Unit 24: Global Issues

Expanding Tactics for Listening, 3rd Edition » Unit 24: Global Issues

Word List

attracted
available
believe
bombs
chemicals
dumping
expect
farmers
fighting
freeways
garbage
glamorous
housing
huge
image
industries
issue
landfills
low (salary)
mayor
megacities
move (to a new city)
overpopulation
pollution
poverty
salaries
unemployment
upward
waste
air pollution
a growing problem
destruction of the rain forests
difficult to find
global warming
find work
focus on (doing something)
health care
high-rise buildings
in reality
make a living
no longer
places to live
public transportation
spend more on (something)
sports magazines
That's why...
the country
the only solution
water pollution
What we really have to do is...

Vocabulary Worksheet

‣ Use the words in the box to complete the crossword puzzle.

a. pollution
b. poverty
c. issue
d. bombs
e. chemicals
f. freeways
g. garbage
h. landfills
i. megacities

ACROSS	DOWN
1. exploding devices _____	2. an important topic _____
4. harmful substances in the air and water _____	3. solid or liquid materials that can be unsafe (often found in industrial waste) _____
5. waste material _____	4. the state of being very poor _____
7. large roads for fast traffic _____	6. extremely large cities _____
8. places to bury waste _____

Answer Key

How important are these issues to you? Check (x) your answers and compare them with a partner.

	Very important	Somewhat important	Not important
air pollution	_____	_____	_____
water pollution	_____	_____	_____
crime	_____	_____	_____
global warming	_____	_____	_____
overpopulation	_____	_____	_____
poverty	_____	_____	_____
unemployment	_____	_____	_____
other: ___	_____	_____	_____

Listening 1

Listening 1 ‣ People are talking about issues. Which issue do they think is most important right now? Listen and circle the correct answer.

- a. water pollution
- b. air pollution
- a. unemployment
- b. crime
- a. public transportation
- b. housing
- a. government
- b. unemployment
- a. public transportation
- b. unemployment
- a. education
- b. health

Listening 2

‣ Task 1

What issues are these people talking about? Listen and circle the correct answer.

- a. air pollution
- b. water pollution
- c. overpopulation
- a. global warming
- b. water pollution
- c. unemployment
- a. poverty
- b. overpopulation
- c. war
- a. crime
- b. traffic
- c. air pollution
- a. air pollution
- b. garbage
- c. unemployment
- a. housing
- b. poverty
- c. crime

‣ Task 2

Listen again. Are these statements true or false? Check (x) the correct answer.

	True	False
1. He wants to be the mayor of his city.	⁽¹⁾	⁽²⁾
2. She's going to move to Chicago.	⁽³⁾_____	⁽⁴⁾_____
3. He reads a lot of sports magazines.	⁽⁵⁾_____	⁽⁶⁾_____
4. She bought a new car.	⁽⁷⁾_____	⁽⁸⁾_____
5. She buys less packaged food, like frozen dinners.	⁽⁹⁾_____	⁽¹⁰⁾_____
6. He moved to a small apartment downtown.	⁽¹¹⁾_____	⁽¹²⁾_____

Listening 3

‣ Task 1

Listen to a talk on very large cities, or "megacities." Why do people move from the country to megacities? Listen and check (x) the reasons you hear.

	Reason	Not a reason
1. They want to find work.	⁽¹⁾	⁽²⁾
2. They want to be farmers.	⁽³⁾_____	⁽⁴⁾_____
3. They think salaries will be higher.	⁽⁵⁾_____	⁽⁶⁾_____
4. They think the work will be easier.	⁽⁷⁾_____	⁽⁸⁾_____
5. They think the people will be friendly.	⁽⁹⁾_____	⁽¹⁰⁾_____
6. They think city life will be glamorous.	⁽¹¹⁾_____	⁽¹²⁾_____
7. They want to be on television.	⁽¹³⁾_____	⁽¹⁴⁾_____
8. They want better health care.	⁽¹⁵⁾_____	⁽¹⁶⁾_____

‣ Task 2

Listen again. Are these statements true or false? Check (x) the correct answer.

	True	False
1. Jobs are often difficult to find in megacities.	⁽¹⁾	⁽²⁾
2. Salaries in megacities are very low.	⁽³⁾_____	⁽⁴⁾_____
3. Many people end up in huge, expensive houses.	⁽⁵⁾_____	⁽⁶⁾_____
4. Health care is much cheaper in megacities.	⁽⁷⁾_____	⁽⁸⁾_____
5. Air pollution is a problem in megacities.	⁽⁹⁾_____	⁽¹⁰⁾_____
6. The problems in megacities are becoming easier.	⁽¹¹⁾_____	⁽¹²⁾_____

✺ Pronunciation

Syllable stress in two-syllable nouns and verbs

Pronunciation Help

Some words can be used as both nouns and verbs. Syllable stress often changes between the noun and the verb form

‣ Task 1

Listen and repeat.

1. The man was íssued a fine for littering.
2. Pollution is an important íssue.
3. How can we decréase air pollution.
4. There's been a décrease in air pollution over the last year.
5. We prodúce too much trash in this country.
6. The próduce at the farmer's market looked so fresh!

‣ Task 2

Read the sentences to a partner. Be sure to stress the correct syllable in the noun or verb.

✺ Dictation

‣ Task 1

Listen to the conversation. Write the missing words.

A: There are ⁽¹⁾_____ ⁽²⁾_____ ⁽³⁾_____ in the world today.
B: I know. There's water pollution, air pollution, global warming, unemployment.
A: Yeah, and there's the destruction of the rain ⁽⁴⁾_____, ⁽⁵⁾_____ ⁽⁶⁾_____, housing shortages. It can get depressing if you think about it too much.
B: No kidding. What do you think the biggest issues are?
A: I really think air pollution is the most important issue. If we don't ⁽⁷⁾_____ ⁽⁸⁾_____ and improve air quality, we'll all have health problems.
B: I agree that air pollution is a ⁽⁹⁾_____ ⁽¹⁰⁾_____ . The air in the city has become so dirty.

‣ Task 2

Practice the conversation with a partner. Be sure to stress the correct syllable in the noun and verb.

✺ Conversation

Work in pairs. Think about a global issue that is very important to you. Describe it to your partner. Talk about solutions that will help.

Answer Key

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