The Earth Day Issue

Hello Everybody!

Do you reduce, reuse and recycle?
Carbon footprint, renewable resources, climate change and other terms have become more popular in our vocabulary over time.
Every year the planet has a special day to be more aware of these topics: April 22nd, Earth Day!
By the way, in 2012 we are celebrating its 42nd edition.Did you know?
In this issue, we are working with a video about the growing world's population, a listening, a classic song by Joni Mitchell, vocabulary with idioms about nature, another video clip about the earth seen from space, future predictions with will and going to, and the story behind Earth Day. Enjoy!

7 Billion And Counting - Earth Day

Video by National Public Radio (2.33 minutes)

At the end of 2011 The U.N. said the world's population reached 7 billion. A little more than two centuries ago, the global population was 1 billion. What happened? Let's see how the Earth can produce that kind of a crowd.

Watch the clip and complete the following notes with one or more words:

"...A thousand years ago there were only a third of a billion people. Now there's 7 billion of us.

How did we grow _________?

...The fuller the glass gets _________

Water drips in as_________

water drips out as_________

a thousand years ago the Americas are_________

better medicide and better agriculture are starting to slow the leak _________the glass

more babies gro up and_________ have babies of their own

The UN says we'll level out at 10 billion by _________

Can the world hold that many people?

Experts can't agree. It all depends on _________ our food, water and energy."



Answers here!

Idioms about Nature - Earth day

Vocabulary

What on earth do these phrases mean?
Match the idiomatic expression to the explanation

Can't see the forest for the trees	A. Go to the bathroom/restroom
A drop in the ocean	B. Not say something directly
Down to earth	C. Practical and sensible.
A ray of sunshine	D. Make a small problem seem big
Reach for the moon / reach for the stars	E. Make good use of something while it lasts.
Beat around the bush	F. A small part of something much bigger.
Make hay while the sun shines	G. Someone expressing an unpopular opinion
A voice (crying) in the wilderness	H. In trouble or in a difficult situation.
Make a mountain out of a molehill	I. Aiming to achieve something great, or do something very challenging.
Answer the call of nature	J. Something that brings happiness to someone.
The tip of the iceberg	K. Confused about something and not sure what to do.
In deep water	L. Not see the whole situation clearly because you're looking too closely at small details
All at sea	M. A very small portion of what you need

1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	9	10	11	12	13

Answers here!

BIG YELLOW TAXI - Earth Day

A classic environmentalist song by Joni Mitchell, Canadian folk singer and author.

Use the following words to complete the words from the song. Then, listen and check.

HOTEL - SWINGING - SLAM - BEES - MUSEUM - PARADISE - APPLES - TREES - BIRDS - PARKING - BOUTIQUE - TAXI



They paved _________ and put up a _________ lot,
With a pink _______ , a ________ , and a ______ hot spot,
Don't it always seem to go, that you don't know what you got till it's gone?

They paved _________ , and put up a ______ lot.

They took all the _______ , and put them in a tree ___________,
And they charged the people a dollar and a half to see them!
Don't it ... They paved ...
Hey farmer, farmer , put away your DDT,
Don't care about spots on my ________ , but leave me the ______ and the ____ - please!
Don't it ... They paved ...
Listen, late last night, I heard the screen door _______,
And a big yellow _____ took away my old man,
Don't it... They paved...


Vocabulary References


a paved road in the forest





a "yellow taxi" or police patrol car in Toronto

Other versions of this song
by Counting Crows
more recent live version by Joni Mitchell
audio version by Green Day

Answers here!

Tour of Earth - Earth Day

Video Activity

Some of the most striking Earth images ever made... from Landsat. Since the space age began over five decades ago, we have endeavored to travel beyond Earth to discover its origins.

Watch the clip made from Satellite Landsat and say whether the following statements are TRUE or FALSE.

1.Despite the amazing satellite views around the cosmos, the Earth is still more impressive.

2.The Shoemaker crater, in Australia, is the oldest, formed about 7 billion years ago

3. There are volcanoes and glaciers in Kamchatka, Russia.

4.We can see salt lakes and sand dunes in China.

5.The Great Salt Desert is in Jordan.

6. Mali has unique flora and fauna and pre historic cave paintings.

7.The Niger River borders the Sahara Desert.

8.We can find around 38 active volcanoes in the border of Chile and Argentina.

9.The Colima is the most active volcano in Mexico, in Sonora.

10. In the Mississippi Delta an intricate maze of lakes and waterways form a rich and priceless natural habitat.

11. In the Netherlands, a system of canals, bridges, etc. hold back the Sea.

12. Ice fjords reach The Provence region of France.

13.Erosion created a natural masterwork in Alaska's Aleutian Islands.

Answers here!

The Story Behind Earth Day

Multiple choice
Choose the correct word from the table below to complete the text.

On April 22^nd we celebrate Earth Day, an (1) ____ event that aims to inspire awareness of and appreciation for our environment. It was founded in 1969 by peace (2) ____ John McConnell. He introduced the idea of a global holiday called "Earth Day" at a UN conference on the environment in 1969. The (3) ____ Earth Day celebration was in 1970. In 1971, the Secretary-General U Thant (4) ____ that Earth Day should be held every year. He said: “May there only be (5) ____ and cheerful Earth Days to come for our beautiful Spaceship Earth as it continues to spin and circle in frigid space with its warm and fragile cargo of animate life.” It marked the (6) ____ of the modern environmental movement.

Earth Day is now observed in 192 countries around the world. It is one of the largest events (7) ____ the United Nation’s annual calendar. (8) ____ say more than one billion people every year celebrate it. Earth Day has got countries to act together to help (9) ____ our planet.

Look for activities near where you live. There are festivals all (10) ____ the world, which include children’s activities, educational games, sustainability demos, music, food and fun for all ages to educate and entertain festival goers. Don’t miss the party!

Put the correct words from this table into the article.

1.	(a)	annual	(b)	annually	(c)	annuals	(d)	annul
2.	(a)	activity	(b)	activism	(c)	activist	(d)	actively
3.	(a)	firsts	(b)	first	(c)	firstly	(d)	first-time
4.	(a)	proclaimed	(b)	claimed	(c)	acclaimed	(d)	reclaimed
5.	(a)	peace	(b)	peaceful	(c)	peaceless	(d)	peacefully
6.	(a)	birth	(b)	born	(c)	birthing	(d)	give birth
7.	(a)	at	(b)	to	(c)	in	(d)	as
8.	(a)	We	(b)	He	(c)	Them	(d)	They
9.	(a)	save	(b)	savings	(c)	saver	(d)	saviour
10.	(a)	under	(b)	of	(c)	to	(d)	over

Adapted from an activity by Sean Banville

ANSWERS HERE!

Future Predictions - The Earth Day Issue

Grammar Check Up

Here are the rules :
Will and be going to can be used to make predictions about the future.

Weather predictions are the easiest examples to understand:

"Take your umbrella. It's going to rain."
"The weather channel said it will rain tomorrow."
Other predictions:
"Be careful. The vase is too near the border and is going to fall."
"If your sign is Aries, this week will be fantastic."

But... what's the difference? What's the secret?

The KEY word is: EVIDENCE!

If there is evidence for the prediction, like for example a satellite image showing a storm front, GOING TO is the correct tense to use.

If there’s no image showing a storm, but the forecast suggests that there is a possibility, due to certain conditions of the atmosphere, then WILL is the correct form to use.

Other examples of evidence are:

“Jane is going to have a baby.” ( we can see that she’s pregnant)

“If you continue driving so fast in the rain, we are going to have an accident.” (we can almost see an accident happening)

“Surveys show that the candidate is going to win the elections.” (when there’s enough margin to constitute a proof)

Predictions with WILL are more general, and not based on clear evidence:

“I think by 2050, cars will use garbage as fuel.”

“The tarot cards say you will be rich in the future.”

“Paul will love your present!”

Try the following exercise:

1. Do you think the Republicans or the Democrats (win) the next election?

2. Be careful with the oven or you (ruin) the cake.

3. She’s taking 7 courses per year. At this rate, she (graduate) early.

4. If you keep adding yellow to the red paint, you (obtain) orange, not pink!

5. The test is very difficult and I haven’t studied at all. I (not pass) it.

6. Can you see my future in the crystal ball? I want to know if I (get) a new job.

7. Your chair doesn't look very stable. You (fall).

8. It’s too hot in the sun and I don’t have a sunblock. I (get) burn.

9. Germany is winning against France, 5 to 0 and there are only 2 minutes left. Germany (win).

10. The rubber boat has a hole and the waves are getting higher. We (sink).

Answers here!

Answers - The Earth Day Issue

7 Billion And Counting
A thousand years ago there were only a third of a billion people.
Now there's 7 billion of us.
How did we grow so much so fast?

the fuller the glass gets the more people there are
Water drips in as people are born
water drips out as people die

a thousand years ago the Americas are nearly empty

better medicide and better agriculture are starting to slow the leak from the bottom of the glass

more babies gro up and have babies of their own

The UN says we'll level out at 10 billion by the end of the century

Can the world hold that many people?
Experts can't agree. It all depends on how well we manage our food, water and energy




Idioms about Nature

A drop in the ocean: A very small portion of what you need.

A ray of sunshine: Something that brings happiness to someone.

A voice (crying) in the wilderness: Someone expressing an unpopular opinion

Answer the call of nature: Go to the bathroom/restroom

All at sea: Confused about something and not sure what to do.

Beat around the bush : Not say something directly

Can't see the forest for the trees : Not see the whole situation clearly because you're looking too closely at small details

Down to earth : Practical and sensible.

In deep water : In trouble or in a difficult situation.

Make a mountain out of a molehill : Make a small problem seem big

Make hay while the sun shines : Make good use of something while it lasts.

Reach for the moon / reach for the stars: Aiming to achieve something great, or do something very challenging.

The tip of the iceberg: A small part of something much bigger.

BIG YELLOW TAXI - song
They paved paradise

And put up a parking lot

With a pink hotel, a boutique

And a swinging hot spot


[Chorus]

Don't it always seem to go

That you don't know what you've got

Till it's gone

They paved paradise

And put up a parking lot



They took all the trees

Put 'em in a tree museum

And they charged the people

A dollar and a half just to see 'em




Hey farmer farmer

Put away that DDT now

Give me spots on my apples

But leave me the birds and the bees

Please!



Late last night

I heard the screen door slam

And a big yellow taxi

Took away my old man




Tour of Earth Video Activity

1.T – 2.F (1.7 billion years ago) – 3.T – 4.T – 5.F (it’s in Iran) – 6.F (Namibia) – 7.T -8.F (28) – 9.F (Jalisco) -10.F (in Yukon, Alaska) - 11.T – 12.T (they are in Norway) – 13.F (the wind)

The Story Behind Earth Day

A-C-B-A-B-A-C-D-A-D

Future Predictions

1.WILL 2. WILL 3.IS GOING TO 4.ARE GOING TO 5.AM NOT GOING TO 6.WILL 7.ARE GOING TO 8.AM GOING TO 9.IS GOING TO 10.ARE GOING TO