What can we do to avert climate change?
https://video.ens-lyon.fr/eduscol-cdl/2011/ANG_2011_EPA.mp4
General comprehension
1) Judging from this video, what type of association is the EPA? What do you think those three letters stand for?
2) What is the main topic here?
- pollution and its impact on the planet
- new sources of energy and how they work
- climate change, its causes, its consequences and possible solutions
Detailed Comprehension
Part 1
1) Complete the following sentence to understand the notion of greenhouse effect:
the ........ gets ....... from the ......., and the ...................., greenhouse ........, like ............. .............. ......... this heat and keep it from ................ back to .................... .
2) Say whether those statements are true or false; justify your answer by quoting from the video.
a) The issue of climate change is a new topic.
b) The heat that is trapped by the atmosphere only has negative effects on the earth.
c) Today, people produce too much carbon dioxyde, which produces more heat.
d) As a result, the earth is getting colder.
e) Climate change is visible in different ways.
3) Describe in what way people are adding extra carbon dioxyde to the atmosphere today. (Complete your answer with a few other examples that come to your mind)
Part 2
1) List the 6 signs of climate change that are described in the video.
2) Listen to the following extract and fill in the blanks (1'25 - 1'53):
If the planet keeps getting ........, we can ......... more ............. ........... and more ............, .........., and ...... ..........; and these changes could cause additional problems, like the ........ of certain ............., more ....... ........ and ....... and ....... ............. Climate change could put entire ....-.............. like ......... ....... in danger and many ............ and ............... could become ............
Part 3
1) We are provided with a series of advice to improve the situation; say whether the following propositions are right or wrong and justify by quoting from the video.
- We need to produce more carbon dioxide
- We need to resort to solar panels and wind mills instead of using fossil fuels
- We need to use our cars more often
- We must choose cars that consume more –
2) and you can do your part. Who does you refer to? What are the other pieces of advice that are given? Are they adapted to the population which is aimed at? Justify.
Going further
Comment on the making up of this video and the balance between the script, the images and the music.
Phonetics: pronunciation of the letter <a>
1) Observe the pronunciation of the letter <a>: climate, about, extra, around, temperatures, shortages, coral, solar.
Listen to the stress-pattern of those words and draw your conclusion:
- the vowel <a> is pronounced ........ when it is placed in an un........... syllable, whether final or not.
2) Focus on this list of words and draw a conclusion concerning the pronunciation of the letter <a>: atmosphere, planet, ad(ding), trap(ping), matter, action, practical, back
- the vowel <a> is pronounced .... when it is stressed and followed by ......... ........................
3) Focus on the following words (and their stress-pattern) and draw your conclusion: making, places, waves, take, generate, escaping, space
- the vowel <a> is pronounced .... when it is ......... and when it is followed by a ................. and ......
Learn more about the EPA
Pour citer cette ressource :
What can we do to avert climate change?, La Clé des Langues [en ligne], Lyon, ENS de LYON/DGESCO (ISSN 2107-7029), septembre 2011. Consulté le 20/11/2024. URL: https://cle.ens-lyon.fr/anglais/se-former/workbook/environmental-issues-degrowth-and-progress/what-can-we-do-to-avert-climate-change-