11th grade. Unit 3. Lesson 1. The Interview with Bill McKibben (New Book)

Look through the excerpts from the interview. Fill in the missing words. A. People are becoming more aware that their activities can seriously damage the [blank_start]planet[blank_end] and the animals and plants on it. B. – What environmental [blank_start]issues[blank_end] are most important today? – There are many of them and they’re all interdependent. C. However, it is widely recognized that [blank_start]waste[blank_end] materials are a valuable resource, too. An English proverb says “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” D. Forests are being destroyed at the rate of 40 hectares a minute! Deforestation destroys the environmental [blank_start]balance[blank_end] and reduces biodiversity. E. Talking about biodiversity, more and more animals and plant [blank_start]species[blank_end] are becoming extinct. F. Biodiversity is a term which describes how rich the Earth is in the [blank_start]amount[blank_end] of species.

Complete the definitions with the following words: 1. The degree of variation of animal and plant species on Earth is called [blank_start]biodiversity[blank_end]. 2. If an animal no longer lives on Earth, it becomes [blank_start]extinct[blank_end] . 3. Dependent on each other means [blank_start]interdependent[blank_end] . 4. The cutting down of trees in a large area or the destruction of forests by people is [blank_start]deforestation[blank_end]. 5. To be [blank_start]aware[blank_end] means to know that something exists, or to have knowledge or experience of a particular thing. 6. If something is helpful and important, it can be called [blank_start]valuable[blank_end]. 7. A group of animals or plants in which the members have similar characteristics is called [blank_start]species[blank_end] . 8. [blank_start]Issues[blank_end] are some problems people are thinking about.

Complete the summary of the interview using the new vocabulary of the lesson. People’s activities have made a huge impact on the [blank_start]environment[blank_end] , but unfortunately, most people are not fully [blank_start]aware[blank_end] of the damage they have done to the planet. Environmentalists assess this damage and give advice on how to compensate for what has been done. There are many environmental issues, which are important today and they are all [blank_start]interdependent[blank_end] . The most dramatic of them are [blank_start]climate[blank_end] [blank_start]change[blank_end], [blank_start]pollution[blank_end], [blank_start]nuclear[blank_end] issues, the issue of [blank_start]waste[blank_end], [blank_start]resource[blank_end] [blank_start]depletion[blank_end] which includes deforestation and [blank_start]biodiversity[blank_end] which is closely connected with animal and plant species becoming [blank_start]extinct[blank_end] and the problem of preserving [blank_start]endangered[blank_end] [blank_start]species[blank_end] on the planet.

Match the words in two columns to make word combinations from the interview. 1. big [blank_start]impact[blank_end] 2. seriously [blank_start]damage[blank_end] 3. interdependent [blank_start]issues[blank_end] 4. extreme [blank_start]conditions[blank_end] 5. threatening [blank_start]change[blank_end] 6. noise [blank_start]pollution[blank_end] 7. hazardous [blank_start]plants[blank_end] 8. nuclear [blank_start]waste[blank_end] 9. valuable [blank_start]resource[blank_end] 10. tropical [blank_start]areas[blank_end] 11. [blank_start]environmental[blank_end] issues 12. endangered [blank_start]species[blank_end]