Before You Read
A. Reading Maps. Look at the map of the Arctic. Use the information to
complete the text below.
Rising temperatures can cause changes to our planet. These changes
are most visible in the Arctic, where a large area of sea is usually
covered by ice. In 1980, scientists recorded that the Arctic's sea ice in
summer covered 1. million square kilometers (km2). By
2007, the area of sea ice had dropped to 2. million km2.
The ice came back a little (to 4.59 million km2) in 3. . But
by 2012, it had dropped even more, covering only 3.41 million km2•
Discuss your answers with a partner. What do you think the map looks like
now? What do you think it will look like in 2050?
B. Scan. The map above also shows the effects of global warming on great
rivers of ice called glaciers. When the glaciers are warmed, they move and
melt into the ocean. Scan pages 147-149. Find the names of two glaciers
mentioned in the reading passage.
146 Unit IDA
.AN
The Chacaltaya ski area sits upon a small mountain glacier A thaw happens when
in Bolivia. Although the area is less than a kilorheter long, something frozen warms and
it once hosted international ski competitions. lin the past melts. Most scientists agree
global warming is causing the
ten years, however, the snow has melted very ~uickly. As
Earth's great areas of ice and
5 Chacaltaya glacier melts, dark rocks are uncovered. These
snow to do just that.
rocks absorb more heat, causing the snow to Inelt faster. The
cycle seems unstoppable in the long run. Tod1y, the snow
is almost gone, and so are Chacaltaya's days a~ a popular ski
I
resort.
10 A Global Problem
In recent years, scientists all around the world have come
to a terrifying conclusion. Global warming is a ~eal problem,
and one largely caused by human activity. But ~s experts
I
debate how to solve the problem, ice in mountains such as
I 1 Someone who is pessimistic
15 Chacaltaya, and near the North and South Poles, is melting thinks that bad things are
I
faster than even the most pessimisticl environmentalists once going to happen.
I
Unit lOA 147
feared. Ten years ago, scientists warned that the Arctic Ocean
could lose all its ice in about a hundred years. Now, they think it
could happen much sooner. As climate scientist Mark Serreze puts
20 it," Reality is exceeding expectations."
Glacier Run
The ice sheet of Greenland is also melting more quickly than
scientists predicted. Its largest outlet glacier,2 Jakobshavn Isbrre, is
moving toward the sea faster than expected. In fact, the glacier
25 is moving twice as fast as it was in 1995. Rising air and sea
temperatures are two well-known causes. Researchershave also
discovered other unexpected processesthat cause them to melt
faster. For instance, water from melting ice runs down cracks
in the glacier and gets between the ice and the rock below. This
30 makes it easier for the glacier to slide into the warmer sea water.
Some researchers believe that Greenland's melting, if it continues,
could add at least a meter to global sea levels by 2100. If the ice
sheet of Antarctica, now largely unaffected, begins to melt, the
next few centuries could see at least a two-meter rise in sea levels,
35 forcing tens of millions of people out of their homes.
Drying Out
While the melting of glaciers may flood some areas of the Earth,
global warming is making the water disappear from other places.
Many scientists think the glaciers of the Himalayas and the Andes
40 could disappear in this century. As a result, millions of people
in India, Bangladesh, Bolivia, and Peru who depend on water
from mountain glaciers like Chacaltaya could find themselves
in a critical situation. An increasing number of heat waves and
droughts worldwide also suggests global warming is having an
45 impact on humans right now, and that it could change the face of
the world in the future.
How can we avoid these terrible consequences? "We have to
have a serious and immediate shift in attitude," says Laurie David,
a producer of the movie An Inconvenient Truth, which helped to
50 raise awareness of the problem. Many believe that an attitude of
hope and a desire to stay informed make a good beginning. As
most would agree, an informed public is clearly in a better position
to help address this critical issue.
2 An outlet glacier is a glacier that moves out from the edge of an ice sheet.
148 Unit IDA
Reading Comprehension
Multiple Choice. Choose the best answer for each question.
Gist 1. What is the main idea of this reading passage?
a. Rising temperatures can cause global warming.
b. Global warming is causing problems on Earth.
c. Scientists are trying to slow the melting of glaciers.
d. Global warming is melting ski areas all around the world.
Vocabulary 2. In line 7, the phrase in the long run means _
a. in the near future
b. without stopping
c. over a long period of time
d. depending on the length of time
Vocabulary 3. In line 20, what does the quote Reality is exceeding
expectations refer to?
a. the Arctic ice melting faster than predicted
Did You Know?
b. people having no water to drink in Peru
Sea ice provides
c. the sun getting hotter than scientists thought
habitats for many
d. experts solving the global warming problem
Arctic species. Due
Cause and 4. What happens when water from melting ice gets to the loss of ice,
Effect between a glacier and the rock below? polar bears, the
a. The water under the glacier freezes. arctic fox, and four
b. The glacier slides forward more easily. species of seals now
c. The rocks absorb more heat from the sun. face extinction.
d. The glacier reflects more heat from the sun.
Detail 5. What do some researchers believe will happen by the year 2100?
a. Global sea levels will rise by at least a meter.
b. There will be no more ice in the Arctic Ocean.
c. The ice sheet of Antarctica will have completely melted.
d. There will be fewer heat waves and droughts allover the world.
Inference 6. Which of these statements would Laurie David probably agree with?
a. Global warming is a problem that will fix itself over time.
b. The average person can't do much to affect global warming.
c. To stop global warming, people need to change how they think.
d. Global warming will only be a problem many years in the future.
Main Idea 7. What would be the best heading for the final paragraph?
a. An Inconvenient Truth b. Placing Blame
c. An Informed Public d. Determining the Issues
150 Unit lOA
-.'
Reading Skill
Identifying Types of Supporting Details
When the author of a text makes a claim, read the text around the sentence.
Pay attention to how the claim is supported. Supporting details give extra
weight and credibility to any claim. Often a claim is made or supported using
one of these techniques.
Common sense: It's clear that. . . Most people would agree ...
Examples or reasons: For example, . . . One reason for this is ...
Facts or statistics: (general knowledge or historical) It's a fact that this happened ...
(measurements) 50% of the people ...
Expert opinion: One expert claims. . . According to a recent research study, ...
A. Multiple Choice. Look back at the reading on
pages 147-149. Are these claims supported by:
(a) common sense, (b) examples or reasons, (c) facts
or statistics, or (d) expert opinion? Write a, b, c, or d
for each statement below.
1. Jakobshavn Isbrc:eglacier is moving toward
the sea at a faster rate than expected. (paragraph 3)
2. The glaciers of the Himalayas and the
Andes could disappear in this century. (paragraph 5)
3. An increasing number of heat waves and
droughts worldwide suggests global warming is
having an impact on humans right now. (paragraph 5)
4. An informed public is in a better position
to help address the issue of global warming.
Tourists visit a waterfall
(paragraph 6) formed by the melting ice
of a glacier.
B. Analyzing. Circle any words in the passage that helped you
determine the type of supporting detail the author used.
Critical Thinking Discuss with a partner. Has the climate changed
recently where you live? In what way? What can individual
people do about global warming? What can governments do?
Unit lOA 151
Vocabulary Practice ...,..
A. Definitions. Read the information below. Then complete the definitions
using the words in red.
In 2004, the movie The Day After Tomorrow gave people a look at
some of global warming's unexpected effects. In the movie, polar
ice melts, creating a variety of critical weather events. For example,
Scotland freezes and New York is hit by giant waves. Most experts
agree that the science of the movie was incorrect, but warn that as the
ocean absorbs and continues to store heat, global warming could cause
a huge shift in climate and perhaps even extreme weather. Since then,
documentaries like The 11th Hour have given people a more accurate
picture of the consequences of global warming and what can be done.
1. When a piece of cloth water, it takes it in.
2. A(n) situation is very serious and dangerous.
3. A(n) occurs when something moves or changes position.
4. are things that happen, usually negative, as a result of
previous actions.
5. If something is ,'you did not think that it would happen.
B. Completion. Complete each sentence with a word from the box.
I crack exceed host slide unstoppable
1. In 2018, Pyeongchang in South Korea will the Winter
Olympic Games.
2. Some holes in the ice are so big that lakes form in the middle of a glacier. A
_______ in a glacier, which water enters, is called a moulin.
3. Once a disaster like an earthquake begins, it is . Youjust
have to wait for it to end.
4. When the floor is wet and slippery, you can _ _ across it.
5. If you the speed limit while driving, ,.
you are breaking a law and should slow down. Word Partnership
Use host with:
(n.) host country, host family;
(adj.) charming host;
(v.)act as host, play host.
152 Unit IDA
lOB
WALRUS HUNT
- Winter hunt route
Variable
ice thickness
during winter
Kiatak
ami
I .'
r", 2,5 \ .
J •
o km ':l 25 ~ I /.'
SOURCE: DIGITAL GLOBE,
....
,j...~i'r...
GOGGLE EARTH (SUMMER
SATELLITE IMAGE).... ~
,NG MAPS -' ":.:;.
Before You Read The route taken by
Inuit hunters during a
A. Discuss. Look at the map above and answer the questions. walrus hunt The Inuit
are the native peoples
1. Where does the hunt take place?
of the Arctic. Until
2. In which season does the hunt take place? recently, many Inuit
3. In which city does the hunt begin and end? families have survived
on only food found
4. Why do you think the hunters want the walruses?
in the wild, but this is
B. Predict. How do the hunters travel the route shown by the red getting harder to do.
lines on the map above? Check (if) your guess. Then read the
passage to check your ideas.
D by small airplane D by boat
D by dogsled D on skis
Unit 108 153
A life on the Ice
Jens Danielsen kneels on his dogsled as it slides along the rough
edge of a frozen sea. "Harru, harru, " he calls out urgently. "Go left,
go left. Atsuk, atsuk. Go right, go right." The 15 dogs in his team
5 move carefully. Despite the freezing temperatures of the Arctic in late
March, the ice is thin and has broken up, making travel dangerous.
"The sea ice used to be three feet thick here," Danielsen says. "Now
it's only four inches thick." Global warming is clearly having an
unfavorable effect on the amount of sea ice needed for hunting.
10 As big as a bear and with a kind, boyish face, Danielsen is a
45-year-old ice hunter from Qaanaaq, a village of about 650 people
whose brightly painted houses cover a hillside overlooking a fjord.1
He's heading toward the ice edge to find walruses, as Inuit hunters
have done for as long as they and their ancestors can remember.
15 With his extended family and 57 dogs to feed, he will need to kill
several walruses on this trip.
In the past, a thick shelf of ice would cover parts of the ocean near
northwestern Greenland in September and stay until June. But for
a number of years, the ice has been thick and the hunting good
20 for only three or four weeks. The ice shelf gives hunters accessto
walruses, seals, and whales. Without the ice, hunting these creatures
becomes nearly impossible. One winter, Qaanaaq's hunters found
themselves without sufficient food to feed their starving dogs. The
hunters, understandably, asked for help. The government responded
25 with money, while fishing corporations assisted by sending in fish by
airplane. And the hunters and their families survived one more year
out on the ice.
1 A fjord is a narrow body of water cut into a valley by a glacier.
Where the ice is thin and
melting, even sled-dogs
are afraid to go. This
hunter has to drag his
dogs to move forward.
Sadly, today, fewer than 500 ice hunters are able to live by
hunting alone. They travel by dogsled, wear skins, and hunt with
30 harpoons,2 just as their ancestors did. At the same time, they now
also use guns and cell phones, and watch TV. "This changing
weather is bad for us," Danielsen says, scowling.3 "Some [of
our] people have to go other ways to make a living." His wife,
Ilaitsuk, who used to go with him on these hunting trips, has had
35 to take a job at a day-care center in Qaanaaq to help pay their
bills. The government now funds job training programs to help
ice hunters find other employment.
Warmer weather does provide some opportunities. Quantities 2 A harpoon is a long,
of valuable fish that prefer warmer water are increasing, and pointed weapon with a
rope attached to it, which
40 melting ice has uncovered some of Greenland's valuable natural is used to hunt large sea
animals.
resources-minerals, metals, and gems.4 Electric power plants,
3 When someone scowls, an
with the promise of new jobs, may soon be built on rivers filled by angry expression appears
melting ice. But the last ice hunters may not be able to get used to on his or her face.
4 A gem is a beautiful,
working as fishermen, in mines, or in power plants. As Danielsen usually shiny, stone used in
45 says, "Without ice, we can't live. Without ice, we're nothing at all." jewelry.
Unill0B 155
-
-
Reading Comprehension
Multiple Choice. Choose the best answer for each question.
Gist l. What is the passage mainly about?
a. how to hunt sea animals in Greenland
b. how the government is helping failed hunters
c. how warmer weather is affecting Inuit hunters
d. how modern hunting methods are better than
traditional ones
Cause and 2. Which of these is NOT an effect of Greenland's
Effect thinner ice?
a. smaller fish and seals
b. a shorter hunting season
c. decreased access to food
d. the hunters' need to find other jobs
Vocabulary 3. In line 30, which phrase could best replace the Did You Know?
words at the same time? Nearly 50 percent of the
a. quickly b. even though they do this rise in sea levels caused
c. during this time d. on the other hand by global warming isn't
because of melting
Detail 4. What has made hunting with dogsleds difficult?
ice. It's because water
a. The ice is too thin.
absorbs heat. As water
b. There is too much ice. gets warmer, it takes up
c. The dogs eat too much. more space.
d. There are not enough dogs.
Main Idea 5. What is the main idea of the fourth paragraph?
a. The ice hunters have improved their hunting methods.
b. Only the best ice hunters have been able to continue.
c. More ice hunters have been able to improve their lives.
d. The traditional ice hunters' way of life is disappearing.
Inference 6. Why might the ice hunters find it difficult to do other work?
a. There is no training available.
b. The government is unhelpful.
c. They prefer their own traditions.
d. There are few other jobs available.
Paraphrase 7. In line 45, what does Danielsen mean
when he says, without ice, we're nothing at am
a. There will soon be no more ice.
b. Our traditions depend on the ice.
c. No hunter will ever do another job.
d. Hunting on the ice is now too dangerous.
156 Unit lOB
Reading Skill
Identifying an Author's Tone or
Point of View
The tone of a reading often expresses the feeling or attitude the author has
toward a subject. An author may have a certain tone in one part of a text
and a different tone in another part. To determine the tone, pay careful
attention to your reaction as you read, and identify any words that make
you react a certain way. Ask yourself if the word is positive or negative.
A. Classification. Categorize the words below to complete the chart.
Is each word positive or negative?
artificial brilliant careless childish considerate
encouraging fortunate irresponsible jealous stubborn warm
Positive Negative
B. Multiple Choice. The sentences below are from the passage on
pages 154-155. Choose the words that best describe the author's tone.
Then underline the word(s) that helped you answer the question.
1. Global warming is clearly having an unfavorable effect on the
amount of sea ice needed for hunting. (paragraph 1)
a. serious b. confused c. joyful d. excited
2. The hunters, understandably, asked for help. (paragraph 3)
a. joyful b. pessimistic c. sympathetic d. angry
Critical Thinking Discuss with a partner.
An Inuit hunter
Do you think the government and/or other
dressed in furs
organizations should help the ice hunters
maintain their way of life? Why or why not?
Are any traditional practices disappearing
where you live? How do you feel about it?
~--------
-- ----.~~ ---
Vocabulary Practice
A. Completion. Complete the information with the words in the box.
One word is extra.
funds quantity starving sufficient urgent
During the summer, polar bears generally eat very little.
They instead rely on the large 1. of
fat in their bodies built up from last year's seal hunting.
At the end of a long summer without food, the polar
bears are 2. . Their need for food is
sometimes so 3. ,'they have been
known to kill and eat each other for food. Polar bears
can only hunt effectively when winter begins and there
is sea ice. Recent climate changes are shortening the icy
season. This means that the time the bears have to hunt
may no longer be 4. for their needs.
B. Words in Context. Complete each sentence with the
correct answer.
At the end of the
1. A corporation is a _ summer, polar bears
a. new technology b. business can be very thin and
weak. They will need
2. When someone sends you a bill, they want you to _ to find food quickly
a. donate money b. pay them for goods or services to survive.
3. Something that is urgent _
a. is worth a lot of money b. must be done very soon
4. If someone funds a program, he or she it. Usage
a. works for b. gives money to I'm starving! In
informal English,
5. A resource is something that can _ people often say
a. help you succeed b. stop you from succeeding "I'm starving!" to
mean that they
6. If you make a living from something, you use it to _ are extremely
a. improve your health b. earn money hungry.
7. An electrical plant is a _
a. tree that is struck by lightning b. building where electricity is made
158 Unit lOB
VIEWING
Before You Watch
A. Predict. The pictures below show the size of the Greenland ice sheet. Look at
the pictures and read the information. What could happen to Greenland's ice in
the year 21007 Discuss with a partner.
Scenarios for the year 2100
,,~
Ilcesh:: \
~<~
Medium estimate:
Greenland in
2100 with a 4.5"F
(2.C) rise in global
temperature
High estimate:
2007 Greenland in
2100 with a 9.F
(5.C) rise in global
temperature
B. Completion. Complete the information with words from the box.
approaching compressed computer models measures rapidly
The Arctic ice sheet covers most of Greenland. It 1. more than
1.7 million square kilometers. Scientists once thought it was too big to melt.
But recent temperatures have been 2. 26°( (a record high),
and the ice is now melting 3. . In some places, the melting has
uncovered a layer of ice filled with bubbles. Scientists believe the bubbles
were formed when air was 4. into the ice-squeezed into
layers of ice-over time. Some bubbles are 400,000 years old. The scientists
can put what they learn from these ancient gases into 5. _
These programs can show us what the environment was like then.
Viewing 159
While You Watch
A. Sequencing. Read the statements below. Then as you watch, number them
in the order they are mentioned. One statement is not mentioned.
You can talk to the ice.
__ There is one solution to the problem that most scientists agree on.
__ The water gets under the glacier, causing it to slide slowly into the sea.
__ Now, the ice is melting into the sea faster than at any time in history.
__ The melting may result in sea levels rising three or four feet over
the next century.
__ Warming causes a faster loss of ice, and the loss of ice causes
faster warming.
After You Watch
A. Completion. Complete the cause-and-effect diagram below with these events.
a. The ice sheet melts.
b. Water gets under the glacier.
c. The glacier's ice slides into the sea.
d. Sea levels rise. Warming seas absorb more heat.
e. Melted ice flows down holes in the glacier.
1.
5. 2.
4. 3.
B. Discuss. Discuss these questions with a partner.
1. How important do you think it is to slow global warming? Are there any issues
or global problems you feel are more important? Why? I
2. In the video, the warming of the Arctic is described as a "vicious cycle."
What does this mean?
3. Does global warming have any benefits? What countries or people might
benefit from it?
160 Viewing
