Engels
English vocabulary in use
24. Environmental problems
A. The problems and their causes
Globalisation Increasing business, cultural, and other
contacts between countries
Acid rain Rain which contains harmful chemicals as a
result of burning substances such as oil and
coal
Global warming Rise in the world’s temperature
Air pollution Damage caused to the air by harmful
substances or waste
Hazardous Dangerous
Waste, ozone depletion Reduction in the ozone layer
Smog Air pollution found in cities causes by a
mixture of smoke, gases and chemicals
Rainforest destruction Destroying forest in a tropical area which
receives a lot of rain
Gases Substance in a form that is neither solid nor
liquid
Atmosphere The mixture of gases around the Earth
Polar ice caps Ice covering the arreas at the North and
South Poles
Species Types
Endangered Very few in number, at risk of became
extinct
Extinct Not existing any longer
C. Word families
Noun Verb Adjective Adverb
Globalisation Globalise Global Globally
Environment/environmentalist Environmental Environmentally
Pollution/pollutant Pollute Polluting
Destruction Destroy Destructive Destructively
Disposal Dispose Disposable
Reduction Reduce Reduced
Exercises
24.1
1. What happened to dinosaurs about 65 million years ago? They became extinct.
2. What is the name for a special layer in the Earth’s atmosphere which helps
protect our planet? The ozone layer
3. What word can be used to describe the increasing contact between countries
that has a major impact on life today? Globalisation
4. What causes problems because it is difficult to dispose of safely? Hazardous
waste
, 5. What have scientists shown to me melting worrying fast at the North and South
Poles? The polar ice caps
6. What does the chemical symbol CO2 represent? Carbon dioxide
7. What has been happening in the Amazon area and in other tropical areas like
Indonesia and Malaysia? Destruction of the rainforests
8. What problem is a type of air pollution? Smog
9. What can cause harm to plant or other life when it falls on the land or sea? Acid
rain
10. What is the Siberian tiger an example of? An endangered species
11. What has caused much plant and animal life in rivers in industrial areas to die
out? Water pollution
12. What is the term for the phenomenon describing the rise in the Earth’s average
temperature? Global warming
24.3
1. An environmentalist is a person who does what they can to help protect the
environment.
2. Disposable items like plastic cups and paper plates are labour-saving but have a
harmful effect on the environment.
3. The government says it is aiming for a significant reduction in this country’s use of
fossil fuels over the next ten years.
4. The company plans to destroy part of a nature reserve in order to build its new
warehouses.
5. Carbon monoxide (CO) is an example of an air pollutant.
6. The melting ice caps will have a global impact on the environment.
7. Staff can dispose of all recyclable items in these green bins.
8. Air pollution may endanger the lives of people with respiratory illness.
9. This company is proud of its environmentally friendly policies.
25. Towns
B. Facilities
Sports: swimming pool, sports centre, golf course, tennis courts, football pitch, skating rink
Culture: theatre, opera house, concert hall, radio station, art gallery
Education: school, college, university, library, adult education centre, museum
Catering, accommodation and night-life: restaurant, take-away, hotel, B1B, youth house,
club
Transport: bus service, taxi rank, car hire, car park, parking meters
Other: health centre, law courts, registry office, citizens’ advice bureau, job centre,
department store, chemist’s, garden centre, police station, Town/City Hall, estate agent,
housing estate, industrial estate
C. problems in cities
Problem Effect Cause
Traffic jams Traffic very slow; commuters Too much traffic, especially
get very stressed in the rush hour
Slums Housing in a bad condition Poverty – people don’t have
money to spend on housing
Vandalism Pointless destruction of Poverty; lack of hope
property
Overcrowding Difficult living conditions Too many people living in
, one place
Pollution Deterioration Traffic and industrial
D. Adjectives to describe a city
Picturesque: very pretty and attractive
Historic, spacious: with plenty of space
Elegant, magnificent, lively, deserted: no one on the streets, e.g. at night
Bustling: with lots of movement
Packed: very crowded
Filthy: very dirty
Run-down: in a very bad condition
Exercises
25.1
1. Where is Cork? Cork is in the south of the Republic of Ireland.
2. Where is the shopping and business centre of Cork? It lies on a island between
two channels of the River Lee.
3. What is Cork’s traffic system like? It has a very complex one-way traffic system.
Moreover, its buses are extremely crowded.
4. What is special about the site of St Anne’s Church? St Anne’s Church was built
on a site where another church stood previously. That church was destroyed during a
siege of the city.
5. In what style is the architecture of Cork Cathedral? In the French Gothic style.
6. Can you buy souvenirs at the markets? Probably not as they do not cater
specifically for tourists.
7. Why is the Crawford Gallery worth visiting? The Crawford Gallery is worth visiting
because it regularly puts on interesting exhibitions of modern art.
8. Where do Cork people live? Well-off people live in fashionable residential areas
overlooking the harbour, while others live in suburbs on the edge of the city.
25.4
1. History/science/folk museum
2. Leisure/shopping/city centre
3. Art/music/community college
4. Basketball/squash/royal court
5. Night/tennis/social club
6. Employment/accommodation/press agency
25.5
1. Dance? a club
2. Play tennis? Tennis court/sports centre
3. Find a taxi? Taxi rank
4. Get married? Registry office
5. Buy a house? Estate agent
6. See an exhibition? Art gallery
7. Borrow a book? library
English vocabulary in use
24. Environmental problems
A. The problems and their causes
Globalisation Increasing business, cultural, and other
contacts between countries
Acid rain Rain which contains harmful chemicals as a
result of burning substances such as oil and
coal
Global warming Rise in the world’s temperature
Air pollution Damage caused to the air by harmful
substances or waste
Hazardous Dangerous
Waste, ozone depletion Reduction in the ozone layer
Smog Air pollution found in cities causes by a
mixture of smoke, gases and chemicals
Rainforest destruction Destroying forest in a tropical area which
receives a lot of rain
Gases Substance in a form that is neither solid nor
liquid
Atmosphere The mixture of gases around the Earth
Polar ice caps Ice covering the arreas at the North and
South Poles
Species Types
Endangered Very few in number, at risk of became
extinct
Extinct Not existing any longer
C. Word families
Noun Verb Adjective Adverb
Globalisation Globalise Global Globally
Environment/environmentalist Environmental Environmentally
Pollution/pollutant Pollute Polluting
Destruction Destroy Destructive Destructively
Disposal Dispose Disposable
Reduction Reduce Reduced
Exercises
24.1
1. What happened to dinosaurs about 65 million years ago? They became extinct.
2. What is the name for a special layer in the Earth’s atmosphere which helps
protect our planet? The ozone layer
3. What word can be used to describe the increasing contact between countries
that has a major impact on life today? Globalisation
4. What causes problems because it is difficult to dispose of safely? Hazardous
waste
, 5. What have scientists shown to me melting worrying fast at the North and South
Poles? The polar ice caps
6. What does the chemical symbol CO2 represent? Carbon dioxide
7. What has been happening in the Amazon area and in other tropical areas like
Indonesia and Malaysia? Destruction of the rainforests
8. What problem is a type of air pollution? Smog
9. What can cause harm to plant or other life when it falls on the land or sea? Acid
rain
10. What is the Siberian tiger an example of? An endangered species
11. What has caused much plant and animal life in rivers in industrial areas to die
out? Water pollution
12. What is the term for the phenomenon describing the rise in the Earth’s average
temperature? Global warming
24.3
1. An environmentalist is a person who does what they can to help protect the
environment.
2. Disposable items like plastic cups and paper plates are labour-saving but have a
harmful effect on the environment.
3. The government says it is aiming for a significant reduction in this country’s use of
fossil fuels over the next ten years.
4. The company plans to destroy part of a nature reserve in order to build its new
warehouses.
5. Carbon monoxide (CO) is an example of an air pollutant.
6. The melting ice caps will have a global impact on the environment.
7. Staff can dispose of all recyclable items in these green bins.
8. Air pollution may endanger the lives of people with respiratory illness.
9. This company is proud of its environmentally friendly policies.
25. Towns
B. Facilities
Sports: swimming pool, sports centre, golf course, tennis courts, football pitch, skating rink
Culture: theatre, opera house, concert hall, radio station, art gallery
Education: school, college, university, library, adult education centre, museum
Catering, accommodation and night-life: restaurant, take-away, hotel, B1B, youth house,
club
Transport: bus service, taxi rank, car hire, car park, parking meters
Other: health centre, law courts, registry office, citizens’ advice bureau, job centre,
department store, chemist’s, garden centre, police station, Town/City Hall, estate agent,
housing estate, industrial estate
C. problems in cities
Problem Effect Cause
Traffic jams Traffic very slow; commuters Too much traffic, especially
get very stressed in the rush hour
Slums Housing in a bad condition Poverty – people don’t have
money to spend on housing
Vandalism Pointless destruction of Poverty; lack of hope
property
Overcrowding Difficult living conditions Too many people living in
, one place
Pollution Deterioration Traffic and industrial
D. Adjectives to describe a city
Picturesque: very pretty and attractive
Historic, spacious: with plenty of space
Elegant, magnificent, lively, deserted: no one on the streets, e.g. at night
Bustling: with lots of movement
Packed: very crowded
Filthy: very dirty
Run-down: in a very bad condition
Exercises
25.1
1. Where is Cork? Cork is in the south of the Republic of Ireland.
2. Where is the shopping and business centre of Cork? It lies on a island between
two channels of the River Lee.
3. What is Cork’s traffic system like? It has a very complex one-way traffic system.
Moreover, its buses are extremely crowded.
4. What is special about the site of St Anne’s Church? St Anne’s Church was built
on a site where another church stood previously. That church was destroyed during a
siege of the city.
5. In what style is the architecture of Cork Cathedral? In the French Gothic style.
6. Can you buy souvenirs at the markets? Probably not as they do not cater
specifically for tourists.
7. Why is the Crawford Gallery worth visiting? The Crawford Gallery is worth visiting
because it regularly puts on interesting exhibitions of modern art.
8. Where do Cork people live? Well-off people live in fashionable residential areas
overlooking the harbour, while others live in suburbs on the edge of the city.
25.4
1. History/science/folk museum
2. Leisure/shopping/city centre
3. Art/music/community college
4. Basketball/squash/royal court
5. Night/tennis/social club
6. Employment/accommodation/press agency
25.5
1. Dance? a club
2. Play tennis? Tennis court/sports centre
3. Find a taxi? Taxi rank
4. Get married? Registry office
5. Buy a house? Estate agent
6. See an exhibition? Art gallery
7. Borrow a book? library
