DISASTERS AT SEA1

DESCRIPTIVE TEXTS 1. Prediction: How would you describe this image? Can you think of any recent news that could be represented by it?

This unit has been designed for students of 2nd year Bachillerato.

Source: CNN

Did you have any problems with the order of the adjectives? Practice by clicking here Did you have problems using modifiers? Find more exercises here PRODUCING NARRATIVE TEXTS

2. Watch the SILENT video and take notes to answer the questions below: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sYGnjY9T1JA&feature=related (32)
Where did the accident happen? When was the rig built? How many people worked there? When did it explode? When did it sink? How many people are missing? Was anybody injured? How many hours did the fire last?

3. Use your notes and try to tell what happened. Adapt the length of your narration to the video duration and try to report the news while you watch the video. (Oral activity)
Teachers notes. (sample) On April 20, 2010, an explosion occurred on the Deepwater Horizon rig and it caught fire. Eleven people are missing after the incident, 17 workers were injured and 7 of them were then taken to the hospital. Support ships sprayed the rig with water in an unsuccessful bid to douse the flames. Deepwater Horizon sank on April 22, 2010. If you think you need further practice with narrative tenses Click here Practice the passive voice if necessary by clicking here

READING COMPREHENSION Read the news: On the Gulf of Mexico (CNN) -- Ten miles off the coast of Louisiana, where the air tastes like gasoline and the ocean looks like brownie batter, Louisiana State University professor Ed Overton leans out of a fishing boat and dunks a small jar beneath the surface of the oil-

covered water. "God, what a mess," he says under his breath, scooping up a canister of the oil that's been spilled into the Gulf of Mexico. Even though Overton has been studying oil spills for 30 years, he's not sure what he'll find in that sample. That's because, just below the surface, the scope and impact of one of the biggest environmental disasters in the history of the U.S. remains a mystery. And that terrifies some scientists. It's been five weeks since an oil rig exploded and sank, rupturing a pipeline 5,000 feet beneath the surface of the Gulf of Mexico. Some clues about what so much oil -- perhaps 22 million gallons of it -- will do to the environment have become obvious: Dolphins have washed up dead. Endangered sea turtles have been found with oil stuck on their corneas. Lifeless brown pelicans, classified as endangered until recently, have been carried away in plastic bags. Beaches in Grand Isle, Louisiana, are spattered with gobs of sticky crude. And when the moon rises over the coast there, the oil-soaked ocean sparkles like cellophane under a spotlight. But what's really going on in the depths of the ocean and in the all-important root systems of coastal marshes may prove to have more impact in the long term, and scientists know much less about what's happening in these invisible reaches of the Gulf ecosystem. As one oceanographer put it, a Chernobyl-sized catastrophe could be brewing under the sea. Or the environment here may be dodging a huge bullet. "It's kind of like falling out a window," Overton said of the confusion. "We don't know how hard that ground is gonna be until we hit bottom. We don't know if we're going to land in soft shrubs and live -- or if we're going to hit a rock." If scientists' worst fears are realized, the oil plume in the Gulf could choke off and kill coastal marshes in the productive Mississippi Delta and barrier islands, turning these verdant tufts of life -- which look like hairy putting greens floating out on the water -- into opened ocean. That would snap the region's marine food chain, exposing and starving all kinds of organisms. Overton said the impacts of such an occurrence would last for a century. Reading comprehension

a) Answer the questions trying to justify your answer with the evidence in the text:
1. Does Professor Ed Overton think that the impact of the disaster can easily be seen on the surface? 2. Which endangered species have so far suffered from the oil spill? 3. What does the Author mean when he says a Chernobyl-sized catastrophe?

b) Vocabulary: Write 5 words you didnt know before reading the text. Give a definition in English and translate the word into Spanish. NEW DEFINITION (ENGLISH) TRANSLATION

WORD

Give a synonym for the following words: 12345scooping canister spatter soaked choke off

Do you need any help with synonyms and antonyms? Click here

Word-building. Try to identify the following words according to different word categories and complete the chart below: endangered water disaster NOUN lifeless depth classified ADJECTIVE environmental invisible coastal fear

Pronounce the words and check your pronunciation

4. LISTENING COMPREHENSION. (DESCRIPTIVE AND NARRATIVE TEXT) A) Watch this video and answer the questions below:
1. 2. 3. 4. How many workers are missing? Did helicopters arrive two hours after the explosion? How many people are critically hurt? How big is the rig? Is this rig as big as a football field?

5. How is it hold in place? 6. Is it more dangerous to work in oil industry or in coal mines? 7. Which award was the Deep Horizon crew given by the federal Government? When? 8. Whats the temperature of the water? 9. How many vessels has BP sent to deal with potential pollution? 10. Can people survive for more than 60 hours at a temperature of 67 degrees?

Converters are available by clicking the links below: Distance and length converter http://www.convert-me.com/en/convert/length Capacity and volume converter: http://www.convert-me.com/en/convert/volume For other unit conversions click here

5. WRITING AND SPEAKING: Write a caption for each of the pictures below using words and expression you have learnt with the activities above:

Source: CNN Edition online

6. INTERVIEW: Philippe Cousteaus view (argumentative text) http://cnn.com/video/?/video/us/2010/05/27/ctw.intv.philippe.cousteau.cnn

A) Decide if the following statements are true (T), false (F)

or not mentioned (?) The oil is so far just confined at the surface. 200,000 gallons of dispersants have been applied. Philippe Cousteau thinks that the Government is making good decisions Obama has visited the area a few days ago The Gulf Cost will be affected for ten years We should change our addiction to oil Philippe Cousteau is now working for the BBC Earth Echo is an organization dedicated to rig employees. According to Philippe Cousteau, we dont need to look ahead; we just need to solve this problem right here and right now. Philippe Cousteaus father didnt even imagine that these disasters could ever happen.

Click here to read the text and check your answers, if you want to listen at the same time click the link above or here Philippe Cousteau: Indeed our worst fears were realized. The oil is not just confined at the surface but it is distributed throughout the water column and as we were diving in full hazmat gears, because this is very toxic, pro, compounds, the chemical dispersion in the oil mixture is very toxic, it was these clouds, billowing clouds of this thick red toxic soup that was just washing over us as we were in the water and we saw dead fish and jellyfish floating in the surface as we looked up, it was terrible. Journalist: Your sense is that these dispersants certainly arent working, is that right? Philippe Cousteau: Oh no, the sense actually is that the dispersants may be doing their job. One of the concerns though is that we have applied unprecedented numbers of dispersants into the Gulf of Mexico, over 800,000 gallons of the dispersant called Corexit, to date, and that it is very toxic and we just dont really know what it is doing as it disperses this oil into the water column, it may actually be making things worse. Journalist: Have you ever known anything like this in your experience? Philippe Cousteau: No, I indeed believe and agree with C. B. of the Administration which is now acknowledging that this is the worst oil spill, possibly the worst environmental disaster in the history of this country. 125 (SIDE CONMENT) Journalist: What is your opinion on the way that President Obama and his Administration is dealing with this? Philippe Cousteau: Well, Im very pleased that today they announced further extension of the moratorium to another six months and have, at least for now, cancelled some very controversial leases, exploration leases, drilling leases from the Artic which we were very concerned about, so, you know, the latest news coming out of the Administration is very positive. Journalist:

Kiera, from New York wants to know, simply this, its a question many people want answered at this point: How long do you think it is going to take to clean up the Gulf Coast of all of this oil? Philippe Cousteau: I was in Grand Isle, Louisiana, at the front lines of this about two days ago meeting with scientists and fisherman and others down there and there was great concern now that the oil has penetrated into some of the wetlands in the mangroves along the coast of Louisiana, 40% of all the wetlands in the lower 48 states, in the United States, exist in Louisiana, the oil is now penetrating those and once it does, it doesnt go away; this will be causing problems for years to come. Journalist: Question from Katie Malone, Phillippe, she says: What lessons do you think we can learn from this? I know it is ongoing but we ought to be looking ahead at this point. Philippe Cousteau: Its critical to look ahead, she is absolutely correct; what we need to be focusing on is restoration at this point, we need to understand that this is a catastrophe, that will be around for years to come, and that the lives both of the animals and the people that live along the Gulf coast will be affected for potentially decades and I think what we need to learn from this is that we must be determined and serious about getting off our addiction to oil, oil costs a lot more than the price at the pump, there is a huge cost to our addiction of oil in our health, in our security, in our economy and we need to recognize that and look forward. (SIDE COMMENT 327-337) Journalist: What then, in your opinion, is the best way to get off and move beyond this dependency on oil? Philippe Cousteau: I think one of the most important things we can do is begin to factor the true cost and recognize the true cost of our addiction to these dirty industries, coal and oil, the environmental cost, the social, the health costs of these carbon-based fuels are tremendous, and those costs arent factored in to what people pay at the pump and if they were, then I believe that renewable energy would be much more competitive, much cheaper in fact; we also need to hold our politicians feet to the fire and demand of them that they take our long-term best interests at heart and they begin to really provide the incentives and the political will and support to get on to development of renewable energies and get off this self-destructive path. Journalist: Last question from Heath: What gives you the most satisfaction and joy about doing what he calls your amazing job?

Philippe Cousteau: Well, I think the greatest satisfaction that I have in working in conservation and with the environment while going on expeditions and doing films, I work with Discovery and Planet Green and the television networks, doing the documentaries, I worked with the BBC before, is great fun, is great experiences, what I did in the Gulf, trying to open peoples eyes and tell the story of these environmental catastrophes wherever they exist around the world is great, but Im CEO (chief executive officer) of Earth Echo International, which is a non-profit dedicated to youth and my grandfather agreed and I agree that focusing on the next generation, education, research, and empowering young people to make the changes that we must make in this world, that is my greatest joy, that is the best part of my job.

7. FINAL ASSIGNMENT Design a poster on the topic The importance of taking care of our environment. Before designing it, read the basics and some tips for poster designing.

Realizado por: M Gema Fernndez Sampedro Email: mariagema.fernandezsampedro@educa.madrid.org