Academic English
"I Love Trees"
| Level: | Topic: | Type: | Speakers: | Length: |
| difficult | nature | essay reading | girl | 01:57 |
Pre-Listening Exercise
Recycling and protecting the environment is very important in our world today. Now, you will listen to an award-winning essay on trees in which a girl explains why she loves trees? What ideas would you expect to hear in such an essay?
Idioms
"money doesn't grow on trees" = don't waste money because it isn't always easy to come by
"Watch how much you spend because money doesn't grow on trees."
"have a green thumb" = special ability at making plants grow well
"She has a real green thumb for growing beautiful decorative trees."
Listening Exercise
A. Listen to the recording and answer the questions.
The girl ______ when she paints pictures of trees.
When I paint a picture of a tree I use many shades of green and many more shades of brown.
The girl is talking about the _____ of trees when she says, "Its a glass of cool water on a hot day."
I love trees because they always smell so fresh and clean. I like to go to the nursery because I love the smell of trees, it's so refreshing. It's a glass of cool water on a hot day, or a damp cloth on a hot forehead.
The girl enjoys ______ in her grandfather's tree.
I especially like to climb my grandpa's apple tree . . . It is fun to let my imagination run away with me while munching apples.
Trees make life possible because they _____.
Trees make life possible because they use the carbon dioxide and release oxygen which makes it so that we can breathe.
The girl feels that trees _____.
Trees are very important to the environment. The beauty of trees makes me feel peaceful, and inspires me to make the best of myself.
Post-Listening Exercise
What environmental problems can you think that pose great danger to nature and our world (e.g., acid rain, deforestation, water pollution)? Are these threats caused by human activity or by natural occurrences? What are some solutions to these problems? Share your ideas on these important issues.
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