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SA4BP_2AB1 Angličtina pro sociální asistenty B
Topic 7
Current issues in the world
Part 1
Look at the pictures which illustrate various 21st century problems and ……
A
C
E
B
D
F
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SA4BP_2AB1 Angličtina pro sociální asistenty B
……… match them with an appropriate sentence.
1 Poverty is a problem in all parts of the world.
2 Air pollution has reached danger levels in some countries.
3 Unemployment is hitting some industrialized countries badly.
4 Wildlife is under threat from human activity.
5 Green belt areas are being destroyed at an alarming rate.
6 Cars are bringing the big cities of the world to a standstill.
Discussion
 Are the problems shown in the photos mainly economic, political, social or environmental?
 In your opinion, which is the most serious problem shown here? What would you do to help solve
the problem if you were in a position of power?
 Can you think of any other serious 21st century problems which should be added to this list?
Various websites where the above pictures are taken from:
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http://www.propertyinvesting.net/cgi-script/csNews/image_upload/specialreports_2edb.poverty_map_world.gif
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-492266/National-Trust-blasted-hypocrisy-selling-green-belt-housingdevelopers.html
advocacy.britannica.com/.../
One of the current issues we should be concerned about is climate change.
Read more about what is happening.
A Read the article below quickly (skim it) and answer the questions:
Can scientists draw any conclusion about the problem of climate change?
Is the change happening in the same way around the world?
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SA4BP_2AB1 Angličtina pro sociální asistenty B
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1 Climate change, global warming, the greenhouse effect ... these days nobody denies that there is something
strange and worrying happening to the atmosphere. But for the second year running scientists are puzzled by the
rise in carbon dioxide in the atmosphere. They are afraid that the world may be a short way from what they refer
to as runaway global warming.
2 At Mauna Loa Observatory in Hawaii, meteorologists have been carefully monitoring the amount of carbon
dioxide in the Earth’s atmosphere for the past fifty years. Until recently here has been a gradual increase of
around 1.5 parts per million (ppm). Scientists began to feel anxious in 2002 when the figure rose to 2.08 ppm.
Their fears heightened the following year when they registered an increase of 2.54 ppm.
3 This is not the first time that the carbon dioxide count has gone off course. Natural events - such as when the
Pacific warms up during hurricanes – have explained away other changes in CO2 levels.
4 Climate analysts feel that it is too soon to draw conclusions about the phenomenon although some are
concerned that the carbon dioxide emissions are getting out of control. They are starting to think that instead of
having decades to find a solution to the problem, we might have only a few years. Some believe that the Earth’s
natural systems for absorbing the gas are breaking down resulting in the runaway greenhouse effect. This is
something that could happen if the Earth’s temperatures rose to such a degree that the planet was unable to
contain the heat.
5 One interesting aspect of this climate change is that it is not happening in a uniform way around the World.
Carbon dioxide levels in the South Pole are noticeably lower. This suggests that something has happened in the
northern hemisphere which set off the rise. Forest fires might hold the answer to the puzzle, along with a couple
of very hot summers in Europe. Vegetation would have died off and more carbon would have been released from
the soil into the atmosphere.
6 The 2003 heat wave was certainly out of the ordinary. Statistics claim that more than 30,000 people lost their
lives as a direct result of the high temperatures. Scientists are being cautious in their interpretations. Most feel
that it is too soon to say that a new trend has been set. All agree that the phenomenon needs to be closely
observed.
In each paragraph you can see one highlighted expression. Check if you understand them.
Read the text again and match the headlines below with the appropriate paragraphs.
a) North and South Differences
b) A Puzzle
c) Time is Running Out
d) Laws of Nature
e) Increase in Growth Rate
f) Keeping a Close Eye on Things
Taken and adapted from:
http://www.britishcouncil.org/learnenglish-central-links-homepage.htm
SA4BP_2AB1 Angličtina pro sociální asistenty B
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Practice
1 Complete each sentence with a word from the list. Use each word only once.
conservation, disaster, earthquake, famine, floods, invasion, rubbish, slums
1 Food rations are sent to regions in Africa suffering from __________ .
2 Many Australian Aborigines live in overcrowded __________ on the edge of the city.
3 Thousands of buildings collapsed down during a severe __________ .
4 The __________ of Timor (Indonesia) was condemned by the United Nations in 1999.
5 The eruption of the volcano was a terrible __________ .
6 Hundreds of people were drowned during the __________ in China.
7 Large cities face the problem of household __________ disposal.
8 The act of protecting animals or parts of the environment is called __________ .
2 Replace the words highlighted in each sentence with a word or phrase from the list.
banned, collapsed, flooded, ignored, increase, overpopulated, polluted, prevent, protected,
unemployed
1 Our local lake has been dirtied by nearby factories.
2 Many kinds of wild animals need to be guarded by the law.
3 A lot of people in industrial areas are jobless at the moment.
4 The bus driver couldn’t avoid the accident.
5 There has been another growth in the amount of crime.
6 A problem that is not thought about does not simply go away.
7 Many people died and were injured when the Twin Towers in New York fell down.
8 Some countries are inhabited by too many people.
9 After the recent storms, the town was filled with water.
10 Smoking has been made illegal in public places in some countries.
3 Fill each gap in the following text with an appropriate word. There is one extra word in the list.
carbon, draw, gas, happening, heat, in, rose, solution, some, south, starting, this, warm
Climate analysts feel that it is too soon to ............ conclusions about the phenomenon although some are
concerned that the ............ dioxide emissions are getting out of control. They are ............ to think that instead of
having decades to find a ............ to the problem, we might have only a few years. ............ believe that the Earth’s
natural systems for absorbing the ............ are breaking down resulting in the runaway greenhouse effect. ............
is something that could happen if the Earth’s temperatures ............ to such a degree that the planet was unable to
contain the ............ . One interesting aspect of this climate change is that it is not ............ in a uniform way around
the World. Carbon dioxide levels in the ............ Pole are noticeably lower. This suggests that something has
happened ............ the northern hemisphere which set off the rise.
SA4BP_2AB1 Angličtina pro sociální asistenty B
!!! Your task for the 10th week !!!
Current issues in the world – instructions
Think of any serious issue/problem in the world. It can be a social, economical, political,
environmental matter.
 Try to be specific, e.g. “pollution” is quite general, focus on land pollution which is more precise.
 Find a short English article/ a text in a magazine, newspapers, on the web.
 Read it, write out key words and add your summary + opinion.
 Bring it to English lessons. You will speak about the issue (max.3 minutes) and discuss various
world-wide problems with your schoolmates in pairs or groups.
Additional activities
Describe the picture, think of the man – how, where can he live?
Then you can read the article in the website
www.solarnavigator.net/poverty.htm
An excellent article about consumer society and various activities
http://learnenglish.britishcouncil.org/en/magazine/consumer-society
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