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Speaking English Course B
Lesson B2

Society and the Environment

Click and listen to each sentence as many times as you like

Say each sentence as many times as you like

Practise saying each sentence until it sounds right

PRACTICE MAKES PERFECT

     Match up the words below with their correct meaning

Word	Meaning
Environment	To stay alive.
Species	When a species dies out / no longer exists.
To be extinct / extinction	The world around us - land, sea and air.
To survive / survival	One type of animal or plant (e.g. humans).
Click 'Answers' to see if you were right!

   An Interview about whales and dolphins

Interviewer:	Hello Dr. Logan. So, how many different types of whale are there?
Dr. Logan:	Well, there are twelve species of 'great whale', including the Blue Whales, Sperm Whales, Grey Whales, Fin Whales, Humpback Whales and Right Whales.
Interviewer:	You mentioned Right Whales- that's a strange name. Why are they called Right Whales?
Dr. Logan:	Well, whale hunters often preferred to hunt these whales, because they gave high yields of oil and were relatively easy to hunt, so they were the "right" whale to go for.
Interviewer:	I see. This might sound stupid, but I'm not exactly sure what type of animal whales are!
Dr. Logan:	Yes, many people think whales are a type of big fish - but in fact, they're mammals, like us! They give birth to live baby whales, and the mothers produce milk, so that they can suckle their young. Whales form close knit family ties, and often help to look after each other. Scientists who have looked at fossils and the bodies of whales today, believe that whales actually evolved from dog-like mammals, which gradually returned from the land to the sea!
Interviewer:	Wow, mammals! So, how well are whales surviving these days?
Dr. Logan:	Well, sadly, commercial whale hunters have really reduced the numbers of lots of whale species. When the populations of one species were reduced to very low numbers, hunters turned to other species, so one by one the great whale numbers fell. In the 1980s laws were brought in to pause commercial hunting of all species, in the hope that the whales would recover. Fortunately, several of these whales are beginning to show signs of increase.
Interviewer:	So will whales ever be hunted again?
Dr. Logan:	Well actually, some countries still hunt whales. They say the whales are hunted for scientific research, but they still sell whale meat and blubber as a delicacy. Other scientists are concerned with these hunts, because they believe whale numbers may still be too low to risk reducing the populations even more.
Interviewer:	But don't some communities need to hunt whales for their own survival?
Dr. Logan:	Of course. The limits on commercial whaling don't apply to the human communities who really do depend on the whales.
Interviewer:	But does it really matter if whales become extinct anyway?
Dr. Logan:	Well, there are different reasons why it is important to prevent their extinction. Whales play an important role in the marine ecosystem, feeding on plankton, fish or squid and other creatures feed on the whales themselves. If a whale species disappears, then it can play havoc with nature's balance, having bad effects on other marine plant and animal life. This is bad for the sea-life itself, but could also be bad for humans who depend on a healthy marine system for food. Also - don't you think it would be a tragic loss if such amazing and intelligent animals were to disappear from the face of the earth?
Interviewer:	Yes, I couldn't agree more. Thank you.

   Pronunciation: 'conversation words'

	Listen again to these words from the interview that we use when we are talking with someone. Repeat them until they sound right.
		I see!
		Wow!
		Of course.
		Well,
		Hello,
		Thank you.

How many different types of whale are there?

Why are they called Right Whales?

How well are whales surviving these days?

Will whales ever be hunted again?

Don't some communities need to hunt for their own survival?

Does it really matter if whales become extinct anyway?    

We can make questions by using a 'wh' word and a verb:

Who / when / what / why + verb (ARE or DO / can / might / would / could / will)

For example:

How many different types of whale are there?
Why are they called Right Whales?
How well are whales surviving these days?

Or

We can make a question by using only verbs: Do / are / can / will / would / could + main verb

For example:

Will whales ever be hunted again?
Don't some communities need to hunt for their own survival?
Does it really matter if whales become extinct anyway?   

      Grammar revision: indirect questions.

We can also make questions by starting with a phrase, such as:

I wonder if . . .
Do you suppose . . . + subject + verb
I was going to ask you if . .
I don't suppose

For example:

I wonder if people will ever hunt whales again?
Do you suppose dolphins will ever become extinct?    

Species Extinction - a cause for concern ?

We often hear about endangered species, like gorillas, pandas, parrots and mahogany trees. But how many species are in danger of extinction?

Some people argue that there is no cause for concern. They say "Extinction is the fate of all species". If that were true, there would not be around 14 million species alive today. Most species do not become extinct, but instead, they evolve into new species. Only 1.75 million species alive today have been named by science, the rest are waiting in forests, oceans or other habitats, to be identified. Many have become extinct before they have even been recognized !

The greatest diversity of advanced animals and plants existed 30,000 years ago. Since then diversity of life has been declining as the human population has grown. Many species, such as giant land tortoises and lemurs, and many species of flightless birds, have disappeared due to over-hunting and the introduction of species such as cats, rats or goats. Many other species have become extinct and are currently threatened by deforestation, over-hunting and introduced species.

To understand the present day extinction rates we need to know what the 'normal' or 'background' rate of extinction is. Fossils show us that the 'background' rate is 0.025% per century. Since the year 1600 (when records began) at least 1000 animal and plant species have become extinct. Roughly half of these extinctions took place in the 20th century. This is an underestimate, because most living species (about 90%) have not yet been described by science, so many unknown species must have also been lost.

Even if the current rate of extinction was only twice as much as the 'normal' rate, we would have great cause for concern, but in fact calculations show that the current rate of extinction is between 30 and 1,000 times higher than the natural 'background rate' of extinction!

Island extinctions seemed to have started 200 years before those on continents, but both increased from the mid-1800s to the mid-1900s, followed by an apparent decrease in extinctions from 1960 to 1989. This decline could have been due to a genuine decline in extinctions as a result of conservation action. Alternatively, this could be an illusion caused by a time-lag problem, because 50 years has not elapsed since 1960, so many species have not yet been recorded as extinct, even though they probably are!

Scientists have called the present and projected losses of biological diversity a 'crisis' and an 'extinction spasm'. Continued and urgent action is needed.    

Answer these questions on the talk:

How many species are alive today?
What are the three main causes of species extinction?
Is the current rate of extinction higher than the normal background rate?
Are scientists worried about the rate of species extinction?    

The talk you have just heard is more formal than the interview about whales and dolphins, so the language we use is also more formal.

We use a formal style of language for example, when we are giving a talk, a lecture, a presentation or writing an essay.

We use a more informal style for example, when we are speaking with friends and in everyday conversation.

Match up correctly the formal phrases from the extinction talk with the informal phrases of the same meaning.   

   Formal and Informal Phrases

Formal	Informal
it is an underestimate	they haven't been described yet
many have become extinct	right now they are in danger
due to a genuine decline	it is probably more than this
they are currently threatened	lots of them have died out
they have not yet been described	because of a big fall in numbers
Click 'Answers' to see if you were right!

   Listen to this conversation about global warming.

Lisa:	Phew! This sunbathing really is hard work in this heat - I'm going to go for a swim in the sea in a minute to cool down. The water looks so inviting!
Paul:	Me too. I'm sure the sun feels stronger than it used to a few years ago. It's probably my imagination, or maybe they're right about global warming!
Lisa:	I could do with all the global warming there is - I love the sunshine and need to top up my tan. Global warming just means better summers and warmer winters doesn't it?
Paul:	Well no, its much more serious than that. All the pollution from cars and industry is starting to effect temperatures all over the world. In the next 100 years scientists have predicted that sea levels will rise and that there'll be more serious storms and floods and more extremes of weather everywhere.
Lisa:	Yeah, but who cares about in a 100 years time, and anyway nothing like that has been proved, has it?
Paul:	Actually some of it has been proved. Scientists have found out that the earth has warmed up by about 1 degree since the mid 19th Century. Also mountain glaciers are melting, the temperature of the ground has been increasing and sea levels have risen by several inches this century.
Lisa:	I don't know, maybe you're right, but if these things are going to happen, isn't it too late to stop it? I mean what can I do - I don't even drive a car!
Paul:	Oh come on! We can all do things to help. The world's governments have signed a climate convention so even they are taking notice! We can all do things to stop it, like recycling things instead of throwing things away and driving around less in cars as well. I don't know, it would be good if we all just used less energy in general!
Lisa:	You're so right - I think I could lie here all day saving energy! Coming for a swim?
Paul:	Last one in buys the ice creams!

	Vocabulary and Pronunciation: useful words and phrases.
	Listen to these words and phrases. Repeat them until they sound right. The word stress is in THIS colour.
		Global warming Pollution Temperature Predict Scientists Sea level Storms Floods Weather Melting Increasing Reduced Climate Recycle Energy Population Deforestation Nature Mammals Plants Diversity life

	Grammar revision: so / since / so that / too / enough / because of
	Use this list of words to complete the sentences below:
		So So that Too Enough Because of + noun Since + subject + verb
	There is ___(1)___ much pollution in most major cities. There aren't ___(2)___ trees where I live. Some scientists predict rises in sea level ____(3)____ global warming. We need to control whale hunting, ____(4)____ some whale species are still in danger of extinction. We should try to recycle our rubbish _____(5)_____ there is less to throw away.
	Click 'Answers' to see if you were right!

	The words below have two or more syllables.
	Each word also has groups of 2 or 3 consonants together, which can be difficult to pronounce. These are underlined.
	Listen carefully and then repeat them until they sound right.
	2 syllables:
		Elapsed
		Evolved
		Spasm
		Background
	3 syllables:
		Temperatures
		Recognised
		Recycle
		Extinction
		Continued
		Endangered

There are 14 million species alive today.
The three main causes of species extinction are deforestation, over hunting and introduced species.
Yes, the current rate of extinction IS higher than the normal background rate.
Yes, scientists ARE worried about the rate of species extinction.   

Click BACK to get back to where you were in the lesson.

   Formal and Informal Phrases

Formal	Informal
it is an underestimate	it is probably more than this
many have become extinct	lots of them have died out
due to a genuine decline	because of a big fall in numbers
they are currently threatened	right now they are in danger
they have not yet been described	they haven't been described yet
Click BACK to get back to where you were in the lesson.

1. There is too much pollution in most major cities.

2. There aren't enough trees where I live.

3. Some scientists predict rises in sea level because of global warming.

4. We need to control whale hunting, since some whale species are still in danger of extinction.

5. We should try to recycle our rubbish so that there is less to throw away.   

Click BACK to get back to where you were in the lesson.

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Tailpiece

A stitch in time saves nine.

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Course  B End of Lesson B2

(Play the Song)

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Link to Introduction

Links to other Lessons in Course B :  1  *  3   4   5   6   7   8   9   10

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