STUDY REFERENCE
READING Climate change
Vocabulary
the number and variety of plants and animals
biodiversity noun
Rainforests have a lot of biodiversity.
to cover with water, often in a natural disaster
flood verb
During the rainy season, our basement gets flooded.
practices that change forests into non-forest land
deforestation noun
Deforestation has reduced the Amazon jungle.
the death or disappearance of a species of animal or plant
extinction noun
Climate change resulted in the extinction of the dinosaurs.
noun fuels from dead plants/animals that lived millions of years ago
fossil fuels
(phr) We use too much energy from fossil fuels like coal and oil.
a huge mass of ice slowly moving over land
glacier noun
Many glaciers are melting as the earth becomes warmer.
a warm structure made of glass for growing plants
greenhouse noun
You can grow vegetables all year round in a greenhouse.
rain, snow, or other forms of water falling from the sky
precipitation noun
There isn’t much precipitation in a desert.
a group of plants or animals that can reproduce themselves
species noun
Horses and zebras look similar, but are different species.
to put in danger
threaten verb
Rising ocean waters are threatening coastal towns.
STUDY REFERENCE
READING Climate change
Reading Practice: Text
Climate is the average weather in a region over an extended period of time. Cli-
mate change occurs when the average weather in a region changes over time.
Most scientists believe that we are undergoing a period of climate change known
as global warming. This means that the average temperature of the Earth is grad-
ually getting warmer, about 1 degree over the past 100 years.
Many factors can contribute to global warming, including the high use of fossil fu-
els. Fossil fuels refer to energy sources based on plant or animal remains, includ-
ing coal, oil, and natural gas. With the Industrial Revolution and the rise of manu-
facturing, people began to increase their use of fossil fuels. Modern transportation
also uses fossil fuels. The burning of fossil fuels releases greenhouse gases such
as carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. These gases create a greenhouse effect
by trapping heat close to the Earth.
Another way that people contribute to global warming is by deforestation. When
we clear forests to make way for more farms to feed the world’s growing popula-
tion, we affect the climate. Forests remove carbon dioxide from the atmosphere.
Reducing forests also affects precipitation, often resulting in a drier climate. Long-
term effects of our current climate change include not only hotter, drier weather,
but also melting glaciers in the Arctic and Antarctic, raising ocean levels, and
possibly flooding coast areas. Climate change threatens biodiversity as plants
and animals are unable to survive in a different climate.
