Heads Up English | ESL Lessons

Save the Planet

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Details: Parent Category: Lower-Intermediate Skill Builders; Category: Lower-Intermediate Skill Builders: Listening; Written by Chris Cotter

More and more people all over the world realize that global warming is real and a serious problem. Almost everyone agrees that the Earth's climate has begun to change, as reported by scientists and experts in newspapers, TV programs, and magazines. The summers are hotter. The winters are warmer. As a result, glaciers have become smaller. If this continues, there could be water shortages in the future in Europe and the Americas. In addition, scientists believe deserts will grow much larger in some parts of the world, which means areas of Africa, China, and the Middle East will have little or no water to grow food. Storms will become worse too. Although we haven't seen many big changes yet, our children and our children's children could live in a very different world. They could face many problems in the future.

Governments around the world have taken action to fight pollution and global warming. Unfortunately, they need to do more. In addition, big countries like the US, China, and Russia continue to pollute heavily. All governments must take action with new laws to protect the environment. They must research and develop new technologies, such as wind and solar power. They must pollute less and reuse resources.

Individuals can take action now, though. Here's how:

Don't use plastic bags at the supermarket, especially if you use the bag only once and throw it away. Take a cloth bag that you can use again and again.
Take public transportation like trains and buses as much as possible. Even better, walk.
Use less water at home. For example, when you brush your teeth, turn off the water.
Turn off the lights, computer, TV, and so on when you're not using them. This will decrease your electricity consumption.
Recycle newspapers, aluminum cans, plastic bottles, and so on.
Organize or participate in a clean-up day in your neighborhood. Help clean the parks, beaches, and land in the area.

Take action and save the planet today!

Instructions:

Step 1: You will listen to an article about the environment. The article is a little more than four minutes long. Listen only, and don't worry about understanding everything.
Step 2: Read and understand the questions, then listen again. As you are listening, try to answer the questions in your head. Don't write the answers yet. Next, listen again and write the answers this time. Check your answers with a partner.
Step 3: Read the article. Check in your dictionary any unknown words. Now listen again. Can you understand more?
Step 4: Listen! Listen! Listen! Listen to the article on the train or in your free time. Each time you listen, you will slowly improve!