environment vocabulary+text

• Engels
• Middelbare school
• havo
• Leerjaar 4

We humans are destroying the planet

yes, we need to stop harming the environment

no, the damage we do is exaggerated

goals

in this lesson:

- you will expand your vocabulary on the environment

- you will practise an exam text

video 

You will watch a youtube video, The Turning Point.

Write down all English words concerning the environment that are hinted at in this video. Jot them down on a piece of paper for slide 5.

environment

paragraph 1

High on a blustery hill right in the middle of Scotland sits a towering wind turbine,

whipping up 2.5 megawatts of energy a year for the national grid. There are

another 14 white giants in the same wind farm, but look closely and you'll see

this one is different: adorned with marker-pen doodles and signatures all round

its base. It is a people's turbine and its power belongs wholly to the community of

Fintry.

What's different about the one turbine mentioned in paragraph 1?

“this one is different” (paragraph 1)
What is different about the turbine referred to here?

1. it has a more efficient design
2. it has been vandalized by youths
3. it is exploited by the local residents
4. it is part of a prestigious art project

paragraphs 2&3

The 300-plus households in this rural village are set fair on their course to

become a zero-carbon, zero-waste community. When the wind-farm developer

came knocking at the door of the community council seeking backing for its new

development, Fintry rejected the standard benefits package in favour of far

bigger aspirations. It took four years of negotiation but they pulled it off.

The....5.... the deal is that the village gets to use none of its own renewable 

power: the structure of the national grid makes that impossible. What the wind

turbine grinds out for the 550 villagers is cash. The money all goes into the Fintry

Development Trust (FDT), set up to reduce the village's energy use and carbon

emissions.

What becomes clear about the villagers of Fintry from paragraphs 2 and 3?

What becomes clear about the villagers of Fintry from paragraphs 2
and 3?

1. they hope to get rich from selling their electricity
2. they objected to have a windfarm near their village
3. they pursue rather ambitious environmental goals
4. they were offered jobs by the wind farm company

What word(s) do you think fits the gap in 5?

Which of the following fits the gap in paragraph 3?

1. logic behind
2. paradox of
3. support for

paragraph 4

They hired an energy adviser to help residents shift to more sustainable

heating methods and have also helped fund a new biomass boiler for the sports

club. But FDT is also turning its attention to other issues. For instance, a

community car club has been launched. Even before it was fully operational three

villagers ditched their second cars in favour of the club. Says one villager: "A

community is a good level at which to tackle climate change. If your neighbour is

putting in a geothermal pump, it makes it much easier for you to follow – you are

not exposing yourself to the risk of something new and scary." 

What is said about the Fintry Development Trust (FDT) in paragraph 4?

1. it finances and organises environmentally friendly projects
2. it protests against government plans that hinder progress
3. it spends a lot of money on external environment experts
4. it supports initiatives to make the village more accessible

Now do Words in Progress exercise 2, take a picture and upload it here.