Unit 4 Global Warming

Brain-storm: put the students into groups of four and discuss the following questions:

• 1. What do we use energy for?

• 2. What are the sources of energy?

• 3. What sources are renewable and what are non-renewable?

Lights, heating, and all kinds of electric equipment use energy

•1. What do we use energy for?

a coal powerstation

non-renewable

coal

wind power renewable

oil non-renewable

solar-energy renewable

Sources of energy Renewable /non-renewable

uranium (nuclear energy)

water (hydro-electric power)

plant waste (biomass energy)

hot springs or geysers

the sea (tidal energy)

natural gas

non-renewable

renewable

renewable

renewable

renewable

non-renewable

1.What is global warming?

2. How has this come about?

3.What are the effects of global warming?

Discuss the following questions:

1.What is global warming?

The earth is becoming warmer

2. How has this come about?

Human activity—burning of fossil fuelsGreenhouse effect—greenhouse gases

—we need gasesHuge quantities of extra carbon dioxide

3. What are the effects of global warming?

The sea level to rise, severe storms, droughts, famines, the spread of diseases, and the destruction of species.

Look at the magazine title quickly and try tofind out : how is the text organized?

It has a title; a first paragraph that is in bold;the main text; diagram; two quotes.

1. Who wrote the magazine article? What is the name of the magazine?2. What are names of the three scientists mentioned in the text?3. What do they think about global warming?4. What are the two graphs about?5. What is the main topic of the article?

Read the text and answer the questions:

1. Who wrote the magazine article? What is the name of the magazine?

Sophie Armstrong

The name of the magazine is Earth Care.

2. What are names of the three scientists mentioned in the text?

They are Dr. Janice Foster, Charles Keeling and George Hambley.

3. What do they think about global warming? Do they agree with one another?

They don't agree with each other. Dr. Janice Foster thinks the effects could be very serious. George Hambley thinks global warming will be mild with few bad environmental consequences. Charles Keeling believes it is the burning of more and more fossil fuels that is resulting in a big increase in carbon dioxide.

4. What are the two graphs about?

Graph 1 shows the temperature increase of one degree Fahrenheit between 1860 to 2000.Graph 2 is about the carbon dioxide content in the atmosphere, 1957--1997.

5. What is the main topic of the article?

global warming/ the warming of the earth.

Read the text carefully and sum up the main idea of each part.

Part one: ( para1 )Introduce a debate over the issue of global warming .

Part two: ( para2-3 )

Illustrate (explain) how global warming comes about.

Part three: ( para4-8 )List two different attitudes among scientists towards global warming

Part four: ( para9 )It’s up to readers to think and decide whether people should do something about global warming or not .

What skills are used in the four parts?Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

using a question, leaving readers to think over the issue

giving examples ,making contrast (comparison)

giving examples ,using graphs, explanation

raising a question

Listen to the tape. Are the followingstatements true or false?If it is true, write a “T”. If it is false, write a “F”.And then explain why it is false.

1 The temperature last century didn’t increase much .

2 Everyone believes that global warming is caused by the activities of humans.

3 Janice Foster believes that global warming is caused by burning fossil fuels .

4 Natural gas is a greenhouse gas .

5 Carbon dioxide is a byproduct

of burning fossil fuels.

F

F

T

F

T

6 People accept Charles Keeling’s data because he took accurate measurements .

7 Flooding could be one of the effects of future global warming .

8 George Hambley believes scientists are just guessing about the effects of global warming .

9 George Hambley is worried about the effects of carbon dioxide on plant growth .

10 It is clear what the effects of global warming will be .

T

T

T

F

F

The earth is becoming warmer, in your opinion, does it matter? If it does, as a student, what can you do about it?

Discussion: