Tiếng anh chuyên ngành 2 listening unit 1

UNIT 1: ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES A. WARM-UP ACTIVITIES
1. News round-ups: Talk about the latest breaking news in the world/region/country.
2. Discussion: In pairs/groups, share with your partner(s) your knowledge and
ideas about the following keywords.
Air pollution / Fossil fuels / Climate change / Greenhouse gas emissions /
Extreme temperatures / Microplastics / Health implications / Policy changes /
Global adaptation / Environmental sustainability
3. Mind map: In groups, create a mind map of the topic Environmental Issues.
Use keywords, images, and colours to visually represent and organize the ideas.
4. Actions: What should be done to deal with these issues? Complete the
following table with your partner(s). Change partners and share what you have written. 1 Issues What should be done? Air pollution Extreme temperatures Microplastics
5. Collocations: Write down as many collocations of the following words as possible. ● Pollution ● Climate ● Health
Share your collocations with your partner(s) and talk about their meaning. 2
B. PRE-LISTENING ACTIVITIES
1. Definition match: Match the following words/ phrases taken from the pieces
of news with their definitions. 1. cell death (n)
a. long-term immune response causing
persistent tissue damage or dysfunction 2. chronic
b. a secondary disease or condition inflammation (n)
aggravating an already existing one 3. microplastics (n)
c. the process by which cells cease to function and break down 4. a complication (n)
d. a prolonged period of abnormally hot weather 5. cardiac tissue (n)
e. the blood circulating through the body of a person or animal. 6. heatwave (n) f.
the muscle and structures that make up the heart 7. the mercury (n)
g. extremely small pieces of plastic debris 8. bloodstream (n) h. the temperature
2. Synonym match: Match the following words/ phrases taken from the pieces
of news with their synonyms. 1. ubiquity (n) a. widespread 2. shatter-proof (adj) b. boost actions 3 3. prevalent (adj) c. particle 4. step up efforts d. durable 5. shard (n) e. amass 6. doomed (adj) f. omnipresence 7. accumulate (v) g. threaten 8. jeopardize (v) h. assured
3. Phrase match: Match the words/ phrases in the two columns to make
meaningful phrases. In some cases, more than one choice is possible. 1. record hot a. alerts 2. heat b. weather 3. extreme c. waste 4. environmental d. policy 5. insurance e. damage 6. plastic f. treaty 7. global 4
C. WHILE-LISTENING ACTIVITIES
1. True/False: Before listening to the news, guess whether the following
statements are True (T) or False (F). Then listen ONCE and check your answers. True False Piece 1
1. Microplastics were found in the human heart for the first time.
2. The scientists collected cardiac tissue samples from 25 patients.
3. Scientists estimate that the average person consumes
around 10 grams of microplastics a week. Piece 2
4. The UN weather agency warned that extreme
temperatures are becoming the new normal.
5. People are choosing to go to hotter countries instead of
traditional hotspots like Spain and Italy.
6. In Death Valley, California, the temperature was
53.9ºC during the extreme heatwave. Piece 3 5
7. Representatives from 175 nations met in South Korea
to discuss the issue of plastic pollution.
8. The U.N. Secretary-General said plastic pollution is a minor environmental issue.
9. Antonio Guterres warned that by 2050, there could be
more plastic than fish in the ocean.
2. Suitable headings: Listen and choose the suitable heading for each piece of
news. Check your answers with your partner(s). Piece 1
a. Plastic's Silent Threat: Microplastics Detected in Human Hearts
b. The Rise of Microplastics: A Decade-Long Environmental Concern
c. Microplastics and Their Impact: A Global Health Crisis Unveiled Piece 2
a. Europe's Summer Scorch: Heatwave Alerts and Travel Changes
b. Global Warming Impact: Extreme Temperatures Hit Record Highs
c. Record-Breaking Heatwaves: The New Normal According to the UN Piece 3
a. Fossil Fuel Dangers: WHO's Urgent Call for Cleaner Energy
b. Global Air Crisis: WHO Reveals Alarming Pollution Levels
c. Worldwide Urgency: WHO's Recommendations for Clean Air Solutions
3. Main ideas: State the main idea of each piece of news in one sentence. 6 Piece 1
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4. Gap filling: Listen and fill in each gap with no more than 5 words. Piece 1
While many of us are aware of the environmental damage done by plastic,
fewer people know about the threat from the (1) …………………………
Scientists first found them in our bodies more than a decade ago. Worryingly, researchers have now found them in (2)
.................................................................................... Scientists at the Beijing
Anzhen Hospital in China collected (3) ........................................ from 15
patients undergoing heart surgery. After analyzing the samples, they discovered tiny pieces of plastic, from a (4)
.............................................................................................. They included a
plastic commonly used as a shatter-proof alternative to glass, a polythene
widely used in clothing and food containers, and a polyvinyl chloride used in construction.
The scientists reported finding, "tens to thousands of (5) ........................... in
most tissue samples". (6) .............................. are released into the body,
potentially leading to allergic reactions, cancer, cell death, and chronic 7
inflammation, among other complications. Scientists reckon the average person
consumes around five grams of microplastics a week, or 52,000 particles a year. Microplastics are so prevalent that they make up (7)
.................................................... of dust particles in our homes. Scientists say
these tiny shards are near-impossible to remove from the body. They say it is
(8) ..................................................................... to limit the amount of plastic we
breathe in, ingest, swallow or absorb.
(Breaking News, 7th April 2022)
5. Comprehension questions: Listen and answer the following questions. Piece 2
1. What did scientists say about climate change, according to the news report?
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2. What types of extreme weather have many countries been experiencing?
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3. What impact did extreme weather have on society, according to the United Nations spokesperson?
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4. What advice did the United Nations spokesperson give to adapt to the "new
normal" of extreme temperatures?
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5. What changes in travel patterns were highlighted due to extreme heat?
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(Breaking News, 20th July 2023) Piece 3
1. What was the purpose of the treaty, as mentioned in the news report?
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2. How serious is the plastic pollution in the world today, according to U.N.
Secretary-General Antonio Guterres?
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3. What was the warning given by U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres in the news report?
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4. What did the the president of South Korea comment? 9
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(Breaking News, 28th November 2024)
6. News reproduction: Listen and take notes of each piece of news. Use any
short forms, abbreviations, signs, symbols to ease your writing. Then reproduce
each piece of news, using your notes. Piece 2
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D. POST-LISTENING ACTIVITIES
1. Vocabulary recall: Look at the words below. With your partner(s), try to
recall how they were used in each piece of news. ubiquity omnipresence record hot weather shatter-proof durable heat alerts prevalent assured extreme weather inflammation amass threaten shard scorcher environmental damage heatwave consume jeopardize mercury fragment accumulate temp doomed
2. Collocations & expressions: Fill in the blanks with suitable words to make
appropriate collocations. climate change energy security environmental damage plastic waste step up effort record hot weather heat alerts extreme weather plastic pollution
1. Last summer, we experienced ……………………………………………,
with temperatures soaring above 40 degrees Celsius.
2. The meteorological department issued …………………………
………………… as the city braced for an upcoming heatwave. 12
3. …………………………………………… events, such as hurricanes and
droughts, are becoming more frequent due to climate change.
4. Reducing ………………………………………… requires a combination
of government policies and individual responsibility. 5. The industrial plant was responsible for significant
……………………………………………, polluting the nearby river and air.
6. …………………………………………… is a top priority for nations,
especially as they seek alternatives to fossil fuels.
7. Countries around the world need to ………………………………………
to combat climate change and its effects.
8. …………………………………………… poses a serious threat to
biodiversity and ecosystems, requiring urgent global action.
9. Innovative solutions are needed to address the growing problem of
………………………………………… globally.
3. Summary: Summarize the main points of each piece of news, using your own words. E. EXTENDED ACTIVITIES
1. Further discussion: Express your opinion on the following topics and
provide justification for your answer.
● How can regulations to control the presence of microplastics be implemented effectively?
● What are potential economic and social consequences for countries experiencing heatwaves? 13
● What are challenges of transitioning to cleaner energy sources in both
developed and developing countries?
2. Vocabulary extension: Choose several of the words from the news. Build up
more associations/collocations of each word.
3. Information search: Search the Internet and find out more about
Environmental Issues. Share what you have discovered with your partner(s) in the next lesson.
4. Mini presentation: In groups, prepare a mini presentation on Environmental Issues.
5. Essay: Write a 150-word essay about Environmental Issues. Exchange your
work with your partners and give comments. 14