Theme 4

Polar bears

♠ Go to this web page:

if the link below doesn’t open the page with the article “living on thin ice”, copy and paste the link .

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2007/mar/04/climatechange.activists

I. POLARS BEARS AND CLIMATE: 

♠ paragraphs 1 and 2 : 

Find information to fill in the gaps: 

Today, the words “polar bears” are often combined with the 2 words “____________ ________”. This animal has become a symbol used to ________ against ___________  _________. Pictures of bears are often used by ____________. 

During the past weeks, when opening a _____________ or a __________ page, we could often see _____________ of bears on sea ____________. 

II. A THREATENED SPECIES ▲ A species, 2 species 

Answer the questions. 

♠ paragraph 3:”The new threat…” 

Is the ice melting a new threat for bears? □ yes □ no 

What was taken into consideration in December? 

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 

Whose idea is it? 

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 

What is now admitted after years of denial? 

It is the admission of……………………………………………… 

♠ paragraph 4:”Then, at the beginning…” 

What is the IPCC?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 

According to the IPCC, what is rising and what is disappearing?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 

Is it too late to invert the process of sea rising? QUOTE THE TEXT

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 

III. PHOTOGRAPHS 

♠ At the top of the page 

Look at the photograph and describe it briefly. What does it symbolize?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

♠ paragraph 6:”One photograph in particular…” 

What is a cub? 

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 

How do the viewers first feel in front of this photograph? 

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 

Are we right to think that the 2 bears are going to die on that ice floe? 

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 

♠ paragraph 9:”Elsewhere, images of…” 

What do the initials WWF stand for? 

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 

♠ paragraph 10:”The fate of the polar bears…” 

According to the WWF, which indication is given by what is happening to polar bears? 

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 

IV. BEARS, ICE AND FOOD 

Right or wrong? 

♠, paragraph 12”The polar bear has …” 

· In order to survive, bears need a lot of meat.  R W 

· A polar bear must be in the sea to kill. R W 

♠ paragraph 13”Easy to sell…” 

· In 2004, scientists thought that sea ice in summer would have disappeared at the end of the 21^st century. 

 R W 

· Some scientists believe that ice in summer will have disappear in the 2050s. R W 

V. THE FUTURE 

Answer the questions. 

♠ paragraph 20”Norris says that…” 

Can the WWF tell when polar will disappear? 

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 

♠ last paragraph “But not all…” 

If all the bears die, what would be the only possibility for the future generations to see polar bears? 

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………