Workshop – Course 6 (10°- 11°)
NAME: Jimena Garro Diaz DATE: 3/04/2022
1. READING
1.1 Read the following text and answer the questions below.
SAVING NATURAL HABITATS
Taken from:
https://www.englishclub.com/reading/environment/saving-natural-
habitats.php
Author: Matt Errey
Adapted version PINJ 6 november/2021 for academic purposes.
In 1962 a book called Silent Spring by Rachel Carson was published. It was about the damage
pesticides were doing to the natural environment and human health. The book became a best-
seller and helped the environmental movement grow and become part of the social revolution of
the 1960s. More people were also joining organizations like the World Wildlife Fund (WWF)
or starting new organizations like Greenpeace. Meanwhile government departments like the
USA's Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) were being established in countries all around
the world.
Despite all the work that people in organizations like these have done since the 1960s, and
despite all the protests and street marches that have been held, things have only gotten worse.
Habitat destruction has increased enormously, so much so that by 2020 only 3% of the world’s
wilderness remains undamaged by human activity. Wildlife populations have fallen by an
average of 68% since 1970 according to the WWF Living Planet Report 2020, and over
37,400 species of mammals, birds, fish, amphibians, reptiles and plants are now
threatened with extinction.
What went wrong? Why have things become so much worse since the 1960s? The WWF Living
Planet Report cited above notes that "Since 1970, total gross domestic product (GDP) has
increased four times, the extraction of living materials from nature has tripled, and human
population has doubled (p. 52)". The report concludes that rising populations and increasing
1
PINJ 6 / 10°-11°
GDPs have led to more and more people being able to afford a high standard of living, and
that this is the main reason for both habitat loss and the climate change emergency.
Many other reports have reached the same conclusion. In 2019 a study commissioned by The
United Nations concluded that "High consumption lifestyles in more developed economies,
combined with rising consumption in developing and emerging economies, are the dominant
factors driving land degradation globally."
If high levels of consumption are so damaging, why do we still want to consume so much? One
reason is that companies use advertising to increase sales and profits, and advertising promotes
consumerism. Consumerism is the belief that consuming makes us happy, and that buying
expensive designer clothes and luxury goods, living in a big house, owning an expensive car,
eating gourmet foods, travelling the world, etc is the best way to live. But living this way is
directly related to environmental destruction and habitat loss.
A good example of how consumerism and higher standards of living cause habitat loss is the
fact that more of us can now afford to eat expensive meats like steak. To satisfy the growing
demand for steak, more and more forests in areas like the Amazon Basin are being destroyed to
make way for farms that raise beef cattle. So one way to help save natural habitats is to eat less
steak and beef. Doing something simple like this can really help, maybe even more than
protesting on the streets or debating online.
While eating less or no beef is part of a more sustainable lifestyle, we have to do much more
than this. The problems we have created have become so serious that we're now facing a life-or-
death global emergency. To survive this emergency, we'll have to change our entire way of life
and start putting nature at the centre of our decision-making.
WHAT CAN WE DO?
Consume less
2
PINJ 6 / 10°-11°
We can start by only buying things we really need. Think about whether consumerism and the idea that
shopping makes us happy is what you really believe. Consuming less also means producing less waste,
including plastic waste of the sort that's so damaging to oceans and marine life.
Be informed
We can read books and articles and watch documentaries about things like habitat loss, climate change,
renewable energy, environmental politics, and so on. Doing this helps us to make good decisions about things
like the food we eat, the transport we use, and who we vote for.
Get political
We can join political parties that support policies like the global Green New Deal (Note 4) and degrowth
policies that limit production and consumption to sustainable levels.
Join the "green" movement
We can join organizations like Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, the WWF and Extinction Rebellion. We can
also make donations to organizations like these and join direct action campaigns and protest marches.
Improve decision-making in business
If you run a business, don't base your decisions on maximizing profits alone. Put nature at the centre of your
decision-making to ensure you're not making the environmental crisis even worse than it already is. You could
even think about starting a "green" business like installing solar panels or selling organic fruits and vegetables.
A "green" farm in Oregon USA, with a row of solar panels next to some grapevines and uncleared natural
habitat nearby.
Boycott bad products and companies
We can refuse to buy products like palm oil, the production of which causes major habitat destruction and air
pollution when huge areas of tropical forest are burned every year to make way for new palm oil plantations.
We can also boycott companies that lobby politicians to block legislation that protects the environment. Many
fossil fuel companies do this, as do companies that make pesticides and other damaging chemicals.
Do useful work
We can choose careers in which we can make a difference rather than just make lots of money. Think about
whether you'll have the power or skills to play a role in solving the problems we're facing.
Support indigenous land rights
3
PINJ 6 / 10°-11°
Giving indigenous people the right to live on their homelands allows them to use their knowledge of
ecosystems to protect local habitats. This has been shown to be more effective at preserving biodiversity than
turning their homelands into wilderness areas they can't live on.
Work together
If all we do is sit around feeling sad and worried about the future, what do you think will happen? If all we do is
blame others for creating the problem and wait for others to fix it, what do you think we'll achieve? But if we all
work together doing whatever we can, we might be able to pass a living planet on to future generations after all.
Choose the best option (20 Points, 2 points are awarded for each correct answer)
1. Rachel Carson's book Silent Spring was first published in
1962
1970
2002
2. By 2020, only 3% of the world’s _______ remained undamaged by human activity.
wildlife
wilderness
wild animals
3. One of the main causes of habitat loss is our _______ standard of living.
low
falling
rising
4. If a country's GDP increases, more people can afford a high _______ lifestlye.
consumer
consumerism
4
PINJ 6 / 10°-11°
consumption
5. A more environmentally sustainable way of life can include
buying more products
eating less meat
taking more flights
6. If people are boycotting a company's products, sales should
fall
rise
stay the same
7. We can save forests and reduce air pollution if we boycott
coconut oil
palm oil
cod liver oil
8. Which can limit population growth the most?
having no children
having lots of children
having one or two children
9. Reducing production and consumption to sustainable levels is part of a policy of
demand
degrowth
degradation
5
PINJ 6 / 10°-11°
10. If we save habitats, protect biodiversity and limit climate change, the future will be
so much worse
threatened
brighter
1.2. Organize the information as it is presented in the text. Use numbers from 1 to 5 (
10 POINTS, 2 points are awarded for each correct answer):
a. _3_ "High consumption lifestyles in more developed economies, combined with rising consumption in
developing and emerging economies, are the dominant factors driving land degradation globally."
b. _2_ Habitat destruction has increased enormously, so much so that by 2020 only 3% of the world’s
wilderness remained undamaged by human activity
c. _5_ If we all work together doing whatever we can, we might be able to pass a living planet on to future
generations after all.
d. _4_ We can also boycott companies that lobby politicians to block legislation that protects the
environment. Many fossil fuel companies do this, as do companies that make pesticides and other
damaging chemicals.
e. _1_ The book became a best-seller and helped the environmental movement grow and become part of
the social revolution of the 1960s.
1.3. Correct these statements according to the text
(20 POINTS, 5 points are awarded for each correct answer)
a) Despite all the work that people in organizations like these has done since the 1960s, and despite all
the protests and street marches that has been held, things have only gotten worse.
Corrected: Despite all the work that people in organizations like these have done since the 1960s,
and despite all the protests and street marches that have been held, things have only gotten worse.
b) If high levels of consumption are so damaging, why do we still want consuming so much?
Corrected: If high levels of consumption are so damaging, why do we still want to consume so
much?
6
PINJ 6 / 10°-11°
c) A good example of how consumerism and higher standards of living cause habitat loss is the fact
that more of us can now afford to eat meats expensive like steak.
Corrected: A good example of how consumerism and higher standards of living cause habitat loss is
the fact that more of us can now afford to eat expensive meats like steak.
d) The problems we have created have become so serious that we're now facing a global life-or-death
emergency.
Corrected: The problems we have created have become so serious that we're now facing a life-or-
death global emergency.
1.4. Select the correct option based on the information in the reading
(12 POINTS, 2 points are awarded for each correct answer, and 1 extra points are awarded for proper
support of choice):
a) Which of these statements is true?
a. We cannot join organizations that work to save the environment
b. Protesting on the streets or debating online is the only way to help save natural habitats.
c. Consuming less, buying less and even demanding less clothes also means producing less
waste.
Support your choice:
____________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________
b) Which of these statements is false?
a. We can also boycott companies that lobby politicians to block legislation that protects the
environment.
7
PINJ 6 / 10°-11°
b. Giving indigenous people the right to live on their homelands will not make any difference
to protect local habitats.
c. We can read books and articles and watch documentaries about things like habitat loss,
climate change, renewable energy, environmental politics, and so on.
Support your choice:
_________________________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________________
c) The underlined sentence in paragraph 2 “Wildlife populations have fallen by an average of 68%
since 1970 according to the WWF Living Planet Report 2020, and over 37,400 species of
mammals, birds, fish, amphibians, reptiles and plants are now threatened with extinction”.
supports this idea in the text:
a. High standard of living is leading humans to a safe future.
b. If we all work together doing whatever we can, we might be able pass a living planet on to
future generations
c. Habitat destruction has increased enormously, so much that many of our animals, forests and
even marine life are facing total extinction.
Support your choice:
____________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________________
d) In the last paragraph (7), why does the text suggest that it is necessary to change our entire way of
life and start putting nature at the centre of our decision-making?
a. Because it is part of a more sustainable lifestyle, being sure that we are not making the
environmental crisis even worse than it already is
b. Because political parties that support policies like the global Green New Deal and degrowth
policies that limit production and consumption to sustainable levels have asked us to do so.
c. Because several political decisions have been made for the curse of many and the benefit of
few.
8
PINJ 6 / 10°-11°
Support your choice:
____________________________________________________________________________________
__________________________________________________________________
2. GRAMMAR AND VOCABULARY
2.1. Match the beginning of the sentence in column A with its end in column B (8
POINTS, 1 point is awarded for each correct answer):
COLUMN A COLUMN B
1. If I am late for class, (a) if they don’t eat
2. If he stays up very late, (b) if you want to lose weight
3. People get hungry, ( c) I watch a funny movie
4. You should eat less, (d) when he is happy
5. When she watches a movie, (e) he is very tired the next morning
6. When I am sad, (f) you get good grades in school
7. If you study hard, (g) my teacher gets angry
8. He always smiles (h) she likes to eat popcorn
2.2. First conditional - underline the correct option (5
POINTS, 1 point is awarded for each correct answer):
Example: Andrew will water the garden if he comes / will come home.
1. We will buy our tickets if we (will have) / have enough money.
2. We will be late for the show unless you hurry / (will hurry.)
3. I will take /(take) an umbrella if it rains.
4. If it is / (will be) a nice day tomorrow, we will go for a bike ride.
9
PINJ 6 / 10°-11°
5. He won’t cross the road unless he (will see) / sees the green light
2.3. Write affirmative sentences in the correct word order. (10
POINTS, 1 point is awarded for each correct answer):
Example: at least / had / we / ten minutes / wait / for / to
We had to wait for at least ten minutes.
1. were / they / when / I / a game / playing / the room / entered
They were playing a game when I entered the room.
2. a hat / she / on Sundays / goes / wears / she / usually / when / to church
On Sundays when she goes to church, she usually wears a hat.
3. used / drinking / is / in the morning / tea / to / she
She ____________________________________________________________________________
4. would / he / understand / clearly / spoke / we / if /him
If he clearly spoke we would understand him.
5. don’t / like / tonight / to the cinema / I / feel / going
______________________________________________________________________________
6. always / complaining / about / he / his work / keeps
______________________________________________________________________________
7. watch / on / there / last night / nothing / to / TV / was
______________________________________________________________________________
8. $1/ would / if / gave / we / have / everyone / enough
_______________________________________________________________________________
9. stay / I / to / same hotel / I / always / at / when / the / go / Paris
_______________________________________________________________________________
10. as possible / managed / as soon / the / money / Harry / get / to
_______________________________________________________________________________
2.4. Complete the information. (15
POINTS, 5 points are awarded for each correct structure):
a. How can you help to save the environment?
10
PINJ 6 / 10°-11°
First, ___________________________________________________________________
Then,__________________________________________________________________, finally,
_________________________________________________________________.
b. Which measures are you and your relatives taking in your home to help the environment?
I could say that we are ___________________________________________________, we are also
____________________________________________________________.
________________________________________________________________ as well.
c. Mention three things people can do.
You ______________________________________________________, you could also
_________________________________________________________. You cannot miss
_______________________________________________________________________.
11
PINJ 6 / 10°-11°
