MODULE 1
27
1
Look at the picture and
the title of the article. What do
you think the article is about?
Listen, read and check.
3
Match the words in bold in the
text to their synonyms in the list
below.
2
Read the text and mark the
sentences (1‒5) as
T
(true) or
F
(false).
1
Average global temperatures have
increased in the last century.
2
The 1990s were one of the coldest
decades on record.
3
Polar bears hunt for seals all year
round.
4
The Hudson Bay population of
polar bears has decreased over the
last 10 years.
5
Polar bears are at great risk due to
global warming.
G
lobal warming is a hot topic that shows little sign of cooling
down. The Earth’s climate is changing, but
precisely
whether
we can stop the process is
uncertain
. Over the last century
average global temperatures have
increased by
approximately one
degree, while inAlaska, North-Western Canada and Eastern Russia it
is believed average temperatures have increased by as much as three
to four degrees. In the Northern Hemisphere, the spring thaw occurs
nine days earlier and the winter freeze happens about ten days later
than it did 150 years ago and the last two decades have been the
warmest ever recorded since the mid-1800s.
Global warming has serious
repercussions
for life on the planet. One
immediate result is that many animal
species
are fighting for survival.
One example is the polar bear population that lives in the Hudson Bay
area of Northern Manitoba. The
reduction
in ice, as well as a shorter
winter season, means that the bears have a reduced hunting period.
For some bears, their yearly
food intake
has
decreased
by as much
as ten kilograms. Some of them are not able to survive the summer
fast
period because they have not stored enough energy to
sustain
themselves. They need the ice to cover the sea during the winter
months so they can hunt for seals, their main source of food.
However, the sea ice is melting and breaking up because of global
warming. Glaciers and icebergs are
receding
and disappearing at
alarming rates
. Studies suggest that theWest Hudson Bay polar bear
population has decreased by as much as 20 percent in just 10 years.
Warmer weather in the region also has a
cataclysmic
effect on
female bears and their
maternity dens
. Many dens
collapse in
the
spring due to heavy rains and trap the mothers and their cubs. In
some instances, the increased temperatures melt the frozen ground
where the dens are located, also causing them to collapse. Unless
the mother and cubs are rescued, most of these animals die.
If we continue to do nothing to reduce the
emission
of greenhouse
gases and continue to pollute our environment, ice
conditions
in the
Hudson Bay area will not be able to sustain and support its
population of polar bears and we will have forced yet another
species into extinction.
4
In pairs, write a list
of things that must be done to
improve the condition of the
environment and reduce global
warming. Share your ideas with
the class.
Think!
Research another animal
that is affected by global
warming. Prepare a short
presentation to share your
findings with the class. You can
visit this website:
ICT
1
amount of
food
10
unclear
11
consequences
2
types
12
states
3
fall down
13
choosing not to eat
4
maintain
14
discharge
5
shrinking
15
lessening
6
exactly
16
became less
7
disturbing
speeds
8
gone up
9
disastrous
17
places where a
wild animal gives
birth to its young
Geography
