Practice

1. Join the sentences with who/that, which/that, whose or where. Which of the sentences are defining (D) or non-defining (N)? In which sentences can which/that be omitted?

Example: She suggested an idea. It was interesting.

The idea (which/that) she suggested was interesting. (N)

1. Ferdinand Magellan was a maritime explorer. He attempted to find a westward route to the Spice Islands of Indonesia.

2. Vehicle exhausts contain NOx (nitrogen oxides), hydrocarbons and other chemicals. They are hazardous to health and the environment.

3. Acid rain assaults buildings and water pipes with corrosion. It costs millions of dollars every year.

4. The ancient Romans built their famous aqueducts to take the waste out of the city. They understood the connection between sewage and disease.

5. I have heard about one city in Europe. People plant a lot of trees there.

6. People destroy the habitats of animals. Animals become extinct.

7. He keeps telling me things. I already know them.

8. My friend’s job is landscaping. He enjoys gardening, planting new trees and doing all kinds of things to help the environment.

9. We lived very close to a large park. I usually spent hours playing in the ponds and streams, collecting fishes and insects.

10. The atmosphere is the layer of gas. It surrounds the earth.

2. Put in which, what or that.

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

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

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

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

4. Even with just an A-level in Biology I could understand ……… they were doing and it was fascinating.

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

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

7. She joined a Girl Scout team, surprised us all.

8. 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

1. Work with a partner. Brainstorm as many environmental problems typical for big cities as you can. Compare your ideas with your fellow students’.

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

2. You are going to listen to an environmentalist talking to the students about the pollution of the environment. The words below are all to do with different types of litter. Explain the difference in their meaning. Consult the dictionary if necessary.

litter trash garbage debris waste rubbish

What do you think the sources of pollution are? Which of them are most offensive and least offensive?

3. Listen to the talk and answer the questions:

1. What kind of pollution is the main focus of the talk?

2. Why aquatic pollution is such a serious environmental problem?

3. What types of pollution does the environmentalist mention?

4. What are the main sources of water pollution?

5. Why plastic litter is so harmful?

6. Why entanglement and indigestion are the two major problems for the wildlife in waterways?

7. How does debris contaminate water?

8. What is the purpose of the talk?