English Course · Level 5 (B2) · Week 5 of 12

Environment and Sustainability

Grammar: Participle clauses · Walking home, I… · Built in 1902, the dam… · Having finished, we…

This week's plan

Day	Learn	Listen / Watch	Practise
Day 1	Words: Environmental problems · Sentences 1–2	BBC 6 Minute English: “Is the planet warming up faster?” (podcast)	Exercise 1
Day 2	Words: Green solutions · Sentences 3–4	TED: William Kamkwamba, “How I harnessed the wind” (video)	Exercise 2
Day 3	Words: Environment verbs · Sentences 5–6	BBC 6 Minute English: “Plastic waste eaten by enzymes” (podcast)	Exercise 3
Day 4	Words: Nature · Sentences 7–8	BBC 6 Minute English: “Do you have eco-anxiety?” (podcast) + BBC The English We Speak: “Cut corners” (podcast)	Exercise 4
Day 5	Words: Consumer habits · Sentences 9–10	TED: Graham Hill, “Less stuff, more happiness” (video)	Write & Speak
Day 6	Review all 30 words + 10 sentences	BBC 6 Minute English: “Making old things last longer” (podcast)	Redo mistakes
Day 7	Free day ☺	BBC 6 Minute English: “Is the recycling system broken?” (podcast)	Tick your tracker

30 minutes a day: review, learn, listen, practise, speak. Day 7 is a free day. Tap a resource to find it.

30 words to learn

Set 1 · Environmental problems

deforestationإزالة الغابات
global warmingالاحتباس الحراري
greenhouse gasesغازات الاحتباس الحراري
a droughtجفاف
emissionsانبعاثات
extinctionانقراض

Set 2 · Green solutions

renewable energyالطاقة المتجدّدة
solar panelsألواح شمسية
sustainableمستدام
a carbon footprintبصمة كربونية
conservationالحفاظ على البيئة / الصون
eco-friendlyصديق للبيئة

Set 3 · Environment verbs

depleteيستنزف
contaminateيلوّث
dispose ofيتخلّص من
conserveيحافظ على / يرشّد استهلاك
phase outيتخلّص تدريجيًا من
offsetيعوّض

Set 4 · Nature

an ecosystemنظام بيئي
a habitatموطن طبيعي
a speciesنوع / فصيلة
biodiversityالتنوّع البيولوجي
a coral reefشعاب مرجانية
wildlifeالحياة البرية

Set 5 · Consumer habits

single-use plasticبلاستيك يُستخدم مرة واحدة
throwaway cultureثقافة الاستهلاك والرمي
second-handمستعمَل
reusableقابل لإعادة الاستخدام
overconsumptionالإفراط في الاستهلاك
food wasteهدر الطعام

10 sentences to memorise

1Having lived by the Red Sea all his life, Tarek knows how fragile coral reefs are.بما أن طارق عاش بجوار البحر الأحمر طوال حياته، فهو يعرف مدى هشاشة الشعاب المرجانية.
2Built in the 1960s, the High Dam changed the Nile forever.غيّر السد العالي، الذي بُني في الستينيات، نهرَ النيل إلى الأبد.
3Walking along the beach, we saw piles of plastic bottles.بينما كنا نسير على الشاطئ، رأينا أكوامًا من الزجاجات البلاستيكية.
4Many species are in danger of extinction because their habitats are being destroyed.كثير من الأنواع معرّضة لخطر الانقراض لأن مواطنها الطبيعية تُدمَّر.
5Using solar panels, the village now produces its own electricity.باستخدام الألواح الشمسية، أصبحت القرية تنتج الكهرباء الخاصة بها.
6We should phase out single-use plastic as soon as possible.يجب أن نتخلّص تدريجيًا من البلاستيك أحادي الاستخدام في أقرب وقت ممكن.
7Food thrown away by restaurants could feed thousands of families.الطعام الذي ترميه المطاعم يمكن أن يُطعم آلاف العائلات.
8Not knowing what to do with the old furniture, they gave it to a charity.لأنهم لم يعرفوا ماذا يفعلون بالأثاث القديم، أعطوه لجمعية خيرية.
9Every small change helps to reduce our carbon footprint.كل تغيير صغير يساعد على تقليل بصمتنا الكربونية.
10Having finished the clean-up, the volunteers planted twenty trees.بعد أن أنهى المتطوّعون حملة التنظيف، زرعوا عشرين شجرة.

Grammar: Participle clauses · Walking home, I… · Built in 1902, the dam… · Having finished, we…

Participle clauses make writing shorter and more formal. -ing (present participle) = active meaning, at the same time or giving a reason (Walking home, I saw…) · V3 (past participle) = passive meaning (Built in 1902, the dam…) · Having + V3 = an action completed before the main action (Having finished, we left).

أشهر خطأ هو «الفاعل المعلّق»: Walking to school, the rain started ✗ — كأن المطر هو الذي كان يمشي! يجب أن يكون فاعل جملة الـ participle هو نفسه فاعل الجملة الرئيسية: Walking to school, I got caught in the rain ✓. وفرّق بين المعنى المبني للمعلوم (ing) والمبني للمجهول (V3): Using solar power, the village… (القرية تستخدم) / Powered by the sun, the village… (القرية تُشغَّل). واستخدم Having + V3 عندما يحدث الفعل الأول وينتهي قبل الثاني.

Long sentence	Participle clause	Meaning
While I was walking along the Nile, I saw a heron.	Walking along the Nile, I saw a heron.	same time (active)
Because she didn't have a bag, she bought one.	Not having a bag, she bought one.	reason (negative = Not + -ing)
The report, which was written by experts, is alarming.	Written by experts, the report is alarming.	passive
After they had collected the rubbish, they recycled it.	Having collected the rubbish, they recycled it.	earlier action
The people who live near the factory are worried.	The people living near the factory are worried.	shorter relative clause

The subject of the participle clause must be the same as the subject of the main clause.

Passive and earlier: Having been warned about the storm, the fishermen stayed at home.

Participle clauses are common in reports, articles and stories; in conversation we usually use the full clause.

Exercises

Exercise 1 · Combine the sentences with a participle clause.

1) I opened the window. I noticed the smell of smoke.
2) The village is surrounded by desert. It has very little water.
3) She had read the report. She decided to stop using plastic bags.
4) He didn't know the answer. He kept quiet.
5) The cans were collected by students. They were sent to a recycling centre.
6) We had planted the trees. We watered them every day.

Show the answers

1) Opening the window, I noticed the smell of smoke. 2) Surrounded by desert, the village has very little water. 3) Having read the report, she decided to stop using plastic bags. 4) Not knowing the answer, he kept quiet. 5) Collected by students, the cans were sent to a recycling centre. 6) Having planted the trees, we watered them every day.

Exercise 2 · Choose the correct participle.

1) (Making / Made) from recycled paper, this notebook is very eco-friendly.
2) (Feeling / Felt) tired, Mona went to bed early.
3) The children (playing / played) in the park are from our school.
4) (Finishing / Having finished) his degree in 2020, Ahmed joined an environmental charity.
5) Most of the fish (catching / caught) in the lake are small.
6) (Not wanting / Not wanted) to waste food, she gave the leftovers to her neighbours.

Show the answers

1) Made 2) Feeling 3) playing 4) Having finished 5) caught 6) Not wanting

Exercise 3 · Correct the dangling participle: rewrite the sentence so that the subject is correct.

1) Walking to work, the rain started.
2) Having finished the project, the report was sent to the manager.
3) Built in 1902, I visited the old dam in Aswan.
4) Looking out of the window, the sea was beautiful.

Show the answers

1) Walking to work, I got caught in the rain. / While I was walking to work, it started to rain. 2) Having finished the project, we sent the report to the manager. 3) Built in 1902, the old dam in Aswan is still impressive. / I visited the old dam in Aswan, which was built in 1902. 4) Looking out of the window, I saw how beautiful the sea was.

Exercise 4 · Translate into English.

1) بعد أن قرأت المقال، قرّرت أن أقلّل استخدامي للبلاستيك.
2) بينما كنا نسير على الشاطئ، وجدنا سلحفاة صغيرة.
3) هذه الحقيبة، المصنوعة من القماش، قابلة لإعادة الاستخدام.
4) الناس الذين يعيشون بالقرب من المصنع يعانون من التلوّث.

Show the answers

1) Having read the article, I decided to reduce my use of plastic. 2) Walking along the beach, we found a small turtle. / While we were walking along the beach, we found a small turtle. 3) Made of cloth, this bag is reusable. / This bag, made of cloth, is reusable. 4) The people living / who live near the factory suffer from pollution.

Do each exercise in pencil first, then open the answers to check.

Write & Speak

Write & Speak — Write a report (200–250 words) for your local council about an environmental problem in your area. Use headings (Introduction · The problem · Recommendations · Conclusion) and at least four participle clauses. Then present it in two minutes as if you were at a meeting.

Example: Report: Plastic waste on the beaches of Alexandria Introduction The aim of this report is to describe the problem of plastic waste on the public beaches of Alexandria and to suggest practical solutions. Having visited five beaches in August and spoken to local residents, I have gathered the following information. The problem Walking along the beaches early in the morning, visitors can see piles of plastic bottles, bags and food containers. Most of this rubbish is left by holidaymakers, but some of it is washed up by the sea. Because it is not collected regularly, the waste is blown into the water, where it harms fish, turtles and other wildlife. Several fishermen interviewed for this report said that their catches had fallen noticeably in recent years. Recommendations 1. Recycling bins should be placed every hundred metres, clearly labelled in Arabic and English. 2. Cafés and kiosks on the beach should be encouraged to phase out single-use plastic, offering paper straws and reusable cups instead. 3. A volunteer clean-up day could be organised every month, supported by local schools and businesses. 4. Fines should be introduced for people caught leaving rubbish on the sand. Conclusion Known for its beautiful coastline, Alexandria cannot afford to lose its beaches to pollution. Taken together, these measures would protect the marine ecosystem, attract more tourists and make the city a cleaner place to live. I strongly recommend that the council should act before next summer.