S3 English Language

Unit 5 – Think before you shop (Responsible Shopping)

Continued

Task 3 – Reading Comprehension

Read the following speech by a student called Chris Wong and then answer the questions

that follow. (Adapted from English Longman English Edge, p.17)

Good morning, Mrs. Law and fellow classmates.

[1] We all love to go shopping and buy new things. But did you know

that very few products are Fairtrade-certified? In this speech, I

would like to tell you about a computer bag I bought recently. I

purchased it from a Fairtrade stall run by a non-government

organization (NGO). I think it is a very ethical product.

[2] Firstly, the bag is environmentally friendly. It’s made from organic

cotton, which means no pesticides were used in the production. The

material is also biodegradable, which means it can break down

naturally and safely in the landfill.

[3] Another reason why this is an ethical product is that it’s a

Fairtrade-certified product. This means all the people involved in the

production were treated and paid fairly. No child labourers or animal

cruelty are involved in the production.

[4] In short, my bag is an ethical product because it’s good for both

the environment and the people who made it.

[5] Finally, I highly recommend that you make an effort to shop

ethically. For example, we should avoid impulse buying because we

may end up buying things that are useless. As a result, we may

create more waste. Instead, we should buy things that are

environmentally friendly such as things that are made from organic,

natural, biodegradable and recyclable materials.

Opening

Introduction:

What you bought,

and from where.

First reason why

the product is

ethical

Second reason why

it is ethical

Transition

Call on students to

be responsible

shoppers

[6] It’s time that we changed our shopping habits and saved the

environment. Thank you for listening.

Conclusion

Reading Comprehension

Paragraph 1

1. What is the purpose of the speech?

_______________________________________________________________________.

2. What does ‘ethical product’ in the last sentence refer to?

_______________________________________________________________________.

Paragraph 2

3. According to paragraph 2, why does Chris Wong think that his bag is an ethical product?

_______________________________________________________________________.

4. When Chris Wong throws away the computer bag, do you think it will harm the

environment? Explain.

_______________________________________________________________________.

Paragraph 3-4

5. Complete the sentence below.

A Fairtrade-certified product means that ___________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________.

Paragraph 5

6. What recommendations does Chris Wong give to his fellow classmates about a

responsible shopping habit?

a. We should avoid ____________________________________________________.

b. We should not create ________________________________________________.

c. We should buy ______________________________________________________.

7. Fill in the blanks with appropriate adjectives from paragraph 5.

a. __________________ products are those that can break down naturally and safely.

b. When we produce something out of _______________ materials, it will help reduce

wastes.

c. Examples of _______________ resources are cotton, rocks and wood.

d. Some farmers do not like using pesticides, they prefer growing _________________

crops.

Task 4 – Writing Practice

Your teacher wants you to write a speech to encourage students to be a responsible

shopper. In the speech, you should introduce ONE ethical product that you bought. At the

end of the speech, you should give some suggestions on how to shop ethically.

Use the follow outline to help you. Write your speech in the writing paper.

1. What ethical

product did you

buy?

Where did you buy

it?

2. Why is it ethical?

(First reason)

e.g. Does it involve

animal cruelty?

Does it use child

labourers? Is it

made of green

materials?

3. (Second reason)

4. Transition In short, my ______________ is an ethical product because

_______________________ and _______________________.

5. How to shop

ethically

Uniform Dictation

A. Vocabulary/phrases (30 marks)

1. responsible shopper 2. impulse buyer 3. emotional shopping

4. mindful shopper 5. ethical shopper 6. bargain

7. high carbon footprint 8. good-quality products 9. organic goods

10.Fairtrade-certified 11. child labourer 12. involve animal cruelty

13. biodegradable 14. recyclable 15. environmentally friendly

B. Sentences (20 marks)

1. I highly recommend that you think carefully before you buy new clothing.

2. I hope you will decide to purchase products that will help people live better lives.

3. It is about time that governments took action to stop child labour.

4. The sooner you become a responsible shopper, the better.

C. Passage (50 marks)

Today, I’d like to tell you about my new computer bag. It is an ethical product because it is

environmentally friendly. It’s made from organic cotton, which means no pesticides were

used in the production. The material used is also biodegradable.

Second, it’s a Fairtrade-certified product. This means all the people involved in the

production were treated and paid fairly. No child labourers or animal cruelty are involved in

the production.

To be a responsible buyer, we should not buy things impulsively and cut down on

consumption.

1

S3 English Language

Unit 7 – Protect our Wildlife

Name: ___________________ Class: ______ ( ) Teacher: _______

Vocabulary Overview

1. animals in danger 2. endangered species 3. habitat loss

4. poaching 5. pollution 6. global warming

7. overfishing 8. trade in wildlife parts

and products

9. urbanization

10. illegal logging 11. conserve 12. conservation

13. preserve 14. extinct 15. extinction

16. absolutely 17. completely 18. extremely

19. intensely 20. fairly 21. rather

Task 1 – Vocabulary Building

1. While of the following animals are in danger? Circle them.

African elephant gold fish shark black rhino

monkey (Atlantic) bluefin tuna gorilla orangutan

kangaroo ostrich giant panda Bengal tiger

polar bear golden coin turtle snow leopard lion

2. Below are the reasons why the above animals are in danger. Match the reasons with

their descriptions.

1. Habitat loss

2. Poaching

3. Global warming

4. Overfishing

5. Illegal logging

___

___

___

___

___

a. Animals lose their homes because of urbanization,

which means many forests have been turned into

cities.

b. Hunters kill the animals illegally for their furs and

body parts.

c. Loggers cut down the trees in conservation areas

because of the increasing demand for wood-made

products and papers.

d. Some marine species are targeted by the fishermen

because of their value in the catering industry.

e. The extreme weather conditions cause some

animals hard to survive.

2

Task 2 – Reading Comprehension 1

Read the following speech about animals in danger and answer the questions that follow.

Hello to you all! My name is Debbie Morgan. I am a zoologist and I work to preserve and

save endangered species. These animals are in danger because of the changes in climate

(global warming), poaching, habitat loss, overfishing, urbanization and illegal logging.

I have just come back from the World Conservation Congress in Hawaii. Do you know that

one of the last male white rhino has just died? Here are some estimates for some very

emblematic animals:

There are only about 700 mountain gorillas left, 2,000 giant pandas, between 2,000 and

3,000 Bengal tigers, between 7,000 and 10,000 cheetahs, about 130 condors, less than 50

Amur leopards, between 4,000 and 6,600 snow leopards and about 7,000 orangutans.

Besides that, 80% of the population of the white shark has disappeared in less than 15 years,

80% of the population of the Irrawaddy dolphin has disappeared in the last 50 years. The

Chinese dolphin disappeared in 2006, the giant Pinta tortoise in 2012, 50% of the Asian

elephants were exterminated in one century. Many species are nearly extinct in the wild

and can only be seen in zoos!!

With the ice disappearing at the poles, polar bears are threatened (there are only between

20,000 and 25,000 left). Elephants are killed for the ivory of their tusks, their meat or body

parts (only 350,000 are still alive in Africa), rhinos are killed just for their horns as well,

which are reduced to powder and supposed to have medical power. Big cats are killed for

their fur, or hunted in safaris for fun! Cecil the most famous lion in Zimbabwe was killed by a

Minnesota dentist during a safari!!!! The destruction of big forests leads to the death of

many species of animals and plants. And what about whales?? Even the bees are dying

massively because of too many pesticides and don’t forget that if they do disappear, men

will follow soon after. So it is our responsibility to do our best to preserve the biodiversity of

our planet!!

Source: ISLCOLLECTIVE Website

3

1. What type of writing is the above text?

a. An article

b. A survey report

c. A letter

d. A speech

2. Who is speaking? What’s her job ? ____________________________________________

3. What is it about?

________________________________________________________________________

4. What are the factors (reasons) which explain why some animals are fast disappearing?

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

5. What are the most endangered animals? ______________________________________

6. Why are Polar bears in danger?

________________________________________________________________________

7. Why are elephants killed?

________________________________________________________________________

8. Why are rhinos killed?

________________________________________________________________________

9. Complete the following grid with names of animals in the text and the numbers given for

each of them.

NAMES

OF

ANIMALS

NUMBERS

4

Task 3 – Research about an endangered species

https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/directory?direction=desc&sort=extinction_status

Go online and search for the information about one endangered species and complete the

table below.

Which endangered

animal do you want

to write about?

e.g. orangutan, bluefin tuna, blue whale, red panda

What do I know

about the animal?

Population:

Size:

Colour:

Habitat:

Food:

What is the threat?

(e.g. loss of habitat,

overfishing, poaching,

illegal logging,

pollution)

What can be done to

help this animal?

(see next page)

Task 4 – Helping the endangered animals

Mr. Thomson works in an animal conservation centre. He has received some questions

raised by some students in the centre’s website. Help him complete the forum using the

5

phrases in the box.

impose strict penalties collaboration educate the public

deter poachers debunk the beliefs make a concerted effort

Question 1: Sharks are ruthlessly slaughtered for their fins because as part of the Chinese culture, people

love to consume shark fin soup in wedding banquets. How can we reduce the consumption of sharkfin

soup?

Answer: Chinese people should 1. ____________________________ that shark fin soup means ‘affluence’

in wedding. They should replace shark fin soup with other delicacies such as crabmeat soup.

*********************************************************************************************************************************

Question 2: African elephants are killed for their tusks, which are then used for ivory products. What can

the government do to reduce the killing?

Answer: Governments should ban ivory trade in order to stop all ivory production. They should

2. ___________________________________ on traders who sell or buy ivory products. Offenders should

be put behind bars.

**********************************************************************************************************************************

Question 3:The population of orangutans is declining because people turn the forests into farmlands.

What should be done to help orangutans?

Answer: Governments should 3. _________________________ about the importance of conserving the

forests because there are many valuable resources in there. They should raise the farmers’ awareness of

conservation.

********************************************************************************************************************************

Question 4: Many Humpback whales have been poached by Japanese fishermen as their meat is sold at a

higher price. How can we prevent illegal poaching?

Answer: There should be closer 4. _________________ between

countries to ban Japanese fish boats from poaching humpback

whales in their waters. The countries should impose heavy fines

on the fishermen who enter their waters illegally in order to

5. ____________________________.

*********************************************************************************************************************************

Question 5: Polar bears reply on sea ice to access their prey, rest and breed. However, because of the

6

climate change, sea ice is fast-melting. Polar bears can hardly find any food and many of them died of

drowning. How can we help them?

Answer: We should 6. ______________________ to fight against global warming. For instance, we can

cut down on the consumption of energy and use public transports.

Task 5 – Reading (Letter to the Editor)

Read the letter to the Editor on p.57 in your book and answer the questions below.

Paragraph 1

1. What is the purpose of the letter?

____________________________________________________________________

2. Complete the table.

Animals in danger:

Population:

Threat:

Paragraph 2

3. What do the governments do to protect black rhinos?

________________________________________________________________________

4. What two examples does the writer give to explain how the governments help protect

black rhinos?

a. In Zambia ____________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________.

b. In Kanya, ____________________________________________________________.

5. *What does the writer think about Kanya’s action?

_______________________________________________________________________.

Paragraph 3

7

6. What does the writer think is the most effective way to stop illegal poaching of black

rhinos?

________________________________________________________________________

________________________________________________________________________

7. What does it mean when the writer says, ‘the healing power of rhino horn is no more

than that of fingernails’?

It means that rhino horn has ____________ value.

Paragraph 4

8. Complete the summary of paragraph 4 below. Fill in each blank with only ONE word.

Many people hold a ______________ belief that rhino horn has major healing power.

However, it is because of people’s ________________ and _____________ that black rhinos

are going __________________. In fact, their relatives, the western black rhinos, already

________________ out in 2011. We should take immediate actions to prevent poaching

such as imposing __________________ penalties on poachers.

Task 6 – Writing

8

Write a letter to the editor to express your concern about ONE endangered animal. Use the

following questions to help you.

What is the purpose of

your letter?

What threats do the

animals face?

How many of them are

left?

I am writing to express my concern about __________________

____________________________________________________

First suggestion:

What should be done

to protect the animals?

(see Task 4)

Second suggestion:

What should be done

to protect the animals?

(see Task 4)

Conclusion:

What would happen if

we didn’t take actions

now?

Uniform Dictation

9

A. Vocabulary/phrases (30 marks)

1. animals in danger 2. endangered species 3. habitat loss

4. poaching 5. pollution 6. global warming

7. overfishing 8. trade in wildlife parts and

products

9. urbanization

10. illegal logging 11. conserve 12. conservation

13. preserve 14. extinct 15. extinction

B. Sentences (20 marks)

1. It is obvious that better education on the issue of ivory trade is needed.

2. It is shameful to see Hong Kong playing an active role in the ivory trade.

3. It is not easy for conservationists to convince people that eating shark’s fin is harmful to

the environment.

4. It is brave of the conservationists to stand up to the poachers.

C. Passage (50 marks)

Thanks to the growing demand for rhino horn, increasing numbers of black rhinos have died

an early death in recent years, leaving a mere 5,000 in the wild.

To put an end to this brutal practice and help conserve the black rhino, it is essential that

governments impose strict penalties on poachers.

Also, the governments should educate the public and debunk their false belief that rhino

horn has medicinal values.