Level: Third Year (3AM)

Sequence One: Me, My Abilities, My Interests, and My

Personality
Tasks 1 and 2: I listen to the following definitions.
Definition1:Manga is a Japanese comic book
that tells stories in pictures.
Definition2:Anime is a Japanese television
animation or cartoon.
Definition3:Sudoku is a Japanese puzzle in
which players write numbers from 1 to 9 into a
grid consisting of nine smaller grids, each of
them with nine squares. Each number must not
be repeated in any square, or down and across
the whole grid.
Definition4:Karaoke is a Japanese form of
entertainment. People go to karaoke clubs to listen to the music of
popular songs and sing the words in a microphone.
Tasks 4 and 5: I listen to this Japanese Middle School
student introducing himself during a local radio programme
for young people.
My name’s Enzo Yashimoto. I was 13 last month. I live in
Tokyo. Japanese school children and teenagers like Manga,
Anime and Sudoku. These are very popular in Japan. I like
Manga, too. I always read them in my free time, together
with books about wild animals. I love Anime, too. My
favourite TV Anime is always at 5 pm on Sundays. I’m not
a real fan of Sudoku because I’m not good at arithmetic. I’m
not a smart boy! I can’t understand this game. I find it boring, so I never play it. I
prefer video games because they’re so exciting! I like music, too. I’m fond of
karaoke. I always go to karaoke clubs with my classmates at weekends. I love
Japanese teen songs but I can’t play any musical
instrument.

Tasks 6 and 7: I listen to the

interviewer.
Interviewer:What do you like reading?
Interviewer:How often do you read?
Interviewer:What kind of music do you listen to?
Interviewer:What kind of games do you like?

Tasks 10 and 11: I listen to the BBC radio interview(Part 1).

(The BBC Radio presenter James Smith welcomes in his studio
the two winners of the BBC Radio International Contest “An
Interesting Teenager’s Profile”. They are middle school
students from two different continents)
BBC presenter:Welcome to this BBC Radio
programme. Let’s start with you, Adamou.
Please, introduce yourself to our audience.
Adamou:Hi, there! My name’s Adamou Fafana.
I’m 13. I’m from Niger and I go to middle
school in the capital Niamey.
BBC presenter:Your turn, Maria.
Maria:Hello, everyone! I’m Maria Perdito. I’ll turn 14 next
December. I’m Peruvian. I live in a small village in the Andes
Mountains.

Tasks 13 and 14: I listen to the BBC radio interview (Part 2)

BBC presenter:Now, Adamou, what are you most interested in
learning about?
Adamou:Well, I’m fond of birdwatching. This
is what I like most. I want to be an
ornithologist. I love reading about birds. At
weekends, dad always takes me to the Niger
River to watch migratory birds, like
flamingos, storks and wild geese. Their
colours are fabulous! They come all the way
from Europe. They can fly hundreds of
kilometres a day. I can watch them for hours,
and I never get bored. I think all animals should be respected. Birds
mustn’t live in cages. They must be free, like you and me.
BBC presenter:I think you’re right, Adamou. What about you,
Maria? What’s your main interest in life?
Maria:Well, learning more about nature. I’m very keen on botany. I
love reading about plants in general. I want to be a botanist. I
always go for a walk in the mountains on Sundays. I’m interested in
all kinds of plants, flowers and trees. I can give you the names of
many plants in my native language Quechua but I can’t remember
all of them in English.
Tasks 15 and 16: I listen to the BBC radio interview (Part 3)
BBC presenter:Let’s talk about something more
personal. What kind of person are you, Adamou?
Adamou:I guess I’m cool. Birdwatchers must be
patient and relaxed. I’m not the nervy type of
person at all. My friends think I’m shy but I don’t
think so. I can be very sociable.
BBC presenter:And you, Maria? How would you describe yourself?
Maria:I think I’m like Adamou. I’m very calm. I can’t live in a noisy
town or city. I love the silence and the quietness of the Andes
Mountains. I’m always respectful towards nature. I’m also a very
curious girl. I always want to learn more. I like people, too. All my
schoolmates say I’m friendly.
BBC presenter:You’re really great kids! Thank you for answering
my questions.
Adamou and Maria:You’re welcome. Thank you for inviting us.

Tasks 18 and 19: I listen to the conversation.

(Nadia is Karim’s new classmate. They do not know each other
well. So, Karim asks her a few questions to
know more about her)
Karim:Tell me, Nadia, do you always tidy your
room?
Nadia:Yes, of course! I’m not the messy type of
person at all.
Karim:And do you always get on well with
your classmates?
Nadia:Sure. I’m very friendly and outgoing.
Karim:Are you keen on chess?
Nadia:No, not really. I never play such games. I get bored very
quickly.

Tasks 21 and 22. I listen to the conversation.

Karima and Ali (two Algerian middle school teens from two
different Algerian towns) met on an Internet forum last month.
Now, they are good friends. They always chat together at
weekends via Skype or Viber.

Karima:Hello, mate! What’s up?

Ali:Not much. I have a maths test on
Monday morning.
Karima:Well, you don’t seem to be happy about it!
Ali:I can’t understand maths. I always feel bored in class.
Karima:I think you should get more interested, Ali.
Ali:I know I’m not smart but I’m hard-working and perseverant!
Karima:Good! So I can help you with your maths over the
weekend.
Ali:Oh, can you do that for me? Thanks a lot, Karima.
Level: Third Year (3AM)
Sequence Two: Me and My Lifestyles
Tasks 1, 2, 3 and 4: I listen to the interview (Part 1)
Jenny, a fourteen-year-old English girl is filming her
grandmother Elizabeth and interviewing her for a school project
about the old days due on “Grandparents Day”.
Jenny:Look at the camera, grandma, and answer my first question.
When were you born?
Grandma:In 1939, the same year the Second World War began.
Jenny:Were you born here, in London?
Grandma:No, sweetheart. I was born in the North, in a farmhouse
five miles away from the nearest village in the Lake District, now a
very beautiful National Park. My dad used to raise cows and sheep.
We also had ducks, geese and chicken.
Jenny:Can you tell me a little more about
this farmhouse, grandma? Was it big?
Grandma:Not really. Actually, we shared it
with my three uncles and two aunts. My
mum and dad had got only two rooms. My
three sisters and I shared one of them.
Jenny (bewildered):What? Were you four
in the same room?
Grandma:Yes, sweetheart. You’re so lucky
to have a room for you alone, today. We
didn’t have that chance. The toilets were outside in the farmyard,
near the cowshed. We had no bathroom. We used to take a bath
once a week in a tub made of wood and placed on the kitchen
floor. There was a wood-burning stove in the kitchen on which my
mother used to cook or boil water. Today, things are quite
different. How often do you take a bath, Jenny?
Jenny (laughing):Almost every day! I usually take a quick shower
in the morning before I go to school.
Grandma:You’re lucky kids, today! We used to help mum with
housework and tidy our room every day. We also took turns to feed
the chickens, ducks and geese. I learnt to milk cows at 12.
Jenny:This is really a hard work!

Tasks 7 and 8: I listen to the interview (Part 2)

Jenny:Tell me, grandma, what did you use to eat in those days?
Grandma:Porridge at breakfast. Oh, I hated it!
And Yorkshire pudding with roast beef on
Sundays. Everyday meals consisted of boiled
potatoes with gravy, meatballs, kidney pies
and brown bread. We had homemade
cookies with the afternoon tea. The family
used to gather around the table, in the
kitchen. Mum used to serve dad first, and
then us. We weren’t allowed to put our
elbows on the table or talk with our mouths full. We
didn’t have the right to leave the table before the meal was over.
No such things as hamburgers or pizza on the table, of course!
Jenny:I don’t like fast food, grandma. I sometimes eat a
cheeseburger when I go out with friends but I often have a
vegetarian meal. You know, salad and rice with vegetables.
Grandma:That sounds reasonable, young lady. This is what I call a
healthy diet.
Tasks 9 and 10: I listen to the interview
(Part 3)
Jenny:Now, tell me grandma. What did you
use to wear back then?
Grandma:We didn’t use to wear leggings or
jeans eighty years ago, for sure! Our clothes
were quite formal, not casual like yours
today. They were made of wool or cotton. We
used to wear long dresses, blouses, shawls which mum knitted for
us, headscarves and clogs made of wood for farm work. My dad
bought us new clothes only once a year, on our birthdays.
Jenny:What did you use to wear on special occasions?
Grandma:Well, when we were invited to weddings, for example, I
used to swap my clothes with my cousins. They had beautiful
dresses and nice blouses. We also used to wear hats on such
occasions, not headscarves. I loved hats! I still love them today;
they’re so classy and elegant! Just look at Queen Elizabeth!
Jenny:Girls rarely wear hats, these days. We prefer berets or caps.
And wooden clogs can be seen only in a museum!
Grandma:Well, sweetheart, times change!

Tasks 12 and 13: I listen to the interview (Part 4)

Jenny:Did you have fun, grandma? What games did you use to
play in those days?
Grandma:Well, girls used to play with rag dolls. They were made
of old pieces of cloth and stuffed with wool. We also played hide-
and-seek, hopscotch and skipping rope. Boys played with marbles
or made their own toys from wood. Today, you have all this
technology to entertain you on your mobile phones, tablets and
laptops.
Jenny:You’re right, grandma, but I never play video
games, for example. I’m not very fond of all this
technological entertainment as you call it. I sometimes
play board games like scrabble or chess with my friends
but I prefer sports and books.
Grandma:Nothing can replace books. You should keep
reading all your life, sweetheart. Books teach you a lot about life.

Tasks 18, 19, 20, 21, 22 and 23: I listen to the interview
(Part 5)
Jenny:One last question, grandma. What is
your best childhood memory?
Grandma:My first day at school. I went to
elementary school the year WW2 ended,
seventy years ago. I was about 6 at the time.
I put on my new school uniform: a nice black gymslip and a white
blouse with a nice big collar.
Jenny:What is a “gymslip”, grandma?
Grandma:It’s a dress without sleeves which we used to wear over
a blouse some sixty or seventy years ago. So, I was very happy
that morning when dad drove me to the village school in his cart. I
was impatient to learn things, and I learnt a lot at school. I will
remember that day for the rest of my life! You’re still wearing
school uniforms today, Jenny.
Jenny:Yes, grandma but mine is quite different from yours. It’s
more like a “blazer-and-tie” uniform style: a black blazer and skirt,
a white blouse and socks, and a red tie. Plus, in winter, a V-neck
jumper, a black coat and trousers.

Tasks 26 and 27: I listen to the interview (Part 6)

Grandma:Well, life is not what it used to be. Times change, my
little darling.
Jenny:I guess they’ll always do, grandma.
Grandma:You’re right, Jenny. Times will
always change.
Jenny:Thanks, grandma, for being so patient
with me and my questions.
Grandma:I don’t like cameras but your
questions reminded me of the good old days.
So, thank you, sweetheart.
Jenny:I love you so much, grandma! Give me
a hug.

Level: Third Year (3AM)

Sequence Two: Me and the Scientific Word
Tasks 1 and 2: Interview with Professor BelgacemHaba
(Part 1)
Algerian scientist and inventor, Professor BelgacemHaba, is
interviewed by Dr. Riyadh Baghdadi, an Algerian researcher in
the Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory at
MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), USA.
I listen to the interview (Part 1) and I complete Mr. Haba’s
ID card.
Dr. Riyadh Baghdadi:Welcome Prof.
Haba. Can you give us an overview of
your journey starting from Algeria to
where you are now, in California?
Prof. Haba:Let’s start from the very
beginning. I was born in 1957 in EL-
M’ghayer, a small town 120 km south of
Biskra. Back then we only had one
middle school, so I went to Amir
Abdelkader High School in Touggourt
before joining the University of Bab Ezzouar in Algiers, where I
completed a DES (Diploma of Higher Education) in physics. Then, I
got a scholarship to study in the US. By the way, back then I had
never heard of Stanford University having come straight from the
desert! I did a master’s degree in applied physics and then I
wanted to get into solar energy. So, I did another master’s degree
and a PhD in this field. After graduating from Stanford, I joined
IBM’s research labs in New York working on the application of
lasers to microelectronics.
Dr. Riyadh Baghdadi:IBM, for those who don’t know it, is one of
the biggest IT (Information Technology) companies and one of the
key drivers of the IT industry.

Tasks 6 and 7: I listen to part (2) of the interview and

complete the dialogue bubbles.
Prof. Haba:That’s right. After that, I was
contacted by Nippon Electronic Corporation. So,
I went to Japan and stayed there for 6 years. I
was working in the application of laser
technology to microelectronics while I was living
there. Then, I moved on to work on
miniaturization.
Dr. Riyadh Baghdadi:The miniaturization of electronics.
Prof. Haba:Yes. When I returned to the US, I joined Tessera,
which was a small company back then. Our aim was to miniaturize
the mobile phone. Phones were big and we knew that if we
managed to make them smaller, they will sell more.

Tasks 8, 9, 10, 13 and 14: I listen to part (3) of the

interview and do the tasks.
Dr. Riyadh Baghdadi:When was this?
Prof. Haba:In the nineties. By 1998, we
started to see results and the technology
that we produced started to get used from
that point to this day.

Dr. Riyadh Baghdadi:So, any person right

now is using some of the technology that
you have developed as part of this company?
Prof. Haba:Exactly. And we were also doing other things while we
were working on the miniaturization of mobile phones and mobile
phone chips; we were working on the miniaturization of cameras.
Then, I moved on to a company called Rambus,which specializes
in memory chips used today in memory sticks, memory cards and
smart cards. It was there that we designed and developed the
console games “PlayStation Two” and “Three”.

Tasks 15 and 16: I listen to part (4) of the interview

between Prof. Haba and Dr. Baghdadi, and circle only the
words I hear between brackets.

Dr. Riyadh Baghdadi:I think most

students listening to this interview would
like to get advice from you. What advice
would you give them?
Prof. Haba:The first thing one must do is
to fill in the gap of your points of
weakness. Secondly, when you are about to do some work, work on
something you are able to accomplish. Finally, you must have a
goal, an objective and a plan to achieve it. I feel sorry for people
who don’t have a plan, a vision of where they are going in life.
When you have an idea to realize, don’t give it up because of
problems or obstacles. Be perseverant. Perseverance is more
important than intelligence if you want to succeed. Also, find
people who can help you. Many of us want to do everything by
themselves; you can’t clap with one hand.
Dr. Riyadh Baghdadi:Thank you very much Prof. Haba for
speaking with us and for your advice.
Prof. Haba:I hope it’s going to be beneficial.

Tasks 17 and 18: I listen to my history teacher and complete

the timeline(Part A)
Teacher:Our class today is about a famous Maghrebin scholar who
invented modern sociology, the study of the development and
functioning of human society. This eminent
scholar was born on May 27th 1332 in Tunis.
His ancestors immigrated to Tunisia from
Andalusia (al-Andalus) in the first half of the
thirteenth century. His parents died during
an epidemic of the plague,which hit Tunis in
1348–1349, leaving IbnKhaldunorphan at
the age of 17. In 1354, he accompanied his
teacher to Fez, where he became a secretary of the sultan of
Morocco. From 1365 to 1374, he travelled a lot, moving from Bejaia
to Biskra, Tlemcen, Fez, Granada, Seville and then returned to
North Africa after many political problems.

Tasks 19 and 20: I listen to my history teacher and complete

the timeline (Part B)
Teacher:Our great Maghribi scholar then
withdrew from politics and found refuge in
QalatbeniSellam, near Frenda, Algeria. He
spent 4 years there – from 1375 to 1378 –
writing his “Muqaddimah” and part of “Kitab al-Ibar” or the history
of Muslim North Africa. A few years later, in 1383, he settled in
Cairo, Egypt where he became a teacher and a Cadi or a judge. The
following year, his wife and four daughters died in a shipwreck on
their way to join him in Cairo but his two sons survived. Three
years later, he went to Mecca on the pilgrimage and returned to
Cairo 18 months later, where he died on 17th March 1406.

Level: Third Year (3AM)

Sequence Four: Me and My Environment
Tasks 1, 2, 3 and 4:I listen to the UNESCO representative
speaking on BBC radio about biodiversity in Algeria, and
tick the box next to the name of each national park I hear.
Text (Part 1):
Algeria is a North African country that lies
between Morocco and Tunisia alongthe
Mediterranean coast of North Africa. It is
Africa’s largest country, covering an area of
2,381,741 square kilometers. Algeria’s vast
landscape is endowed with a variety of
ecosystems. Algeria is home to a number
of national parks with great ecological and
cultural significance. The country has established these national parks
to preserve biodiversity. Notable National parks include Belezma
National Park, Chrea National Park, El Kala National Park, Djurdjura
National Park, Gouraya National Park, Hoggar National Park,
Tassilin’Ajjer National Park, Taza National Park, Tlemcen National Park,
Mount Aissa National Park and Theniet el-Had National Park.

Tasks 6 and 7:I listen to the UNESCO representative (Part

2) and I write down on the map the number corresponding
to the name of each Algerian national park I hear and the
name of the nearest town.
Text (Part 2):
Belezma National Park is located in the
Belezma Mountains, the north-western
part of the Aures Mountains, near the town of Batna. Chrea National
Park is named after the neighbouring town of Chrea. It is located in the
mountainous region of Blida. Djurdjura National Park, Gouraya national
Park and Taza National Park all three are located in north-western
Algeria, in the Kabylie region. Djurdjura National Park took its name
from the Djurdjura Mountains found within the park, not far from the
town of Tizi-Ouzou. Gouraya National Park lies on the Mediterranean
coast. It occupies a mountainous massif which dominates the north-
west of the town of Bejaïa. Taza National Park is located in Jijel
province, on the Mediterranean coast about 90 km east of Bejaia. El
Kala National Park is also in the north-eastern region of Algeria. El Kala
is a seaside town about 80 km east of Annaba, not very far from the
Tunisian border. Tlemcen National Park is situated around the town of
Tlemcen, not far from the Moroccan border. Mount Issa National Park is
located in the western High Plateaux, about 100 km southeast of the
town of Naama whereas Theniet el-Had National Park is about 50 km
north of the town of Tissemsilt, in the Tell Atlas Mountains. Both the
Hoggar and Tassilin’ajjer National Parks are in the Great South. The
former is near the town of Tamanrasset and the latter near Djanet.
Tasks 9 and 10:I listen to the UNESCO representative
(Part3) and complete the information he gives about
“Biosphere Reserves”.
Text (Part 3)
Biosphere reserves are areas including
terrestrial, marine and coastal
ecosystems. Each reserve gives solutions
for the conservation of biodiversity and
prevention of conflicts or problems
between man, animals and plants.
Biosphere reserves are special places for
scientists and researchers to understand changes and interactions
between man and ecological systems. As Algerian national parks
have a rich variety of ecosystems, we have turned eight of them
into Biosphere Reserves, and these are: Tassilin’Ajjer. It was the
first Algerian park to be designated in 1986 as a Biosphere
Reserve. Then comes El Kala, followed by Djurdjura, Chrea, Taza,
Gouraya, Belezma and, finally, Tlemcen Mountains – the last
Algerian Biosphere Reserve to be designated in 2016.

Tasks 11, 12, 13 and 14:I listen to the UNESCO

representative (Part 4) and
complete the table.
Text (Part 4):
Belezma National Park was designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve
in June2015. It covers an area of 262.5 square kilometres. The diverse
ecological regions of the park accommodate over 300 animal species
and 440 plant species. Endangered species such as Cuvier’s gazelle,
Dorcas gazelle, Barbary sheep and the serval inhabit the park.
Additionally, the park has rare plants such as the Atlas cedar, which is
native to Algeria and Morocco. Belezma contains one third of the cedar
forests in Algeria.
Gouraya National Park, which covers an area of 20.8 square kilometres,
was designated as a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in 2004. It is smaller
than Belezma. There is rich flora and fauna. The forests contain troops
of Barbary apes or macaques and other endangered mammals such as
the jackal and Algerian hedgehog.
Taza Biosphere Reserve (designated in 2004) is characterized by
spectacular cliffs, beaches, mountains and valleys and is noted for the
Barbary ape, an endangered species of monkey and the only macaque
primate in North Africa. Taza Biosphere Reserve is also home to the
Algerian nuthatch, a small rare sparrow endemic to the Babors Region
and Algeria. The park covers an area of 3,807 square kilometres. It is
more important than the first two parks in terms of area.
The Tlemcen Mountains Biosphere Reserve, designated in 2016,
covers the same area as the Tlemcen National Park: 985.32 square
kilometres. The biosphere reserve is home to a diverse flora with over
1,130 species, 40 of which are protected such as The Montpellier
maple, the Atlas pistachio, the green oak and the Thuya. So, this
reserve needs great care.
Tasks 16 and 17:I listen to the IUCN representative talking
to Algerian journalists about protected
animal and plant species in Algeria, and I
complete the fact file.
Many Algerian plants, trees and animals have
been inscribed on the red list of our organization –
the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) – as
vulnerable or endangered species. Therefore, the country’s
environmental authorities and Algerian people themselves must
protect all these species.
The Atlas cedar has been registered as an
endangered species on the IUCN red list
since 2013. Barbary sheep has been listed as
a vulnerable species on the same list since
1986. Barbary macaques have been
inscribed on the IUCN red list of endangered
species since 2008. The Algerian nuthatch
has been classified as an endangered species since 1994. Dorcas
gazelles have been considered as vulnerable species since 1988,
and Cuvier’s ones since 2016. The Saharan cheetah, which lives in
the Hoggar Mountains, has not been evaluated and classified but it
is considered as a rare species. The Atlas or Barbary lion became
extinct in the wild around 1942 but there are some descendants
still living in captivity in many zoos around the world.
Tasks 21, 22, 23, 24, 25 and 26: Saving the Barbary
Macaque. I listen to the interview with Dr. Sian Waters.
The Barbary macaque occupied in the
past the entirety of North Africa. It now
dwells in isolated parts of Morocco and
Algeria. This species has been classified
as endangered by the International
Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)
because it is threatened in the wild by a
loss of habitat developed for tourism, by
local and international wildlife trafficking and hunting. Dr. Sian
Waters, from the University of Durham in England, has studied
this forgotten animal population for the last ten years.
Journalist:Thank you Dr Waters for accepting to answer our
questions. Macaquesface many dangers. What is the primary threat
in your opinion?
Dr. Waters:The main threat is development for tourism without
thought for the environment. However, illegal trade in Barbary
macaques is more dangerous.
Journalist:Is the wildlife trade a local or an international problem?
Dr. Waters:It is an international one because many Barbary
macaques are smuggled by tourists as pets from Morocco to
Europe. We must put an end to this illegal trade of wild animals.
Journalist:Your project is involved in educating local communities.
How can football games change people’s attitude towards
macaques?
Dr. Waters:Traditionally, the macaque is thought of as funny or
shameful. So, the
football tournament is a way to reward the boys and men of the
villages for their change in behaviour: becoming macaque
protectors instead of persecutors. Macaques shouldn’t be kept as
pets or used to entertain people and make money. They should live
in the wild, in nature.

Tasks 27 and 28: Eco-Schools (Part 1)

“Eco-Schools” is an international program that has involved
millions of schoolchildren in environmental issues around
the world for more than twenty years. I listen to the BBC
interview of the UK Eco-School representative.
BBC Journalist:Thank you for sparing some of
your time for this interview. My first question is:
how should a school run a litter campaign?
UK Eco-School representative:The first thing to
do in any good campaign is to let everyone know
what it is all about. It is important that everyone
should understand why litter is not a good thing,
and know what they can do to prevent it.
BBC Journalist:Let’s define the word “litter” in
the first place.
UK Eco-School representative:Litter can be described as ‘rubbish
that is in the wrong place’. It can be food, chewing gum, sweetie
papers, syringes, crisp packets, plastic bags or banana skins – in
fact, any item left by a person that should not be there. Natural
matter, such as leaves that have fallen from trees, are not classed
as litter. Litter can take a very long time to degrade (rot away), or
may never degrade at all. It is dangerous to people and wildlife – it
is a form of pollution.

Tasks 29 and 30: Eco-Schools (Part 2)

BBC Journalist:How long can litter stick
around?
UK Eco-School representative:The
amount of time that litter stays around
once it has been dropped depends on what
it is made from. Fruit waste such as
banana skins will take up to two years to
rot away and disappear. A rolled up
newspaper can take up to 10 years to rot
away. Supermarket plastic bags can last between 10 and 20 years.
Glass bottles and jars, plastic bottles, plastic trays, yoghurt pots,
etc. will NEVER rot away. These are more dangerous than fruit
waste.

Tasks 31, 32, 33 and 34: Eco-Schools (Part 3)

BBC Journalist:How can litter be dangerous to wildlife?
UK Eco-School representative:Well, we have found animals killed
by swallowing balloons. Many of them are trapped inside cans,
bottles and plastic bags. Some are
poisoned by cigarette butts. Food
containers, like crisp packets and
plastic bags, can be blown out to sea by
the wind. Fish and sea birds will eat
them, thinking they are food. Scientists
estimate that a million birds and
100,000 marine mammals and turtles die every year from eating
plastics.
BBC Journalist:Are there other problems that litter can cause?
UK Eco-School representative:Firstly, fires can be caused by the
careless discarding of matches and cigarettes, or by the sun being
magnified through the glass of a bottle. So, this can lead to forest
fires that will destroy both plant and animal habitats. Secondly,
food litter attracts rats and other vermin, which will spread disease
among people and other animals. There is now the same number of
rats as people in the UK!

Tasks 35, 36, 37, 38, 39 and 40: Eco-Schools (Part 4)

BBC Journalist:How can schools participate in solving this
problem?
UK Eco-School representative:Here
are a few recommendations that any
schoolchild can follow. First of all,
the three “Rs”: REDUCE the amount
of litter you create by buying items
with less packaging; REUSE
whatever you can by buying durable,
reusable items not disposable ones,
such as paper plates and cups;
RECYCLE by buying goods with packaging that can be easily
recycled. Second, don’t litter; put your rubbish in a bin; if there
isn’t one near, put it in your pocket until you find one or take it
home. Third, use reusable bags
(“bags for life”); don’t use plastic
ones. Fourth, organize “litter
patrols” at school: each class should
take it in turn to pick up litter on the
school grounds throughout the
week. Fifth, classes can put up posters or make a display on the
notice board to remind everyone of the dangers and damage that
litter can cause to the environment in general. Finally,
schoolchildren should raise awareness of this litter problem among
their community by talking about its causes and dangers to their
friends outside school, their family and relatives, and also to their
neighbours in the place where they live, whether in towns or in
villages. Young people can be more responsible than adults. We
shouldn’t forget that!