The end of the world?
How much longer can Earth survive?
Linguapress B1
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Ever since humans began to talk, people have been predicting the end of the world.
So has anything changed?
In primitive societies, people did not know a lot about the Earth, and they knew even less about the Universe. Until modern times, most people thought that the earth was flat. Some still do!
Yet today, scientists know a great deal about the Earth and about the Universe. They can study and understand the problems that we face, they can explore the past, and they can look into the future. And they understand that the Earth is now facing some very big problems.
There are four big problems: population, climate change, war, and diseases. Any one of them could cause a global catastrophe, and the "end of the world", or at least the end of civilisation.
Some people talk about a fifth problem - asteroids! If a big asteroid hits the Earth, this could destroy most life on the planet. It has happened before. We now know that the age of the dinosaurs ended after a massive asteroid hit the Earth. But scientists also know that no massive asteroids will hit the earth in the 21st century. A medium asteriod, called Apophis, will perhaps hit the earth in 2029.... or 2046. If it does, it will cause damage, but it won't cause the end of the world.
Population, disease, war and climate change are much bigger problems.
In the year 2000 the world's population was "just" 6.2 billion. In 2080, it will be over 10 billion!
We all know that Earth's climate is changing. Climates have changed before, but today's climate change is faster than in the past, and is largely due to human activity. More people create more activity, more waste, more CO², and more risk for the planet. Governments are trying to slow down climate change, but they are not being very successful. As for disease, we know all the problems that COVID created. The next pandemic could be much more serious than COVID.
So the question is not: "Is the end of the world coming?", but "How much longer can civilisation survive?" Or "When will civilisation collapse, and why?" Nobody knows the answers to these questions, but it could be sooner than we imagine. Or later.
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Student Worksheet
The end of the world
Interactive exercise - use on screen or on paper: Missing wordsFifteen words have been left out of this copy of a part of the text. Below you will find an alphabetical list of twenty-one words. Put fifteen of these back into the text, in the correct places.
about, after, any, also, although, before, billion, can, could, fifth, last, least, more, millions, most, much, no, not, over, perhaps, will.
There
are four big problems: population, climate change, war, and
diseases.
one of them could cause a global catastrophe, and the "end of the
world",
or at the
end of civilisation.
Some people talk a problem - asteroids! If a big asteroid hits the Earth, this destroy life on the planet. It has happened . We now know that the age of the dinosaurs ended a massive asteroid hit the Earth. But scientists know that massive asteroids hit the earth in the 21st century. A medium asteriod, called Apophis, will hit the earth in 2029.... or 2046. If it does, it will cause damage, but it won't cause the end of the world.
Population, disease, war and climate change are bigger problems.
In the year 2000 the world's population was "just" 6.2 . In 2080, it will be 10 billion!
Some people talk a problem - asteroids! If a big asteroid hits the Earth, this destroy life on the planet. It has happened . We now know that the age of the dinosaurs ended a massive asteroid hit the Earth. But scientists know that massive asteroids hit the earth in the 21st century. A medium asteriod, called Apophis, will hit the earth in 2029.... or 2046. If it does, it will cause damage, but it won't cause the end of the world.
Population, disease, war and climate change are bigger problems.
In the year 2000 the world's population was "just" 6.2 . In 2080, it will be 10 billion!
True/False
Comprehension Questions: After you've read the
text, say which of the following statements are true, and which are
not.
Write true
or false in
each "answer" box
1. In ancient societies,
people
were not afraid of the end of the world.
2. The biggest danger for modern civilization is a large asteroid.
3. The world's population is expected to reach 10 billion by 2080.
4. Climate change is solely due to natural causes.
5. The COVID-19 pandemic was the first and only global pandemic.
6. Scientists now know more or less when civilization will end.
7. Governments are highly successful in slowing down climate change.
8. The threat of the end of the world has been used as a means of control throughout history.
2. The biggest danger for modern civilization is a large asteroid.
3. The world's population is expected to reach 10 billion by 2080.
4. Climate change is solely due to natural causes.
5. The COVID-19 pandemic was the first and only global pandemic.
6. Scientists now know more or less when civilization will end.
7. Governments are highly successful in slowing down climate change.
8. The threat of the end of the world has been used as a means of control throughout history.
For
teachers:
Missing words:
This exercise is a little bit more challenging - and therefore more effective in teaching terms - than ordinary missing word exercises where ten words are given to fill ten spaces. With more words than spaces, students need to think a bit more, and more thinking means better learning. The six extra words are all similar to, or confusable with, one or more of the missing words.Grammar - the future
Look at the different ways in which future events are presented in this article. There are some simple examples using will, but others using a present tense,or a modal verb. Note in particular the conditional sentence If a big asteroid hits the Earth, this could destroy most life on the planet. This open conditional expresses a potential event in the future... but does not use will or going to to do so.Oral expression
The subject of this short article should be of interest to all learners (and teachers) everywhere. The questions affect us all; so may the answers.Divide your class into pairs or groups of three students, and ask them to argue among themselves on what the future may bring. Are they optimistic or pessimistic? Can they explain their positions. Each pair / group should try to come to a consensus, and then explain what they think to the rest of the class. If no consensus is possible, they should explain why.
Other ideas?
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