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Lesson planB290 minsNew. New: checked automatically for level, grammar, facts and originality; a teacher's review is still to come. Spotted a mistake? Tell us.
B2 First Unit 5: The Environment
Students build vocabulary for environmental problems and solutions, practise mixed conditionals with unless, as long as and even if, and work through four B2 First exam tasks.
Environment · Nature · Weather
B2 First preparationTopic unit
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Plan at a glance
Aims
- Use mixed conditionals, unless, as long as and even if accurately
- Learn and use 25 words and phrases in 4 sets: Environmental problems, Solutions and actions, Collocations for the environment, Weather and the natural world
- Practise B2 First Reading and Use of English Parts 2, 3, 4 and 5
- Writing task (Part 1): an essay about paying for pollution
Stages · 90 min
- 5 minLead-in: Pairs list three environmental problems in their area and one thing that would help.
- 15 minVocabulary: Ex. 1–2
- 5 minLanguage focus: Go through the grammar notes: mixed conditionals, then unless, as long as and even if.
- 10 minControlled practice: Ex. 3
- 20 minExam practice: Use of English: Ex. 4–6
- 15 minReading: Ex. 7
- 20 minWriting: Ex. 8
Printables
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Download all (ZIP, 2 PDFs)Grammar notes
Mixed conditionals
- Past action, present result: If + past perfect, would + infinitive. If we had acted earlier, the lake would be clean now.
- Present situation, past result: If + past simple, would have + past participle. If I lived nearer, I would have come.
- Check the time words: now and today point to a present result; yesterday and last year to a past one.
unless, as long as, even if
- unless means if not: Unless it rains, we'll walk = If it doesn't rain, we'll walk.
- as long as means only if: You can stay as long as you help. even if means whether or not: We'll go even if it rains.
- Use a present tense after them for the future, not will: as long as it stops raining (not will stop).
Talking about the environment
- Strong collocations: take action, reduce waste, save energy, protect wildlife, heavy rain.
- Climate is the usual weather over many years; weather is what happens today.
Study tips
- Keep a list of environment collocations and test yourself: reduce ___, take ___, save ___.
- In Part 4, write the time of each half of a conditional above the sentence before you answer.
Glossary
- Environmental problems7 items
- Solutions and actions6 items
- Collocations for the environment6 items
- Weather and the natural world6 items
Complete the exercises, then check your answers.
1
Words for the environment
Match each word with its meaning. There is one extra meaning.
Tap an item…
…then its match
2
Choose the right word
Choose the correct answer.
- a
Scientists say the ___ in this region is getting warmer and drier every decade.
- b
The ___ was lovely on Saturday, so we had a picnic by the river.
- c
The Pacific is the largest ___ in the world.
- d
___ rain caused flooding in the valley last night.
- e
Cars and factories are the main causes of air ___ in the city.
- f
A long period with almost no rain is called a ___.
- g
Choose the correct sentence.
- h
Choose the correct sentence.
3
Conditions and results
Choose the correct answer.
- a
If we had started recycling years ago, our town ___ much cleaner now.
- b
If people hadn't used so much plastic in the past, the oceans ___ cleaner today.
- c
If I were braver, I ___ the protest yesterday.
- d
If the government ___ more in public transport, fewer people would drive to work.
- e
Many species will disappear ___ we protect their habitats.
- f
We'll go to the beach tomorrow ___ it's cloudy. Nothing will stop us!
- g
The beach will stay clean ___ visitors take their rubbish home.
4
A town that cut its rubbish
Read the text and write one word in each gap.
Exam task: Reading and Use of English, Part 2
Tip: Look at the words on both sides of the gap: fixed phrases such as at the same time or so … that often decide the missing word.
Last spring, our town started a scheme to reduce waste and cut the amount 1 rubbish that ends up in landfill. Every household was given three bins: one for food waste, one for plastic and glass, 2 one for everything else. At first, many people complained that the system was too complicated, 3 after a few months most residents had got used to the idea. Recycling soon became a habit, and nobody wanted to go back 4 the old way of doing things.
The council also opened a repair café, 5 volunteers fix broken toasters, lamps and bikes for free. 'Most things are thrown away long before they are really finished,' says organiser Maya Okafor. 'If people learnt 6 to repair things, they would save money and help the planet at the 7 time.'
The scheme has become so popular 8 two nearby villages have decided to copy it.
5
Saving energy at home
Use the word in capitals to form a word that fits each gap.
Exam task: Reading and Use of English, Part 3
Tip: Read the whole sentence: the meaning may need a negative form, a plural or an adverb, not just a new word class.
Small changes at home can make a real 1DIFFER to your energy bills. Switching off lights when you leave a room is the 2EASY way to save energy. Surprisingly, many people are 3AWARE of how much electricity devices use on standby, so they never switch them off at the wall.
Energy-saving bulbs cost a little more, but they are far more 4EFFECT than old ones. Turning the heating down by just one degree is also 5SURPRISE useful. Solar panels are now 6WIDE available, and the 7INSTALL is often cheaper than people expect.
Above all, saving energy is a 8RESPONSIBLE that we all share.
6
Key word transformations
Complete the second sentence so that it has a similar meaning to the first sentence, using the word given. Do not change the word given. Use between two and five words, including the word given.
Exam task: Reading and Use of English, Part 4
Tip: Conditionals are common in Part 4: check which time each part of the sentence talks about before you choose the verb forms.
- a
We'll only save the forest if people stop cutting down trees.
UNLESS
We won't save the forest cutting down trees.
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
- b
The beach clean-up will go ahead, whatever the weather.
EVEN
The beach clean-up will go ahead bad.
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
- c
I didn't know about the beach clean-up, so I'm not helping today.
KNOWN
If I about the beach clean-up, I would be helping today.
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
- d
The river is polluted because factories dumped waste in it for years.
IF
The river wouldn't be polluted waste in it for years.
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
- e
Everyone should do something about the problem now.
ACTION
Everyone should about the problem now.
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
- f
The scheme will succeed only if local people support it.
LONG
The scheme will succeed local people support it.
Use 2–5 words, including the word given.
7
Giving the land back
Read the article. For each question, choose the answer (A, B, C or D) which you think fits best according to the text.
Exam task: Reading and Use of English, Part 5
Tip: Find the part of the text each question is about first, then read it closely: wrong options often use words from the text with a different meaning.
When my aunt told me she was going to stop farming part of her land and "let it go wild", I thought she had lost her mind. She had grown wheat on those fields for twenty years, and the farm was the only way she earned a living. "You'll see," she said when I asked her why. "Come and help me for the summer, and then tell me I'm wrong." So, in July, I swapped my bedroom in the city for a tent beside her barn. The first few weeks were not what I had imagined. I had expected to spend my days watching deer and listening to birdsong. Instead, I spent them pulling out fences, repairing a muddy stream and planting hundreds of tiny trees that looked more like sticks than anything that would ever grow. My aunt explained that the idea was not simply to abandon the fields. Some work was needed at the start so that nature could do the rest. The stream, for example, had been made straight decades ago to drain the land quickly. By letting it bend and spread again, she hoped to create wet areas where insects, frogs and birds could live. "We're not planting a garden," she told me. "We're just removing the things that stop nature from looking after itself." Halfway through August, something changed. One evening, as we were walking back from the stream, my aunt suddenly stopped and pointed. In the long grass, only a few metres away, was a hare. It sat completely still, watching us, and then disappeared into the field. My aunt hadn't seen one on the farm for over ten years. She didn't say anything, but I could tell from her face that it meant more to her than any harvest. Not everyone in the village was pleased. A neighbour complained that the fields looked untidy, and some people worried that my aunt would lose money. In fact, she now earns a small income from guided walks and a grant for protecting wildlife, although she admits it is far less than she used to make from wheat. I went back to the city in September with sore hands and a very different view of the countryside. I still don't know whether my aunt's experiment will work in the long term. But I do know that I will be back next summer, if she'll have me.
- a
What did the writer think when the aunt first explained her plan?
- b
What surprised the writer during the first weeks on the farm?
- c
Why had the stream been made straight in the past?
- d
In paragraph 4, what does "it" refer to in "it meant more to her than any harvest"?
- e
What do we learn about the aunt's income in paragraph 5?
- f
How does the writer feel at the end of the summer?
8
Write an essay
Write your essay in 140–190 words.
Exam task: Writing, Part 1
Tip: Choose a plan that suits your ideas: you can give each note its own paragraph, or put the point against your view in one paragraph and answer it.
In your English class you have been talking about the environment. Now your teacher has asked you to write an essay. Should people pay more for things that harm the environment, such as plastic bags and plane tickets? Notes Write about: 1. changing people's habits 2. fairness for people with less money 3. ........ (your own idea)
Suggested minimum: 140 words
Before you hand it in
- My introduction answers the question and gives my opinion.
- I write about both notes and add an idea of my own.
- I use unless, even if or as long as at least once.
- Each paragraph has one main point, joined with linking words.
- My conclusion repeats my opinion in different words.
0 words · aim for at least 140
Show a model answer
Many people believe that making harmful products more expensive is the best way to fight climate change. In my view, this can work, as long as it is done fairly. Firstly, higher prices change people's habits. When shops started charging for plastic bags, many customers soon began to bring their own. If flights cost more, people might choose the train for shorter journeys, which is far more environmentally friendly. On the other hand, higher prices hit people with less money hardest. A family on a low income may not be able to afford a holiday at all, while richer travellers will simply pay more and carry on as before. Another point is what happens to the money. Unless it is spent on cheaper public transport or renewable energy, people will feel that the extra cost is simply unfair. To sum up, I believe that making polluters pay is a good idea, as long as the money is used to help everyone make greener choices.
Spotted a mistake in this lesson?· tell us the exercise and item
Revise with a game
This lesson's own words and questions. Play on your own, or in teams on the classroom screen.
- Step UpAnswer the lesson's questions to climb to the top.
- Pair UpMatch the lesson's words to their meanings against the clock.
- SnapA word and a meaning: do they go together? Answer fast.
- Quiz BoardTeams choose questions worth 100 to 500 points.
- Retro arcadeWord Invaders, Word Snake, Word Maze and Word Crossing: classic arcade games with the lesson's words.
Glossary
The 25 words and phrases this lesson teaches, in 4 sets.
Environmental problems
- pollution
- damage to air, water or land caused by people
- climate
- the usual weather in a place over a long time
- drought
- a long period with little or no rain
- flood
- a large amount of water covering land that is usually dry
- heatwave
- a period of unusually hot weather
- endangered
- at risk of disappearing completely
- extinct
- no longer existing anywhere in the world
Solutions and actions
- recycle
- to treat used things so that they can be used again
- renewable
- able to be replaced naturally, like energy from the sun or wind
- solar panels
- flat pieces of equipment that make electricity from sunlight
- repair
- to fix something that is broken
- public transport
- buses, trains and trams that everyone can use
- environmentally friendly
- not harmful to the environment
Collocations for the environment
- take action
- do something to deal with a problem
- reduce waste
- make less rubbish
- save energy
- use less electricity, gas or fuel
- protect wildlife
- keep wild animals and plants safe
- climate change
- changes in the world's weather, especially rising temperatures
- heavy rain
- a lot of rain falling
Weather and the natural world
- weather
- what it is like outside on a particular day: sunny, rainy, windy…
- rain
- water that falls from the sky
- ocean
- one of the five very large areas of salt water on Earth
- sea
- a large area of salt water, smaller than an ocean
- river
- a large natural flow of fresh water
- stream
- a small, narrow river
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