions to ask the visitors. Ask about their journey, the reason for the their visit, their job, their home town, and their first impressions.

14. Telephoning: making contact.

Complete this telephone conversation.

A.Good morning. “Elle” magazine.

B.Good morning. ……… Mr. Ross, please?

A.Who ………, please?

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B. ……… James Turner.

A.Hold ……… please, Mr. Turner. I’m sorry. Mr. Ross …………. Can I ……... ?

B.Yes. ……… to call me? My number is 0171 986 5053.

A.Yes. Mr. Turner ……… .

B.Thank you. Good-bye.

15. Telephoning: leaving a message.

Work in pairs. Practise these telephone calls. Make up two more calls. Change roles.

Situation 1

Progress Check 2

1. Mass and count nouns. Some/any/a lot of/much/many

Five of the sentences below have a grammatical mistake. Find the mistakes. Write the correct sentences:

1.Could you give me an information, please?

2.Would you like some wine?

3.I didn’t buy much fruit.

4.He gave me some useful advice.

5.The news is not very good.

6.I did a lot of exercises at the gym.

7.How many money did you spend?

8.I haven’t got some paper.

9.Many people attended the conference.

10.He has much experience in marketing.

2.Work in pairs. Find out about your partner’s home town. Ask about:

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3. Work in pairs. Ask your partner questions in the Present Perfect Simple with ever.

If your partner answers Yes, I have, ask for more details. Add three more questions:

Example

Student A

Student B

Student A

English For Geographers_____________________________________________

while travelling?

3.(study or work) all night?

4.(meet) a famous person?

5.(want) to live in another country?

6.…………………….. ?

7.…………………….. ?

8.…………………….. ?

4.Find the grammatical mistake in each of these sentences. Write the correct sentence.

1.I haven’t seen him since ages.

2.How long ago have you had a holiday?

3.How long are they married?

4.I’ve had my present job since a long time.

5.Have you ever gone to Canada?

6.How many tests have you been had today?

7.She’s changed her job a month ago.

8.How long are you studying at the university?

9.He’s changed jobs twice last year.

10.She studies Japanese since 2001.

5.Complete the text with the correct form of the verb in brackets.

Michael Brown ……… (be) at Ultra Tech Inc. Since he ……… (leave)

college. Since he ……… (join) the company, he ……… (work) in three different departments. In his present job in the Sales Department, he usually

………(travel) to Switzerland every two or three months. Last year he

………(to be) also responsible for Southern Europe, and he ……… (go) to Spain and Italy on business five times. He ……… (not go) to Spain so far this year. At the moment, he ……… (be) in Thailand on holiday with his wife and daughter. It ……… (be) their first trip; they ……… (never, visit) the Far East before. They ……… (fly) from London last week and they ……… (visit) many of Bangkok’s interesting sights this week.

6. Complete these sentences with the Present Perfect Simple or Continuous:

1.You ……… (drink) six cups of coffee since lunch-time!

2.We ……… (drink) coffee all afternoon.

3.She ……… (type) all the letters and I ……… (sign) them all.

4.He ……… (play) in every match this season.

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