1. What is environment ?
If we do not want to go into the intricacies of the term, then we can define
environment as everything that surrounds us. Whatever we see around us is
confined to the living component of the human eco-system. With time, the
concept has undergone modifications. Today, environment means a single
system of the interacting living and non-living natural components of the earth.
But the earth is not the only planet of the solar family, which again belongs to
our home Galaxy — the Milky Way. There are about 100 billion such galaxies
floating in the vast universe, each containing about 100 billion stars!! In this
universe, not a single event can be said to be isolated, and no object is
independent of the rest.
2. What do you consider to be the most serious environmental issues in the
world today?
I’d say that global warming and climate change have to come top of the list
because these threaten the very future of life on our planet. There are many
contributing factors such as the burning of fossil fuels, deforestation for
agriculture and due to illegal logging, and large-scale livestock farming.
Another serious concern is for the marine life in our oceans which is under
serious threat from pollution, especially waste plastics. These kill or injure
thousands of sea creatures every day. Many species of wildlife are also being
pushed to the verge of extinction by poaching. It’s shocking to think that
beautiful animals such as the tiger are dying out in the wild because of the
actions of human beings.
There are many other environmental problems that we need to solve but these
are the ones I believe to be the most serious.
3. Do you think it is the responsibility of governments alone to protect the
environment?
Not at all. It’s the responsibility of every individual to do their bit to protect the
environment. Of course, governments can do a lot to address environmental
issues through their policies and the laws they pass. I certainly think that
governments should put more pressure on industry to use clean energy and to
cut down on the emission of greenhouse gases that pollute the atmosphere and
add to global warming.
In my country, the government encourages people to live an environmentally-
friendly lifestyle by providing recycling services and facilities and subsidising
renewable energy by giving grants to people wanting to run their homes on solar
power. If more people took advantage of this, it would certainly help the
environment.
4. What measures can individuals take to protect the environment?
There are many ways that each of us can help to care for the natural
environment. Firstly, we can recycle as much of our rubbish as possible or, even
better, cut down on our use of disposable products.
Secondly, we can become more energy-efficient by insulating our homes,
turning off lights when they don’t need to be on and making short journeys by
bicycle or on foot rather than going by vehicle. Cutting down on car journeys
also means fewer polluting exhaust fumes entering the atmosphere.
Finally, we can make sure that we know about the major conservation issues our
world is currently facing. If we are well-informed then we can take action to
bring about change.
These are all measure we can take as individuals to help safeguard the
environment.
5. Do you believe climate change is a serious problem?
Yes, I do. The issue of climate change has been growing over the past few
decades and we are now witnessing serious changes in global weather patterns.
While some countries are suffering heat waves, other countries are suffering
from terrible snow storms. But that isn’t the worst of the problem. The changes
in the climate are also causing extreme weather such as typhoon, earthquakes
and tsunamis, which are devastating many countries. On top of that, there are
also concerns about rising sea levels, which although not a problem now, will be
a serious concern to any low lying country in the future. So I feel that climate
change is something which needs to be taken very seriously.
6. Which day is the Earth Day?
A. April 23 B. April 22 C. April 21 D. April 20
7. Which of the following materials can be recovered from the recycling of soft
drink cans?
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8. Who are ethologists?
A. Scientists who study about ethos
B. Scientists who study about the behaviour of wild animals
C. Scientists who study about the behaviour of animals in a particular eco
system.