Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the correct word.

Ecotourism is booming, and many tour operators say this is helpful to nature. Every year, thousands of people visit protected (1) ______ to observe rare species. However, a new report casts doubt (2) ______ this form of tourism. The report, (3) ______ in the journal Trends in Ecology and Evolution, states that ecotourism damages more than (4) ______ nature. Researchers believe tourists disrupt animals in their natural (5) ______. They point to a recent (6) ______ in Costa Rica where turtles had problems laying their eggs because of many tourists who had garthered (7) ______ the beach to watch them.

The report says that ecotourism is (8) ______ animal bolder. A human presence makes animals tamer and less (9) ______ about other animals. This could put them at (10) ______ of being attacked by their natural predators, so more of them may be killed. The report says that when animals interact with humans, "they may let (11) ______ their guard.” The report also says it is essential “to develop a more comprehensive understanding of how different species in different situations (12) ______ to human visitation and under what precise conditions human exposure might put them at risk."

A presentation on the environment

1. Listen and read.

(Nghe và đọc.)

Nam’s father: What are you doing, Nam?

Nam: I’m preparing a presentation for my geography class.

Nam’s father: What’s the topic?

Nam: It’s environmental protection. My teacher asked me to do some research, but I don’t know where to start.

Nam’s father: I think you should identify some environmental problems first. What have you found so far?

Nam: I’ve come up with a range of environmental issues such as global warming, deforestation, endangered animals and pollution, but I don’t know how to organise them.

Nam’s father: You should focus on each problem, explain the main causes of it, and the suggest the solutions.

Nam: Thanks, Dad. But presenting all the solutions will be hard.

Nam’s father: Have you asked your teacher for advice?

Nam: Yes, I have. She advised that I should start with small, practical actions to protect the environment before coming up with big ideas that need a lot of effort or money to succeed.

Nam’s father: Sounds good. You’d better follow her advice. When did she ask you to present it?

Nam: She said I should present it the following week.

Nam’s father: You still have a lot of time. Good luck!

Nam: Thanks, Dad.

2. Read the conversation again and answer the questions.

(Đọc lại đoạn hội thoại và trả lời các câu hỏi.)

1. What did Nam’s teacher ask him to do?

(Giáo viên của Nam đã yêu cầu bạn ấy làm gì?

2. What has Nam come up with so far?

(Nam đã nghĩ ra gì cho đến nay?)

3. When does Nam have to deliver the presentation?

(Khi nào Nam phải trình bày bài thuyết trình?)

 4. Complete the following sentences based on the conversation.

(Hoàn thành các câu sau dựa vào cuộc hội thoại.)

1. My teacher _______ me to do some research on environmental protection.

2. She _______ that I should start with small, practical actions to protect the environment.

3. She _______ I should deliver my presentation the following week.

2. Read the text and choose the best tittle for it.

(Đọc văn bản và chọn tiêu đề hay nhất.)

a. Environmental problems: What are they?

b. Environmental protection: How important is it?

c. Environmental solutions: How practical are they?

The environment we live in is facing many serious problems. We need to be aware of these problems so that we can find ways to protect nature.

A. Global warming is the rise in the average temperature of the earth's atmosphere. It is one of the biggest issues facing humans today. It can have serious consequences such as rising sea levels, polar ice melting, and extreme weather events like floods or heatwaves.

B. Another environmental problem is the cutting and clearing of natural forests. The loss of forests can have a negative impact on the environment. It can damage the natural habitats of many animals and put wildlife in danger. It can also destroy the natural soil and lead to climate change.

C. Air pollution is also a serious problem. It is mainly caused by waste gases that come out of vehicles, machines, or factories. When these harmful gases combine with the water in the air, they come down as rain or snow, which can damage all forms of life. In addition, this problem leads to global warming and climate change. It is also a major cause of respiratory diseases or even lung cancer.

D. Around the world, the number of endangered animals is rising. Many of them disappear because of pollution and climate change. In addition, humans illegally hunt and kill animals, and catch too many fish at once. This is upsetting the natural balance of ecosystems, which can be harmful to all living and non-living things.

3. Read the text again and decide which paragraph contains the following information.

(Đọc lại văn bản và quyết định xem đoạn văn nào chứa thông tin sau.)

4. Complete the sentences with the information from the text. Use no more than TWO words for each answer.

(Hoàn thành các câu với thông tin từ văn bản. Không sử dụng nhiều hơn HAI từ cho mỗi câu trả lời.)

1. Global warming can cause extreme _______ such as floods or heatwaves.

2. The natural _______ of many animals can be destroyed in the process of cutting down forests.

3. One of the main causes of air pollution is _______ produced by machines and factories.

4. When many animals disappear, this damages the natural balance of _______.

1. Read the text and complete each blank of the fact file about Earth Hour with ONE word.

(Đọc văn bản và hoàn thành từng ô trống của tệp thông tin thực tế về Giờ Trái đất bằng MỘT từ.)

EARTH HOUR

Earth Hour is a global event organised by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF). Held every year, it encourages people and businesses to turn off their lights and other unnecessary electrical devices for one hour from 8:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on the last Saturday of March. Earth Hour was started as a lights-out event in Sydney, Australia, in 2007. Since then, it has grown to become an international movement for the environment, happening in more than 7,000 cities and towns across 187 countries and territories.

Earth Hour has created a positive environmental impact. It shows the public support for protecting the environment and saving the planet. It also draws attention to climate change and global energy issues, and promotes green activities worldwide.

Viet Nam joined the event in 2009 and has been an active and keen supporter since then. Besides switching off lights, people can take part in a number of activities to raise awareness of environmental problems and call for action for climate, people and nature.

AN ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANISATION

(Một tổ chức môi trường)

Work in groups. Find information about a local or an International environmental organisations and complete the table. Present it to the class.

(Làm việc nhóm. Tìm thông tin về một địa phương hoặc một tổ chức môi trường Quốc tế và hoàn thành bảng. Trình bày trước lớp.)

b. In pairs: How do people in your community help to look after the environment? What else should they do?

(Theo cặp: Mọi người trong cộng đồng của bạn giúp chăm sóc môi trường như thế nào? Họ phải làm gì khác?)

People often recycle trash.

(Mọi người thường tái chế thùng rác.)

Our town should reuse plastic bags.

(Thị trấn của chúng ta nên tái sử dụng túi nhựa.)

a. Read the article and choose the best title.

(Đọc bài viết và chọn tiêu đề tốt nhất.)

1. What would happen if we all stopped eating meat?

(Điều gì sẽ xảy ra nếu tất cả chúng ta ngừng ăn thịt?)

2. Why are people eating less meat?

(Tại sao mọi người ăn ít thịt?)

Saving the environment doesn't have to be expensive. You don't need to buy an electric car - just change your diet! Here are some of the biggest benefits of choosing a plant-based diet: 

We would reduce greenhouse gases.

According to the Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations (FAO), farmed livestock produces 14.5% of the world's greenhouse gases. If we all ate plant-based diets, we would reduce food-related greenhouse gases by 70% by 2050.*

We would save water.

Farming takes up about 70% of all freshwater use and nearly one-third of that is for livestock.** Do you know how much water is used to produce just one kilogram of beef? Over 15,000 liters! Beans, on the other hand, need about 4,000 liters per kilogram and vegetables need just over 300 liters on average. ***

We would save forests and wild animals.

In many parts of the world, forests are being cut down to make land for farming. Deforestation leads to many problems, but the most obvious one is that wild animals lose their homes. According to FAO, of all the land we use for farming, 77% is used for livestock, including the land we use to grow their food **. If we ate less meat and planted more food for humans, we would have more land for forests and wild animals.

Eating less meat is one of the best ways to reduce your impact on the planet. If you start eating more plant-based foods, you might even like vegetables more than meat!

* according to a study in the journal Proceedings of National Academy of Sciences (PNAS)

** according to Humane Society International

*** according to The Water Footprint Network

b. Now, read and fill in the blanks.

(Bây giờ, hãy đọc và điền vào chỗ trống.)

1. If you change your ______________, you can help save the environment.

2. It takes ______________ liters of water to produce one kilogram of beef.

3. There would be more space for nature if people grew ______________ and didn't eat as much meat.

4. You may enjoy foods like carrots and broccoli if you begin ______________.

a. Read and choose the best title for Jane's essay.

(Đọc và chọn tiêu đề hay nhất cho bài luận của Jane.)

1. How plastic harms fish

(Nhựa gây hại cho cá như thế nào)

2. Why we should stop using single-use plastic

(Tại sao chúng ta nên ngừng sử dụng nhựa dùng một lần)

Our oceans are an important source of food, but now there is a serious threat from something we use every day: plastic.

Plastic pollution is a big problem because it affects animals that live in the sea, and it can make humans sick, too. Plastic can break up into tiny pieces called microplastics. These microplastics stay in the stomachs of fish and sea animals, and it stops them from eating real food. Plastic in clothes and water bottles also releases microplastics that we breathe in, eat and drink. This can make us very sick.

One solution is to ban single-use plastic. We use too many plastic shopping bags, so supermarkets should stop giving them away for free. Cafés and restaurants should use paper straws instead of plastic ones.

It is important to ban single-use plastic because it cannot be recycled and ends up in the oceans. Plastic pollution is a world problem that affects all life on our planet. We should stop using single-use plastics before the problem becomes even worse.

b. Now, read and complete the notes. Write one word only for each blank.

(Bây giờ, hãy đọc và hoàn thành các ghi chú. Chỉ viết một từ cho mỗi chỗ trống.)

Problem: plastic pollution

Terrible effects on wildlife and humans

• breaks up and releases (1) ___________ 

• (2) ___________ and sea animals eat plastic and die

• could make people sick 

Solution: (3) ___________  single-use plastic 

• no plastic bags and (4) ___________ 

• Single-use plastic can't be (5) ___________ 

1. Read the title of the article and look at the picture. How can we clean our oceans? Listen and read to find out.

(Đọc tiêu đề của bài báo và nhìn vào hình ảnh. Làm thế nào chúng ta có thể làm sạch đại dương? Nghe và đọc để tìm ra.)

Plastic pollution in our oceans is a major issue that has serious effects on marine ecosystems and wildlife. These days, more and more people are considering reducing the amount of plastic they use, but what about the rubbish that is already in the oceans? In some parts of the world, it forms floating islands of plastic. The largest of these is the Great Pacific Garbage Patch between North America and Japan. It's three times the size of France!

Now, however, one amazing teenager called Boyan Slat has invented a machine, System 001/B, which catches ocean rubbish. It is a huge 600-metre floating barrier of pipes. A net hangs down from the pipes and reaches three metres below the surface of the water. Boyan avoided using fuel in System 001/B, so it has a very low carbon footprint. It uses the ocean currents and wind to move through the water. Ships take away the waste every six to eight weeks.

But how did Boyan do this? He started telling people about his idea on the Internet and asking for help. Eventually, he raised £1.57 million! He also set up a charity called Ocean Cleanup, which now has over 80 engineers, scientists and environmental experts who are all working to change the planet for good.

Boyan shows us that we can make a difference and help protect the planet, no matter how big the problem is. With hard work, fundraising and a good idea, it's never too late to help Planet Earth!

2. Read the article and decide if each of the statements (1–5) is T (true), F (false) or DS (doesn’t say).

(Đọc bài báo và quyết định xem mỗi khẳng định (1–5) là T (đúng), F (sai) hay DS (không nói).)

1. Boyan Slat invented System 600/B. _______

2. Boyan used recycled materials to make his machine. ________

3. The machine uses ocean currents and wind to move. _______

4. Boyan asked for help online to raise money. ________

5. Boyan believes hard work is more important than fundraising. ________

3. Read the article again and correct the sentences.

(Đọc lại bài báo và sửa lại các câu.)

1. The Great Pacific Garbage Patch is between South Korea and Japan.

 __________________________________________________________

 2. Boyan’s machine is used to clean pipes.

 __________________________________________________________

 3. System 001/B takes waste to land every 6–8 weeks.

 __________________________________________________________

 4. 80 engineers work for Ocean Cleanup.

 __________________________________________________________

1. a) Read the paragraph. What is it about?

(Đọc đoạn văn. Nó nói về cái gì?)

How to protect the natural environment - by Nat Johnson

Using renewable resources and reducing emissions are the two effective ways to protect our natural environment. To start with, we can use renewable resources of energy such as solar, wind or water power instead of burning fossil fuels. By doing this, we can reduce the pollution that burning fossil fuels produces and protect our natural resources. Furthermore, it would be a good idea to reduce emissions by leaving our cars at home and use public transport. We could also use bikes or walk to work or school. As a result, air quality will improve and car emissions will decrease, making our cities healthier and cleaner. To sum up, we should use renewable resources of energy and reduce emissions. By doing so, we can help our precious Earth.