Unit 12 listening 7

Unit 12: An overcrowded word
Exercise 1: Listen and complete the text (Track 24)
OVERPOPULATION
Overpopulation is a real problem. It could (1).......................the Earth. Very soon, there will
be too many people and not enough (2).......................
There won’t be enough (3).......................to grow food for everyone. We’ll eat all of the
(4).......................in the sea. And our pollution will cause more (5)....................... I think we are in a
very (6).......................situation.
I don’t know what the answer is. Our (7).......................don’t seem too worried. They never
see the bigger picture. The world’s population is exploding, and (8).......................cause great
damage.
More and more people are living longer and longer. We have better (9)....................... Our
scientists have found cures too many (10)....................... There are many reasons. What we really
need to do is thinking about how overpopulation is damaging the Earth.
Exercise 2: Listen and decide if each statement is true or false or not given (Track 25)
No.

Statements

T

F

NG

1.

There are more and more people on the earth.

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

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2.

The author thinks that it is totally bad for the population to
continue to increase.

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

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3.

When the world’s population increases too much, there will be
food wars but water wars.

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4.

It is expected that by 2050, the population will be 20 billion.

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5.

Natural disaster is one of the factors controlling population.

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6.

Although we are rich, we cannot control the length of time we live.

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7.

In Japan, there are more old people than young people.

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8.

Japan government is importing foreign laborers.







Exercise 3: Listen to the recording and tick  the correct pictures - Track 21
1

A. 

B. 

A. 

B. 

2

Listening

1


3

B. 

A. 
4

A. 

B. 

5

A. 

B. 

Exercise 4: Listen to the recording and fill in the blanks - Track 22
Known as the “Maple Leaf Flag,” the Canadian flag (1) ________________ two colors - red,
derived from St. George’s cross, and (2) ________________, derived from the French royal
emblem. An 11 -point maple leaf is (3) ________________ at the center of the white stripe. It was
included after a prolonged campaign led by Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson, (4)
________________ noticed that many Canadian battalions included a maple leaf in their symbol
during World War I. The (5) ________________ in its current form was adopted on Feb. 15th,
1965.
Exercise 5: Listen to the recording and circle the correct answers - Track 23

Australia
Australia is an 1. city / island continent in the Southern Hemisphere. It is a huge
country and is 2. near / far from everywhere. It is also called ‘Oz’ and its people like to call
themselves ‘Aussies’. Australia is a multicultural society, with people from all over the world.
It is a peaceful and wealthy country.
Modem Australia is a pleasant place to visit. It offers a lot both in the way of cultural and 3.
natural / man-made attractions. There are world-class performances in the Sydney Opera
House, but if you are more interested in the local flora and fauna, then you should go
bushwalking in one of the many national 4. zoos / parks. Eucalyptus tree forests have a
peculiar atmosphere. These trees are special because they shed their bark, not their leaves.
Some eucalyptus tree varieties are called gum trees. If you are in for some more adventure,
then the outback is probably the place for you. Almost everything is 5. orange / red in this
part of Australia: the soil, the rocks, and even the kangaroos! Amazing, isn’t it?

Listening

2


Exercise 6: Listen to the recording and decide whether the sentences are true (T) or
false (F) - Track 24
Sentences

True (T)

False (F)

1. English is the most spoken language in the world (if Chinese is
divided into variants).
2. English is the second-most spoken native language, after Spanish.

3. English is the most widely learned second language.
4. More people have learned English as a second language than
there are native speakers.
5. As of 2005, it was estimated that there were over 2 million
speakers of English.

Listening

3