Unit 9: Protecting the environment

Vocabulary
1. identify (v)
identification (n)
identification card (n) = ID
2. come up with (v): think of an idea
He came up with the idea of using plastic bottles as flower pots.
3. a range of sth = a variety of sth/an array of sth
4. follow sb’s advice
5. endanger (v) sth/sb = to put sth/sb in danger or to put sth/sb under threat
endangered (a) → to be endangered / to be in danger of extinction
→ endangered species
6. pick flowers (v)
7. diverse (a)
diversify (v)
biodiversity (n)
Biodiversity affects the food chain and contributes to the sustainability of the ecosystem.
8. habitat (n): a place where animals live
inhabit (v) a place: live somewhere
inhabitant (n): a person or animal that lives in a particular place
9. be aware of sth
raise (public) awareness of sth
10. rise (no object) ≠ raise + object
The sun rises in the East.
They are raising the price of petrol.
11. extreme weather (floods, heatwaves)
12. respire (v): breathe (v)
respiratory (a): connected to breathing → respiratory diseases
respiration (n)
13. hunt illegally = poach (v) sth
poacher (n)
14. upset the natural balance = affect, disrupt
15. introduce strict laws
16. electric vehicles
17. emit (v)
gas emission, carbon emission (n)
reduce gas emissions
18. non-profit organisation
19. to die out = to be wiped out = to be eradicated = to become extinct
20. lights-out event
Earth Day started as a lights-out event in Sydney, Australia.
21. international movement (n): phong trào
22. draw attention to sth = make people pay attention to sth
23. keen supporter
24. call for action

Grammar: Reported speech

“The rising sea level is a result of global warming,” the teacher explained.
→ The teacher explained that the rising sea level was a result of global warming.
“Are you interested in joining the event this weekend, Minh?” asked Tuan.
→ Tuan asked Minh if he was interested in joining the event that weekend.
“When are you going to deliver your presentation on the environment, Mai?” asked Nam.
→ Nam asked Mai when she was going to deliver her presentation on the environment.
Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word whose underlined part differs from the
other three in pronunciation in each of the following questions.
1. A. initiative B. essential C. cautious D. suggestion
2. A. ecology B. prohibit C. ecological D. perform

Mark the letter A, B, C, or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word that differs from the other three in the
position of primary stress in each of the following questions.
3. A. deforestation B. ecosystem C. environmental D. biodiversity
4. A. challenge B. fossil C. energy D. emit

Mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the correct answer to each of the following
questions.
5. Planting trees is an effective way of protecting the environment and reducing carbon _____.
A. commissions B. admissions C. emissions D. submissions
6. Increasing public _____ about the importance of protecting the environment is crucial.
A. consciousness B. awareness C. mindfulness D. alertness
7. Protecting the environment and promoting _____ development can go hand in hand.
A. sustainable B. maintainable C. retainable D. detainable
8. We should use _____ energy sources like solar and wind power to protect the environment.
A. renewable B. non-renewable C. fossil D. single-use
9. Protecting natural habitats is essential to preserve _____ and maintain the balance of the ecosystem.
A. diverse B. diversify C. diversity D. biodiversity
10. Illegal hunting and poaching should be strictly _____ to protect wildlife and their habitats.
A. prohibitive B. prohibited C. prohibit D. prohibition
11. Encouraging public transportation, biking, or _____ instead of driving cars is an excellent way of protecting the environment
and reducing air pollution.
A. walk B. to walk C. walking D. walked
12. Protecting marine life and oceans is critical to maintaining the _____ balance of the planet.
A. economical B. ecological C. eco-friendly D. economic
13. Environmental protection is crucial _____ ensuring the long-term health of our planet.
A. for B. as C. to D. with
14. Engaging in sustainable _____ such as composting, rainwater harvesting, and organic farming can help protect the
environment.
A. practices B. exercises C. training D. drills
15. We should _____ environmental conservation over economic growth to ensure a sustainable future for our planet.
A. prior B. priority C. prioritization D. prioritize
16. Creating and _____ laws that prohibit the dumping of hazardous waste in oceans and landfills can help protect the
environment.
A. forcing B. reinforcing C. enforcing D. forced
17. Climate change is one of the biggest environmental challenges _____ the world today.
A. that faces B. face C. facing D. which faced
18. Sustainable agriculture practices are _____ to protecting soil health, reducing pollution, and ensuring food security for future
generations.
A. trivial B. key C. insignificant D. suitable
19. We should support _____ that promote eco-tourism and responsible travel to protect the environment.
A. initiate B. initiations C. initiatives D. initials

Mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word(s) that is CLOSEST in meaning to the
underlined word(s) in each of the following questions.
20. Protecting wetlands, forests, and other natural resources can help mitigate the effects of climate change.
A. intensify B. minimize C. aggravate D. maintain
21. Landfills are a significant source of contamination and can have long-term repercussions for the environment.
A. benefits B. advantages C. perks D. consequences
22. Reforestation projects can help to combat the effects of deforestation and climate change.
A. tackle B. battle C. worsen D. share

Mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the word(s) that is OPPOSITE in meaning to the
underlined word(s) in each of the following questions.
23. The loss of biodiversity can exacerbate the effects of climate change and make ecosystems more vulnerable
A. worsen B. fix C. multiply D. aggravate
24. Addressing the interconnected challenges of biodiversity loss, climate change, and global warming requires collective action
and political will on a global scale.
A. international B. worldwide C. universal D. regional
25. Climate change and biodiversity loss harm vulnerable communities, such as indigenous people and low-income populations.
A. strong B. resilient C. weak D. stable
Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the correct word or phrase that best fits
each of the numbered blanks.

Environmental protection is a pressing global issue. As human activities continue to harm the environment, it is becoming more
and more important to (26) _____ action to prevent further damage. This can include reducing greenhouse gas emissions,
conserving biodiversity, and protecting natural resources such as water and air. Environmental protection is not only important for
the health and well-being of humans, but also for the survival of many plant and animal species. Governments, businesses, and
individuals all have a role to (27) _____ in protecting the environment and ensuring a sustainable future for all.
Efforts towards environmental protection have gained momentum in recent years due to the increased awareness of the (28)
_____ impacts of climate change and global warming. The effects of pollution, deforestation, and overexploitation of natural (29)
_____ have also contributed to the urgency of the matter. Many countries have implemented policies and regulations to reduce
carbon emissions and promote sustainable practices. (30) _____, there has been a rise in the use of renewable energy sources such
as solar and wind power.
26. A. make B. take C. perform D. conduct
27. A. form B. do C. play D. act
28. A. devastating B. destroying C. harming D. annihilating
29. A. resources B. sources C. materials D. minerals
30. A. However B. Therefore C. Additionally D. Nevertheless

Mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the underlined part that needs correction in each
of the following questions.
31. Fossil fuels, such as coal, oil, and gas, which are non-renewable resources that have been formed over millions of years.
A. Fossil B. which are C. non-renewable D. millions of
32. Renewable energy refers to energy sources that is replenished naturally and can be sustained over time.
A. to B. is replenished C. be sustained D. over
33. The burning of fossil fuels releases carbon dioxide and other pollutants into the atmosphere, contributing to climate change.
A. releases B. other pollutants C. into the D. contributing to
34. Human activities such as deforestation, poaching, and pollution are majority threats to endangered species and their habitats.
A. poaching B. majority threats C. endangered D. habitats
35. Litter can take years to decompose and may release harmful chemistry into the soil and water, contaminating ecosystems.
A. Litter B. to decompose C. chemistry into D. contaminating

Mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that is closest in meaning to each of
the following questions.
36. “The meeting has been postponed until next week,” he said.
A. He asked us that the meeting had been postponed until the following week.
B. He reminded us that the meeting had been postponed until the following week.
C. He advised us that the meeting had been postponed until the following week.
D. He informed us that the meeting had been postponed until the following week.
37. “I never said that I agreed with their proposal,” said the manager.
A. The manager said that he never said that he agreed with their proposal.
B. The manager asked if he had ever said that he had agreed with their proposal.
C. The manager denied saying that he had agreed with their proposal.
D. The manager refused to say he agreed with their proposal.
38. “Are strawberries grown in this part of the country?” asked the reporter.
A. The reporter asked that strawberries were grown in that part of the country.
B. The reporter asked whether people grow strawberries in that part of the country.
C. The reporter asked if strawberries were grown in that part of the country.
D. The reporter asked if that part of the country had grown strawberries.

Mark the letter A, B, C or D on your answer sheet to indicate the sentence that best combines each pair of
sentences in the following questions.
39. Many animals are losing their habitats due to deforestation. We need to take action to protect their homes.
A. Many animals are losing their habitats due to deforestation, so we should be protecting their homes.
B. Deforestation is causing many animals to lose their habitats, which is necessary to protect their homes.
C. We should take action to protect the homes of many animals that are losing their habitats due to deforestation.
D. Protecting the homes of many animals who are losing their habitats due to deforestation is necessary.
40. Air pollution is harmful to human health. We need to reduce our reliance on fossil fuels.
A. Our reliance on fossil fuels is necessary to avoid the harmful effects of air pollution on human health.
B. Air pollution is harmful to human health, and reducing our reliance on fossil fuels can help to address this issue.
C. We can’t help reducing our reliance on fossil fuels to address the harmful effects of air pollution on human health.
D. Avoid the harmful effects of air pollution on human health, our reliance on fossil fuels must be reduced.
Read the following passage and mark the letter A, B, C, or D to indicate the correct answer to each of the
questions.
The truth is that we have only begun to explore life on Earth. How little we know is epitomized by bacteria of the genus
Prochlorococcus, arguably the most abundant organisms on the planet and responsible for a large part of the organic production of
the ocean—yet unknown to science until 1988. Prochlorococcus cells float passively in open water at 70,000 to 200,000 per
milliliter, multiplying with energy captured from sunlight. Their extremely small size is what makes them so elusive. They belong to
a special group called picoplankton, forms even smaller than conventional bacteria and barely visible even at the highest optical
magnification.

The blue ocean teems with other novel and little-known bacteria, archaeans, and protozoans. When researchers began to focus on
them in the 199os, they discovered that these organisms are vastly more abundant and diverse than anyone had previously
imagined. Much of this miniature world exists in and around previously unseen dark matter, composed of wispy aggregates of
colloids, cell fragments, and polymers that range in diameter from billionths to hundredths of a meter. The ocean we peer into,
seemingly clear with only an occasional fish and invertebrate passing beneath, is not the ocean we thought. The visible organisms
are just the tip of a vast biomass pyramid.

Among the multicellular organisms of Earth in all environments, the smallest species are also the least known. Of the fungi, which
are nearly as ubiquitous as the microbes, 69,000 species have been identified and named, but as many as 1.6 million are thought
to exist. Of the nematode worms, making up four of every five animals on Earth and the most widely distributed, 15,000 species are
known, but millions more may await discovery.

During the molecular revolution in biology, which spanned the second half of the twentieth century, systematics was judged to be a
largely outdated discipline. It was pushed aside and kept on minimal rations. Now the renewal of the Linnaean enterprise is seen as
high adventure; systematics has returned to the center of the action in biology. The reasons for the renaissance are multiple.
Molecular biology has provided systematics the tools to speed the discovery of microscopic organisms. New techniques are now
available in genetics and mathematical tree theory to trace the evolution of life in a swift and convincing manner. All this has
happened just in time. The global environmental crisis gives urgency to the full and exact mapping of all biological diversity.
(Adapted from The Future of Life by Edward O. Wilson)
41. What is the main idea of this passage?
A. The vast amount of undiscovered organisms in the ocean and on land.
B. The importance of Prochlorococcus bacteria to the ocean ecosystem.
C. The resurgence of systematics in biology.
D. The use of molecular biology in discovering microscopic organisms.
42. The word “novel” in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to which of the following?
A. beneficial B. new C. harmful D. rare
43. The word “ubiquitous” in paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to which of the following?
A. miniature B. microscopic C. prolific D. pervasive
44. According to the passage, which of the following did NOT contribute to the revival of interest in systematics?
A. New techniques available in genetics that track the evolution of life
B. The urgency stemming from the global environmental crisis
C. The widespread population of nematode worms everywhere
D. Advances in molecular biology that allows faster discovery of microbes
45. What can be inferred from the passage?
A. Scientists have discovered the majority of organisms on Earth since 1988.
B. Nematode worms account for 80% of the animal population on Earth.
C. Systematics was considered useless because of its challenges.
D. Without the environmental crisis, a complete record of all biological diversity would never emerge.

Rewrite the following sentences using reported speech:

1. “I have been studying for hours,” she said.
→ She said _________________________________________________________________
2. “Could you tell me where the train station is?” asked the tourist.
→ The tourist _______________________________________________________________
3. “What do you think about the new policy?” he asked.
→ He asked ________________________________________________________________
4. “You haven’t seen the movie, have you?” my friend asked.
→ My friend asked ____________________________________________________________
5. “What a beautiful day it is!” said John.
→ John exclaimed ____________________________________________________________
6. “You must watch the movie as soon as possible, Tom,” said Jane.
→ Jane urged _______________________________________________________________
7. “I didn’t eat the cake in the fridge,” said Brian.
→ Brian denied _____________________________________________________________