People and Environment

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VOCABULARY (People and Environment—Whale Hunting)

Read each sentence with a partner. Write what you think each word means next to the word.

Battle ___________________________________________________
The battle between the countries lasted for 7 years.

Environmentalist ___________________________________________
Ted is an environmentalist. He tries to protect the lakes and rivers in our country.

Hunt ___________________________________________________
Some people hunt deer and turtles for food.

Cattle __________________________________________________
A farmer raises cattle so he can sell the meat for profit.

Slaughter_______________________________________________
A cow must be slaughtered before you can eat it.

Endangered _____________________________________________
Whales and pandas are examples of endangered animals.

Tribe _________________________________________________
There are many different tribes in the Amazon. These groups have different traditions and beliefs.

Point of view ___________________________________________
My point of view is smoking is an unhealthy habit.

Cruel ________________________________________________
Throwing rocks at dogs and cats is cruel behavior.

Support _____________________________________________
My family supports most of my decisions about my life.

Listening for Main Ideas and Details. (Adapted from Focus on Grammar 5A, Jay Maurer, Pearson-Longman)

Read the statements. Then listen to the conversation between the husband and a wife.

1. According to the husband, the newspaper is on the side of ________.
A. the Indians
B. the environmentalists

2. Whose point of view does he think is ignored?
A. the Indians'
B. the environmentalists

3. The husband supporst the view of __________.
A. the Indians
B. the environmentalists

4. The wife supports the view of ____________.
A. the Indians
B. the environmentalists

5. The issue is whether ___________ can hunt whales.
A. one particular group of Indians
B. all Indians

6. The husband is in favor of allowing hunting because ________________.
A. it will reduce the surplus of whales
B. it will allow the Indians to support themselves

7. The wife thinks it's cruel to hunt _____________.
A. some whales
B. all whales

8. She says __________ animals are raised for food.
A. all
B. some

9. The wife thinks it's acceptable to use __________ animals for food.
A. all
B. some

10. The wife thinks _______are intelligent.
A. some whales
B. all whales




ROLE-PLAY
Dialogue: Read aloud in pairs.

A: What do you think of whale-hunting?

B: I'm completely against it.

A: But if you lived in a tribe near the sea, you'd think differently.

B: I doubt it. People who hunt really enjoy killing for sport. Besides, it's such a cruel way to kill them.

A: Do you really think so? Once the hunter spears or shoots the whale, death is fairly quick.

B: You seem to forget that whales are an endangered species. They are also huge animals. If farmers really need to kill whales, why don't they just shoot only one at a time? Then there'd be far less damage to the ecological balance of the ocean.

A: But whale-hunting is part of tribal life. It's one of the traditions.

B: That's beside the point. Dog fighting and cock fighting were traditions and so was slavery before we became a more civilized society by making these things illegal.

NOW, create your own dialogue with a partner based on an environmental problem YOU care about. Practice it ALOUD with your partner. Try to memorize it.

A: What do you think of ­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­­__________________?

B: I'm completely against it.

A: But if ______________________________, you'd think differently.

B: I doubt it. _____________________________. Besides,
_____________________________.

A: Do you really think so? ____________________________________________________.

B: You seem to forget that ____________________________________________ If _____________________, why don't they just ________________________?

A: But __________________________________________________________.

B: That's beside the point. _______________________________________________________.


ANIMAL RIGHTS
Discussion questions

1. Many vegetarians believe that factory farming is a cruel and unnecessary
practice and that our diets would be healthier if we ate less meat.
Do you agree?

2. Animal rights protesters argue that the export of live animals for
slaughter is uncivilized and should be prohibited under international
law. Do you agree?

3. "Keeping animals in zoos and circuses to entertain human-beings is
selfish and inhumane." Do you agree?

4. Bullfighting, fox-hunting and whale-hunting are part of some
countries’ traditions. Do you think that Spain, England and Japan
have a right to continue these traditions?

5. "The British spend far too much money on household pets. They
would do better to have fewer cats and dogs and to use the money to
help poor and hungry people." What do you think?

6. Would you ever wear a fur coat?

7. Is it right to use animals for medical research or to test cosmetics?