Practice

1. Put in which, what or that. Put comma if necessary.

1. She cycles to work every day, which makes her healthy.

2. Everything ………… he told us about water pollution made me upset.

3. Graffiti is vandalism. This is ……… we need to understand.

4. The world’s population is growing very fast ……… makes the world critically short for food and water.

5. Even with just an A-level in Biology I could understand ……… they were doing.

6. Planting trees is a great thing ……… also makes us feel better and encourage less littering.

7. I did everything ……… I could to save an entangled seal.

8. She joined a Girl Scout team ………… surprised us all.

9. Our modern lifestyle is destroying the fragile environment ………leads to the environmental catastrophe.

Get real

Search the environmental websites or specialized magazines to get information about the ways to solve the acid rain problem. Make notes on what you have found and report back to the class.

Listening

Recording 5.1

1. Discuss as a class.

• Why is the word ‘green’ used when we speak about environmental protection?

• What green organizations do you know? What are their purposes?

• What a ‘green city’ would be like?

2. Work with a partner. Brainstorm as many environmental problems typical for big cities as you can. Compare your ideas as a class.

Example: bad sewage water treatment, dumpsites/landfills, etc.

3. Check if you know what these phrases mean. Use a dictionary if necessary.

reverse the effects	black tar roof
energy costs	environmentally safe center
renewable energy sources	waste center
urban heat islands	to power up homes
to release zero pollution	green building methods
rating systems	environmental city planning
solar (powered) water heaters	a reduced property tax rate

4. You are going to listen to a radio programme on some steps that city governments are taking to protect the environment. As you listen take notes to answer the questions.

1. What is Kyoto Protocol aimed at?

2. Did the USA sign the Kyoto Protocol agreement?

3. What was the initiative of American mayors across the country?

4. How many cities and towns in the USA joined this initiative?

5. What does “going green” mean?

6. What can be done at the local level?

7. What are the strong and weak points of green buildings and systems?

8. What rating system for making environmentally safe buildings is used?

9. What kind of ratings does the Energy Star program give?

5. Listen to the programme again and complete the chart.

COUNTRY/CITY	INITIATIVE	AIM/PURPOSE
	replacing building's tar roof with …………………………
	a program to make compost fertilizer out of dead leaves, plants and food waste
		to create energy
	using hydrogen-powered buses
..........., Greensburg
	a Climate Change Action Plan
		helps to reduce ...........................
	water heaters powered by .............
China	............... Dongtan
	the Masdar City project