I.Le vocabulaire
La protection de l’environnement
Les problèmes écologiques
- pollution : la pollution
- to pollute : polluer ; polluted : pollué.
Ex. : Oceans are polluted. Les océans sont pollués.
- the environment : l’environnement ; environmental issues : problèmes écologiques.
Ex. : Environmental issues are the priority of the Greens. Les problèmes écologiques sont la priorité des Verts.
- an oil refinery : une raffinerie de pétrole
- a nuclear power plant : une centrale nucléaire
- chemical industries : les industries chimiques
- chemical fertilisers : les engrais chimiques
- household rubbish : les ordures ménagères
- industrial waste : les déchets industriels
Les différentes pollutions
- water pollution : la pollution de l’eau
- an oil spill/ a black tide : une marée noire
- endangered species : des espèces en danger
- to become extinct : être en voie de
Ex. : Some species may well become extinct by the end of the century. Certaines espèces pourraient bien disparaître d’ici la fin du siècle.
- air pollution : la pollution de l’air
- acid rains : les pluies
Ex. : Acid rains are caused by the smoke from factories : Les pluies acides sont dues aux fumées des usines.
- the ozone layer : la couche d’ozone.
Ex. : Chemicals are responsible for the hole in the ozone layer. Les produits chimiques sont responsables du trou dans la couche d’ozone.
- the greenhouse effect : l’effet de serre
Ex. : The greenhouse effect is the consequence of the heat trapped by pollution. L’effet de serre est la conséquence de l’emprisonnement de la chaleur par la pollution.
- global warming : le réchauffement de la planète
- to alter weather patterns : modifier les climats
Ex. : Global warming alters weather patterns. Le réchauffement de la planète entraîne une modification des climats.
Les solutions
- preservation : la sauvegarde
- the ecological balance : l’équilibre écologique
- an awareness-building campaign: une campagne de
Ex. : The environmentalists have launched an awareness-building campaign in favour of the preservation of whales. Les défenseurs de l’environnement ont lancé une campagne de sensibilisation pour la sauvegarde des baleines.
- to develop alternative energy sources : développer des sources d’énergie
- to ban traffic : interdire la
Ex. : One of the solutions would be either to develop alternative energy sources or to ban traffic altogether. Une des solutions consisterait soit à développer des sources d’énergie alternative, soit à interdire complètement la circulation.
- to be ozone-friendly : être sans danger pour la couche d’ozone.
Ex. : An ozone-friendly aerosol. Un aérosol sans danger pour la couche d’ozone.
II.Les questions d'expression types
Explain why the protection of animals has become such a popular Don’t you think such militancy can lead to some excesses?
- The protection of animals has become a very popular
- People are more conscious of the problem thanks to awareness- building campaigns led by environmentalist
- The role of the media is also essential: pictures of whales or elephants being slaughtered are everywhere in the papers, on
- This may be due as well to movies dealing with the issue of endangered species, such as Gorilla in the mist.
- Nevertheless it is true that such militancy can sometimes lead to
- It can lead to a kind of witch-hunt against people wearing fur, or hunters for
- Some environmentalists are in favour of banning hunting. However it is undeniable that hunting contributes to the ecological balance, since some species are too numerous compared to
- Therefore, as with any type of militancy, the protection of animals has to remain reasonable in order to avoid excessive
Do you think teenagers nowadays are more aware of the state of the planet? What are they willing to do to protect it?
- Teenagers are more aware of the state of the planet than their parents, thanks to the role played by the
- We can see in the papers, on television, on the internet, images of the state of the planet, of species threatened of extinction, of seas drying
- Teenagers are therefore often willing to contribute to the preservation of the
- Most of them willingly perform simple gestures, such as sorting out the waste, not letting the water run while brushing their
- Some teenagers get more actively involved and take part in the cleaning of beaches and ski resorts after the holydays
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