Dirty Transport Eco-friendly Travel Pollution affects every layer of our planet and every organism that lives in it But we can always take action to deal with this situation If we start paying attention to our daily routine, we will realise that we can get rid of some bad habits and lead a healthy life while helping the environment It is probably almost impossible to imagine a world without means of transport because they form part of our daily life We use them to go to the club, school or work We also cover long distances in short time And we need them to carry all types of goods However, what we sometimes consider an advantage also represents a drawback Nowadays, global warming is one of our major concerns Every time we use a means of transport, gases like carbon dioxide are emitted and contribute —together with other greenhouse gases in our atmosphere— to an increase in the Earth’s temperature If the quantity of vehicles increases to high traffic levels, the situation gets even worse Besides, means of transport use a quarter of the world’s energy and half of its oil production As a result, we consume in just one year the amount of oil that takes nature a million years to produce But nature is not the only victim We breathe in toxic gases that bring about many health problems Some immediate allergic reactions affect our nose, eyes and throat We may also suffer from infections, such as bronchitis and pneumonia, and the condition of asthmatic people may become even worse More lasting results include lung cancer, heart and skin problems Planes, trains, motorcycles, subways, and cars are also sources of noise pollution and affect our health, as well Disorders range from stress, headaches and difficulty in sleeping to deafness It is true that some solutions depend on scientific research and innovations in technology For example, some modern cars use electricity or alternative fuels that derive from vegetable oil Consequently, they are less harmful to the atmosphere and our health But there is a lot we can too! First, if we need to go to any nearby place, we can walk, bike or skate In this way, we help protect the environment while keeping fit If distances are long, we can organise car pools, or, we can use public transportation As a result, there will be a reduction in cars polluting the air Another way of avoiding the use of cars is to go shopping to local stores And if we need to carry heavy goods, we can have them delivered or buy products online instead Therefore, only one vehicle is used for distributing goods to many people These are but a few ideas to help protect the environment and thus, our health Can you think of any other suggestions? Amazing facts! A jet plane taking off generates about 140 decibels, which is at the top of the decibel scale! English Toolkit - Sports Photocopiable © Ediciones Santillana S.A / Richmond 2011 Module 1B Module 1B Activities 1 The following phrases summarise the ideas in each paragraph Read the text and write the number of the paragraph next to each sentence a Health problems caused by air pollution b Possible solutions c Health problems caused by noise pollution d The uses of means of transport e Changing some habits to reduce pollution f Gases and global warming 2 Read the text and complete the diagrams with the missing information Health problems Noise pollution Solutions Health problems Solutions Use the information from the text to complete the if- clauses If we help the environment, we will lead a healthy life a Earth’s temperature if there are more vehicles b If we need to cover long distances, we c We will have health problems if we continuously d If we use public transportation, a reduction of cars polluting the air e If my partners and I go to school by car, we 4 Look at the picture and list the problems that you see Imagine that you are a member of an ecological group What are you going to to make people aware of the problem and change the situation? Write five sentences using going to to explain the group’s actions We are going to ask the authorities to control the emission of gases in factories English Toolkit - Sports Photocopiable © Ediciones Santillana S.A / Richmond 2011 Air pollution