Water Crisis

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lingua houseInnovation in Learning

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A A GENERAL ENGLISH

lingua houseInnovation in Learning

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A A GENERAL ENGLISH

Water crisisLesson code: ICXZ-ZF6B-D4UI-R INTERMEDIATE +

1 Warm-up

What do you know about the water crisis in Brazil?

2 Key words

Match the underlined words to the correct definitions below:

1. Farmers cannot grow anything because of the drought.

2. If you spend too much, you will run out of money.

3. For a few weeks, nobody had anything to eat - it was a big catastrophe.

4. Dont deny that you stole the money! We all know that you did it.

5. Oil reserves are very low at the moment - in the future, we will need to find other forms of energy.

6. The citys water utility provides water for every citizen.

7. During the war, there was meat rationing - citizens were only allowed to eat a very limited amount.

8. The possibility of a successful career is a good incentive to study hard for your degree.

9. Julia had to pay a fine for parking illegally.

a. a disaster

b. a period of very low rainfall

c. a supply of something not needed for immediate use but available if required

d. allow each person to have only a fixed amount of something

e. an organisation or company that provides water for the public

f. money you pay as a penalty for breaking the law

g. say that it is not true that you said or did something

h. something that encourages or motivates you to do something

i. use all of something and leave nothing

You can review this worksheet online at www.linguahouse.com/ex 1/5Review your flashcards at least 3-5 times a week for 20 minutes to keep the material fresh in your memory.

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Water crisis lingua houseInnovation in Learning

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A A A A GENERAL ENGLISH


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3 Find the information

You are going to read an article about the water crisis in Brazil. Find the information below in the text.

1. The population of So Paolo is .

2. The lowest rainfall in So Paulo was in .

3. Brazil has per cent of the worlds freshwater.

4. Water reserves in So Paulo are at per cent.

5. The name of So Paulos water utility is .

Brazils water shortageSo Paulo suffers its worst drought on record.

1 Brazil continues to suffer from a historic drought, and millions of people in its largest city might run outof water soon. So Paulo, home to around 20 million people, is experiencing its lowest rainfall since1930, and new water-saving measures have been introduced to deal with the catastrophe.

2 Services including schools and hospitals are having to adapt to the countrys new water problems.TheCndido Fontoura childrens hospital has denied that it ran out of water earlier this month, but biologistAnalice Dora expressed fear: "Everyone is worried. Hospitals are the one place that cant lack water."

3 Although there has been a recent increase in rainfall in the region, it hasnt been enough to improvesupply in Brazil, a country which normally has 12 per cent of the worlds freshwater more waterthan any other country in the world.

4 Current reserves in So Paulo stand at just 10 per cent - known as the "dead volume" - and thegovernment has warned that it could get worse in the next few months.

5 Professor Decio Semensatto from the Federal University of So Paulo has compared the current watersituation to a "semi-desert". And the water crisis will probably last for years.

6 He says that water utility Sabesp is responsible because it has known for years that drought-likeconditions would soon arrive, but did not do much to prevent the future problems.

7 The current crisis has reached a serious point, and water rationing may be necessary. State governorGeraldo Alckmin last month admitted that it was already happening.

8 Brazil is not used to such scarcity, but So Paulo is getting used to way things have to be run; thereare incentives to use less water, fines for those who use too much and the possible installation ofmore efficient taps.

9 Sabesp will see if such steps can make the difference before it decides whether to formally introducewider water rationing.

Adapted from The Independent, by Zachary Davies Boren, 23 February 2015


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4 Checking understanding

Put T (True) or F (False) next to the statements below. Correct the statements which are false.

1. Millions of people have already run out of water in So Paulo.

2. People are worried that hospitals might run out of water.

3. There hasnt been any rain recently.

4. The Brazilian government says that the water crisis will get better.

5. The Sabesp water utility knew about the water crisis years ago.

6. Water rationing may be necessary.

7. There are no incentives to use less water.

8. People who use too much water have to pay fines.

9. Sabesp has already decided to formally introduce water rationing everywhere.

5 Find the words

Find the words from the text which mean ...

1. important in history (adj., P1)

2. a lack of something (TITLE)

3. stop something from happening (verb, P6)

4. said that it was true; the opposite of denied (verb -ed, P7)

5. devices to control the flow of liquid or gas from pipes (plural noun, P8)

6 Talking point

Discuss any of the questions below:

1. How can people use less water?

2. What environmental problems do you have in your country?

3. Has your country ever had a water crisis?

4. What do you think are the most serious environmental problems in the world today?


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7 Grammar Review - Present perfect simple

Look at the following sentences:

a. There has been a recent increase in rainfall in the region.

b. The government has warned that it could get worse in the next few months.

c. Sabesp has known for years that drought-like conditions would soon arrive.

1. We often use the present perfect simple (have/has + past participle) to talk about a recent changethat began in the past and is complete in the present.

Example: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

2. We often use the present perfect simple to talk about a state that started in the past and continued tothe present.

Example: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

3. We often use the present perfect simple to talk about a recent event (without saying when ithappened).

Example: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Remember: If we say when something happened in the past (for example, 2 months ago, last year,yesterday, etc.), we cannot use the present perfect. We must use a past tense.

8 Recent changes

Form sentences with the present perfect simple to describe the recent changes below, like in theexample. Use words like increase, decrease, rise, fall, decline and growth.

1. the number of people learning EnglishThere has been a growth in the number of people learning English.

2. global temperatures

3. wars and political conflicts

4. the worlds population

5. the amount of freshwater in Brazil

6. the number of smartphone users

7. unemployment in my country


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9 Recent events

Complete the sentences below with the verbs in the present perfect simple.

discover change finish hear lose open receive win

1. Scientists have discovered a method of creating freshwater!2. Brazil the World Cup!

3. Its cold in here. someone the window?

4. Look at Alice. It looks like she her hairstyle.

5. I cant find my keys. I think I them.

6. At last! I my all my work and I can go home now.

7. the news? Norman a promotion.

10 Situations from past to present

Complete the sentences below with the present perfect simple or past simple.

1. Im very tired now. I ve been (be) in the office all day.2. I (be) at home yesterday.

3. She (know) about the problem since Monday.

4. I (know) her 10 years ago.

5. I (never/understand) him hes just so different.

6. I (not/understand) what you said earlier. Now, I do.

7. The internet (not/exist) 100 years ago.

8. The Parthenon in Greece (exist) for over 1600 years.

9. Paul (have) his car since 2010.

10. They (have) a nice time at the party last night.

Make sentences about yourself or your country in the present perfect and past simple. Use thefollowing verbs:

know exist be have


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Water crisis - Key lingua houseInnovation in Learning

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Water crisis - Key lingua houseInnovation in Learning

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1- Warm-up

Encourage a short warm-up discussion.

2- Key words

1. b 2. i 3. a 4. g 5. c 6. e 7. d 8. h 9. f

3- Find the information

1. 20 million 2. 1930 3. 12 4. 10 5. Sabesp

4- Checking understanding

1. F 2. T 3. F 4. F 5. T 6. T 7. F 8. T 9. F

5- Find the words

1. historic 2. shortage 3. prevent 4. admitted 5. taps

7- Grammar Review - Present perfect simple

1. There has been a recent increase in rainfall in the region.2. Sabesp has known for years that drought-like conditions would soon arrive.3. The government has warned that it could get worse in the next few months.

8- Recent changes

Possible answers:2. There has been an increase in global temperatures.3. There has been a rise in wars and political conflicts.4. There has been a growth in the worlds population.5. There has been a decrease in the amount of freshwater in Brazil.6. There has been an increase in the number of smartphone users.7. There has been an increase/decrease in unemployment in my country.

9- Recent events

2. have won 3. Has someone opened 4. s changed5. ve lost 6. ve finished 7. Have you heard/has received

10- Situations from past to present

2. wasnt 3. s known 4. knew 5. ve never understood6. didnt understand 7. didnt exist 8. has existed 9. has had10. hadStudents make up similar sentences about themselves or their countries (e.g. "The Eiffel Tower has existed forover 100 years.")

You can review this worksheet online at www.linguahouse.com/ex iReview your flashcards at least 3-5 times a week for 20 minutes to keep the material fresh in your memory.

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Water Crisis