- •Part three
- •2. Write the word next to its definition. The sentences in the previous exercise will help you decide on the meaning of each word.
- •3. Using the answer line provided, complete each item below with the correct word from the box. Use each word once.
- •4. Summarize the issue presented in the text.
- •3.2 B. Listening and Watching
- •1. Check the statement that summarizes the commentator's viewpoint.
- •2. Read the following questions and answers. Listen to the commentary again and circle the best answer.
- •3. For discussion
- •3.2 C. Live and Let the Others Live
- •1. Read the article
- •Based on the article by Jon Bowermaster1
- •2. Find the words meaning the same in text.
- •3. Match the words that collocate.
- •4. Authors can have different viewpoints, but their opinions can sometimes be similar. Read the statements below and say whether Trefil and or Bowermaster would agree with them.
- •5. After you have distinguished the opinions of the commentator and the author, express your own opinions on the above statements.
- •3.2 D. Vocabulary in Focus
- •1. “All Creatures Great and Dying” is an allusion to Biblical all creatures great and small.
- •2. Match the following allusions with their meaning.
- •3. Replace the italicized words with one of the discussed allusions.
- •4. Use allusions from the list above no more than once in completing the sentences below.
- •5. Choose the word that best completes each of the sentences.
- •6. Explain the meaning of the following animal idioms and use them in the sentences, change the form if necessary.
- •3.2 E. Creative Consolidation
- •2. Complete the sentences with the terms from the previous exercise.
- •3.3 B Words in Context
- •1. Tick the word closest in meaning to that of the each boldfaced word. Use the context of the sentences to help you figure out each word’s meaning.
- •2. Write the word next to its definition. The sentences in the previous exercise will help you decide on the meaning of each word.
- •3. Using the answer line provided, complete each item below with the correct word from the box. Use each word once.
- •Indoor pollution
- •3.3 C. Economics and Ecology
- •1. Read the article.
- •2. Find the words in the article which mean the same.
- •2. Read the four questions below and answer them after listening to the first part of the interview.
- •3. Match the words from the second part of the interview with their explanations.
- •4. Listen to the second part of the interview about eco-efficiency label. And answer the questions below.
- •5. Discuss the following questions.
- •3.3 E. Vocabulary in Focus
- •1. Explain the meaning of the words and phrases in bold.
- •2. Make the sentences more formal using the words from the previous exercise instead of the underlined ones. Make any other necessary changes to produce a correct sentence.
- •3. Complete the sentences with the following expressions from the box.
- •4. What do the words in the bold mean? Match the words with their explanations. Answer the questions that follow.
- •5. Study the following expressions and match the two parts of the sentences containing these expressions.
- •6. Use the words in the box once each to complete the paragraph below.
- •3.3 F. Creative Consolidation
- •2. Write the word next to its definition. The sentences in the previous exercise will help you decide on the meaning of each word.
- •3. Using the answer line provided, complete each item below with the correct word from the box. Use each word once.
- •3.4 B. Strive to Thrive
- •1. Read the article.
- •In Time for a Divine Comedy4
- •2. Match the following words from the article with their explanation.
- •3. What evidence is there in the article for the following statements? If there is no evidence, decide what the article really says.
- •4. There are a number of questions or unfinished sentences below. Choose the best answer from a, b, c or d.
- •5. We can infer the writer's views on certain aspects of medieval and modern life by his choice or words.
- •6. Which of these statements would the writer agree with?
- •6. Find the following sentences in the article. What does each sentence comment on? Which sentences express approval and which express disapproval?
- •7. Discuss the following questions.
- •3.4 C. Listening and Watching
- •1. Say whether the statements are true or false, according to what Prof. Abrahams says.
- •2. Discuss the following questions:
- •3.4 D. Vocabulary in Focus
- •1. Complete the text with the words from the box.
- •2. Answer the following questions.
- •3. Guess the meaning of the following words and match them with their definitions.
- •4. Choose the three best answers to fill the gap in each sentence.
- •3.4 E. Creative Consolidation
- •2. Write the word next to its definition. The sentences in the previous exercise will help you decide on the meaning of each word.
- •3. Using the answer line provided, complete each item below with the correct word from the box. Use each word once.
- •3.5 B Genetic Engineering
- •1. Read the article.
- •2. Explain the meaning of the following expressions connected with genetic engineering.
- •3. Look at the title of the article and comment on the interplay of words.
- •4. Answer the following questions.
- •5. Discuss the following questions.
- •2. Revise the active vocabulary. Complete the text with the words from the boxes.
- •3.6 Reading Selection
- •Vocabulary
- •Divert – to change the direction or purpose of sth: diverted traffic; divert sth into; divert attention/criticism; divert people – entertain them; diverting (adj) – entertaining and amusing.
- •1. Find the words and expressions which mean the same.
- •2. Explain the meaning of the following expressions.
- •3. Answer the following questions.
- •4. For discussion
- •By Masha Gessen
- •Vocabulary
- •1. Find the words and expressions in the article which mean the same.
- •Vocabulary
- •1. Scan the text as quickly as possible to find where these ideas are mentioned. Read the article and decide whether the statements are true or false.
- •2. There are a number of questions or unfinished sentences below. Choose the best answer from a, b, c or d.
- •3. Scientific texts often look more complicated than they really are. Look at the article in this section again and note down any 'difficult' scientific words or expressions.
- •4. The opening sentence of the text suggests that there are other 'nightmare scenarios'. What scenarios is the writer probably referring to?
- •By Dick Thompson
- •Vocabulary
- •1. Find the words in the article which mean the same.
- •2. Explain the meaning of the following phrases.
- •3. Answer the following questions.
- •4. Comment on the title of the article summarizing the information provided by the writer.
- •5. For Discussion
- •By Joseph t.Straub and Raymond f.Attner
- •Voicing Concerns
- •Vocabulary
- •1. Find the words in the article which mean the same.
- •2. Explain the meaning of the following words and expressions.
- •3. Choose the most suitable answer.
- •4. Summarize the article.
- •5. For discussion
- •By Nancy Shute
- •Vocabulary
- •1. Find the words and expressions in the article meaning the same.
- •2. Explain the meaning of the following expressions.
- •3. Answer the following questions.
- •4. Comment on the title of the article summarizing the arguments provided by the writer.
- •5. For discussion
- •Vocabulary
- •2. According to the article, genetic engineering has already been used to modify the following foods:
- •3. Decide where the following sentences should go in the article.
- •4. What evidence is there in the article for the following statements?
- •5. Would you say the writer of this article has done the following?
- •6. Which arguments in the article do you sympathize with?
- •7. Write a short paragraph summarizing your views.
- •Vocabulary
- •Vocabulary
- •1. Find the equivalents in the article.
- •3.8 Panel Discussion
- •3.9 Creative Consolidation
- •1. Project-Making
3.6 Reading Selection
➢ Look through the articles and choose one for presentation. Find at least one more article on the same topic and make a synthetic review6.
■ 3.6 A. Dried Out
By Maryann Bird
Time, May 7, 2001
Water, not oil, is the most precious fluid in our lives, the substance from which all life on the earth has sprung and continues to depend. If we run short of oil and other fossil fuels, we can use alternative energy sources. If we have no clean, drinkable water, we are doomed. As the 6 billion passengers aboard Spaceship Earth enter a complex new century, few issues are as fundamental as water. We are falling far short of the most basic humanitarian goals: sufficient and affordable clean water, food and energy for everyone. “I cannot bear to watch the nations cry,” wrote Derek Walcott, the Carribbean-born Nobel laureate, whose poetry often reflects his African heritage. With regional disputes over water resources increasing, and people and ecosystems alike facing urgent, immense challenges, business as usual is not a viable option
On a planet that is 71% water, less than 3% of it is fresh. Most of that is either in the form of ice and snow in Greenland and Antarctica or in deep groundwater aquifers. And less than 1% of that water - .01% of all the earth’s water – is considered available for human needs; even then, much of it is far from large populations. At the dawn of the 21st century, more than 1 billion people do not have access to safe drinking water. Some 2.4 billion – 40% of the world’s population – lack adequate sanitation, and 3.4 million die each year from water-related diseases.
The global governmental neglect behind those numbers is “the most critical failure of the 20th century” and the major challenge for the 21st, contends Peter Gleick, one of the world’s leading experts on freshwater resources. “Governments, NGOs and local communities must address this problem first – as their top priority,” says Gleick, director of the California-based Pacific Institute for Studies in Development, Environment and Security. “There are many tools for doing so, and the economic costs are not high compared to the costs of failing to meet these needs.”
“We are facing a world water gap right now, this minute,” the World Commission on Water has warned, “and the crisis will only get worse. The consequences of failing to bridge the gap will be higher food prices and expensive food imports for water-scarce countries that are predominantly poor.” Hunger and thirst are also linked to political instability and low rates of economic growth.
Scientists, water professionals, environmental campaigners and others have warned for decades that a water crisis was building – alarm bells that rang on many a deaf governmental ear. The crisis is partly due to natural cycles of extreme weather and the expansion and contraction of arid regions. But human activity has been playing an ever-greater role in creating water scarcity and “water stress” – defined as the indication that there is not enough good-quality water to meet human and environmental needs. Like so much of the earth’s bounty, water is unevenly distributed. While people in some parts of the world pile up sandbags to control seasonal floods or struggle to dry out after severe storms, others either shrivel and die-like their crops and their livestock before them—or move on as environmental refugees. In Canada—which has about the same amount of water as China but less than 2.5% of its population—the resource has been labeled "blue gold." In parched Botswana, dominated by the Kalahari Desert, water is so precious that the national currency is called pula—"rain" in the Setswana language.
The planet is not actually running out of water, of course. But its people are having an increasingly difficult time managing, allocating and protecting the water that exists. In some areas the hydrological cycle—by which the fresh water of rain and snow eventually evaporates, condenses in clouds and falls again—may be taking longer to complete as humans use water faster than nature can renew it. As governments, international agencies and local officials grapple with the situation, research findings and conflicts over water rights illustrate the immensity of the task. For example:
•The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that 792 million people in 98 developing nations still are not getting sufficient food to lead normal, healthy lives. Even in the industrialized world and in post-Soviet "countries in transition," 34 million people remain undernourished. In the Commonwealth of Independent States, the prevalence of undernourishment is greatest in Tajikistan, Azerbaijan, Georgia and Armenia, while in Central Europe, Bulgaria is considered the worst case. In the Middle East and North Africa, Yemen, Morocco and Iraq are among the worst off.
• Asia and the Pacific have more chronically hungry people than elsewhere, says the fao, but the "depth of hunger"—a calculation based on what energy they get from their food and the minimum energy needed to maintain body weight—is greatest in sub-Saharan Africa, home to some of the world's poorest countries. There, some 186 million people—more than a third of the population—are considered undernourished.
• In many sub-Saharan countries, according to a report by the World Water Council, the average per capita water-use rates are 10 to 20 liters a day, which it calls "undesirably low." By contrast, per capita residential use in Europe runs as high as about 200 liters. Beset by agricultural failure, fragile ecosystems, erratic weather, war and other factors, 18 sub-Saharan countries face the severest problems in feeding their people, says the fao.
• Disputes over water—including threats of "water wars"—bubble in areas where rainfall is sparse. Ignoring Israeli opposition, Lebanon began pumping water in late March from the Hasbani River, which flows into the Jordan. The village of Wazzani, which had been without water during two decades of Israeli occupation, views access to the river as a matter of simple rights as well as a symbol of sovereignty. Other current disputes involve Turkey, Syria and Iraq (the Euphrates); Israel and Syria (the Sea of Galilee); Israel, Jordan and the Palestinian Authority (the Jordan); Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia and others (the Nile); Senegal and Mauritania (the Senegal); and Iran and Afghanistan (the Helmand).
• In some places, water that is shared by nations has been poisoned—sometimes accidentally, as in Romanian cyanide spill in the Tisza and Danube Rivers, and sometimes naturally, as in arsenic poisoning of groundwater in India and Bangladesh. More than 200 river basins are shared, and about half of them are in Europe and Africa, according to the Pacific Institute. Nineteen basins are shared by more than five political entities, led by the Danube with 17.
As a 21st century issue, freshwater scarcity was ranked second only to global warming in an International Council for Science survey of environmental experts in more than 50 countries. Next on the list were the related topics of desertification and deforestation. Desertification is a feature of every continent, and it seriously threatens the livelihoods of more than 1.2 billion people in more than 110 countries. Stemming from a variety of factors—including climactic variations, overgrazing of livestock, tilling land unsuitable for agriculture and chopping trees for firewood—desertification has made its greatest impact in Africa. The continent is two-thirds desert or fragile dry land, and nearly three-quarters of its extensive agricultural dry lands are degraded to some degree.
"There is a great deal of natural rhythm in all of these shifts," says Vaclav Smil, professor of geography at Canada's University of Manitoba and an expert on environmental and energy matters. But he says' better farming practices can help: "recycling crop residues, planting leguminous cover crops [plants with seeds in pods], planting trees everywhere." Smil also believes that even the poorest people should be charged for their water—"as much as they can bear"—to help ensure both efficient use and quality systems. "Otherwise they will waste as much as anybody else."
While much of the focus is on Africa, developed but semiarid European countries along the northern Mediterranean also are suffering from desertification and deforestation. Much of the soil of Greece, Italy, Spain and Portugal has become saline and sterile as a result of fire, drought, floods, overgrazing, overfilling and other factors. Such degradation can be irreversible. As industry, tourism and farming place greater stress on coastal areas in particular—and groundwater levels decline— "water wars" are becoming internal. Hundreds of thousands of Spaniards recently took to the streets of Madrid and Barcelona to protest government plans to divert the country's largest river, the Ebro, to supply water to the southeast. Marcelino Iglesias, president of the regional government in northeastern Aragon, through which the Ebro flows, has denounced the plan as "aiming at an absolutely unsustainable model of development... while consolidating a second-class Spain in the interior."
Indeed, dams and irrigation are two of the most controversial aspects of the global water debate and are being examined ever more critically. The final report of the World Commission on Dams concluded that while dams have delivered significant benefits, the price paid—in cost, environmental impact and displacement of people—has in many cases been unacceptable and often unnecessary. The report found "far greater scope" for alternatives to dams in meeting water, food and energy needs. "We excluded only one development option—inaction," says the commission chairman, Kader Asmal, a former South African Minister of Water Affairs.
"We must rethink water management," says Gleick. "We no longer live in an era, or a world, in which rivers can be endlessly dammed, aquifers relentlessly pumped, ecosystems degraded and impoverished ... We have to focus on how we use water. That's where new water will be 'found.'"
As the world begins to address the situation more seriously, a range of proposals, old and new, are coming to the fore. They include: reducing waste in irrigation (providing more drip to the drop); desalinating (where energy sources and funds permit, as in Saudi Arabia); recycling; making appropriate local choices of crops and grain-fed animals (growing corn rather than wheat in areas where water is not plentiful, raising chickens rather than pigs); employing low-cost chlorination and solar disinfectant techniques; increasing water "harvesting"—from sources like rain and fog—for agricultural use, particularly at village level; and transportation of potable water in giant polyurethane bags to dry areas (as has been done in Cyprus and the Greek islands for years).
Access to adequate, unpolluted water is increasingly being viewed in development circles as a basic human right, something that governments must ensure. As Mary Robinson, the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, told the dam commission: "In an age of globalization, greater efforts can and must be made to reconcile the need for economic growth with the need to protect the dignity of individuals, the cultural heritage of communities and the health of the environment we all share." For billions of people, that—like water itself—is a matter of life and death.