LOWER INTERMEDIATE LESSON: Smoky Skies in the USA

INTRODUCTION:

In the news: This week, the East Coast of the United States is having a problem something that other places around the world are familiar with wildfire smoke.

NEW VOCABULARY:  having a problem with,  familiar with, wildfire, smoky

SECTION ONE:

Fires across eastern Canada are choking the skies from Ottawa to New York to Washington and beyond with dangerous levels of smoke. More than 400 wildfires were burning in Canada on Thursday, according to the Canadian government — with most of them considered to be burning out of control, The New York Times reported. 

NEW VOCABULARY: across, choking, smoke, burning, according to, considered, out of control, reported.

PORTUGUESE:  transversalmente, sufocando, fumando, queimando, de acordo com, considerado, fora de controle, relatado.

The novelty of New York City landmarks shrouded in a thick haze has dominated headlines in the United States the past few days — but it may not stay a novelty for long: Americans should start expecting more of these episodes thanks to climate change. 

NEW VOCABULARY: novelty, landmarks, shrouded, haze, headlines, episodes

PORTUGUESE: novidade, marcos, envolto, neblina, manchetes, episódios

LISTENING SECTION:   Watch the video and answer the four questions below by Googling the translations.

QUESTIONS:

1. 1. 1. * What do the words “startling” and “apocalyptic” mean?
      2. * Delhi is known for its noxious air.  What does noxious mean?
      3. * New York is getting huge “plumes”  of smoke. What are plumes?
      4. *  Schools have cancelled “field trips”  What are field trips?

SECTION TWO:

“Many of us on the East Coast of the United States have largely been able to avoid or ignore negative climate change impacts in recent years,” noted Emily Nyrop, a climate change expert at Conservation International who is based in Boston. “But these last few days have starkly illuminated for many on the East Coast that none of us is immune from the effects of the change in climate.”

NEW VOCABULARY:  largely, noted, based in, illuminated for, to avoid, ignore,  climate change impacts,  conservation international, based in, immune.

PORTUGUESE:  m grande parte, notado, baseado em, iluminado para, para evitar, ignorar,  impactos da mudança climática,  conservação internacional, baseado em, imune.

PART THREE: 

The big picture: Wildfires have made the news elsewhere in recent years, most memorably in Singapore to Sao Paulo, where thick haze turned day into dusk. In both those cases, fires that were intentionally set elsewhere to clear land went out of control, and weather conditions exacerbated by climate change made them worse than they would have been. 

NEW VOCABULARY:  The big picture, elsewhere, recent, memorably, thick haze, turned day,  dusk, both those cases, to clear land,  out of control, exacerbated,  worse than they would have been. 

PORTUGUESE:  O quadro geral, em outro lugar, recente, memorável, névoa espessa, virou dia,  crepúsculo, ambos os casos, para limpar a terra,  fora de controle, exacerbado,  pior do que teria sido.

GRAMMAR SECTION: phrasal verbs one.

What is a phrasal verb?

WRITING SECTION ONE:

Ask Google for a list of phrasal verbs in English. Choose one and then write a sentence using it. Don’t forget to check the sentence for grammar tenses and punctuation before you send it to me.