Ocean Storm

Put connectors on the blanks:

(This is a modified passage from Rachel Carson's book "The Sense of Wonder")

One stormy autumn night ________ my nephew was about twenty months old I wrapped him in a blanket ________ carried him down to the beach in the rainy darkness. Out there, just at the edge of where-we-couldn't-see, big waves were thundering in, dimly seen white shapes _________ boomed ________ shouted _______ threw great handfuls of froth at us. Together we laughed for pure joy - he a baby meeting for the first time the wild tumult of Oceanus, I with the salt of half a lifetime of sea love in me. ____ I think we felt the same response to the vast, roaring ocean _______ the wild night around us.

Solutions: when, and, that, and,and, But, and.

A Bike Tour in North Toronto

Read the directions and trace the route on the map

 

Start from the Broadview subway station on the Danforth-Bloor line and ride north on Broadview Avenue. Turn left onto Pottery Road. Turn left on Bayview Avenue and ride to the Moore Park Ravine. Ride the path north through the maples and willows of the ravine to Moore Avenue.

At Moore Avenue you can ride into the Mount Pleasant Cemetery from dawn to dusk. Follow the marked route through the cemetery. Ride across the bridge over Yonge Street and the Davisville subway car yards. Follow the path through Forest Hill. Cross Oriole Parkway and Avenue Road. Go under the Eglinton West bridge and cross Bathurst Street. Ride to Allen Expressway, turn left and walk to Eglinton West subway station on the Spadina line.
MAP

To create your own map, you must have a Google account. If you don't, work with a friend who does, or your teacher. Open Google Maps, click on My Maps and watch the tutorial how to make your own map. Then trace the bike route as described in the text above. Print the map and compare with others in your class. You can also do a search about places that interest you on this route (e.g. restaurants, because you will get hungry after the ride).

Urban Forest

Put the verbs in parentheses either in an active or a passive form:

Toronto is a city of trees. More than three million trees ____________ (dominate) our ravines, ____________ (line) our boulevards and ____________ (beautify) our parks. Millions more trees____________ (locate) on private property.
Trees are the lifelines of our city. Trees____________ (beautify) neighbourhoods. The harsh texture of concrete buildings ____________ (soften) by trees. Trees ____________ (offer) privacy screens and ____________ (protect) people from the sun’s burning rays. Harmful gases and other pollutants____________ (absorb) by trees. Soils __________ (protect) from erosion. Trees ____________ (provide) a natural habitat for birds and wildlife, ____________ (cool) streets and homes in the summer, and ____________ (protect) us from winds in the winter.
Trees are the predominant contributor to Toronto’s image as a “green” and beautiful city.
Toronto’s trees along city streets, in parks, ravines and natural areas, in the front and back yards of homes, and in landscaped open spaces are collectively known as the city’s “urban forest”. It must ____________ (protect) and ____________ (grow) as a natural legacy for future generations to enjoy.

Green Heroes

AIR

Fill in these adjectives on the blanks:
invisible, diffuse, controllable, ecological, understood, shared, mysterious

Respiration is an ______________ act. We inhale a pint of atmosphere with every breath. And yet, of all the component aspects of our environment, air remains ______________.
Air is the element most ________________, most __________, most _____________, least _____________, least _______________.

This passage is from Sandra Steingraber's book "Living Downstream" (Da Capo Press 2010)

SOLUTIONS: ecological, mysterious, diffuse, shared, invisible, controllable, understood.

The Last Trapper, a movie

“The Last Trapper” (2005 NFB, available at Blockbuster), by Nicolas Vanier
A feature movie about Norman Winther, played by himself
Here are some while-watching and post-watching tasks by the scene:

SCENE 1

{from the beginning to the kayak on a cascade}

Questions:
1. Find words that best describe the landscape.
2. Give your opinion on what a man’s life in this wilderness looks like.
3. Write down names of 5 animals that have been shown.
4. What makes Norman attracted to this way of living?
5. What is Norman’s fear? How do human activities in the area impact wild life?


SCENE 2

{grizzly bear, horses}

Questions:
1. What is a trap line? When is the trapping season? What does Norman do?
2. Describe the scene when Norman comes across a grizzly bear.
3. How does Norman interact with the animals he depends on?
4. How does he relate with the environment. Discuss different scenes you’ve seen in the movie.


SCENE 3

{cabin building, town, dog’s death}

Questions:
1. Describe the process of building a cabin.
2. What does Norman need from the city? What makes him return to his lifestyle?



SCENE 4

{Apache, hunting a moose)

Questions:
1. Norman and Nebraska call their new dog _____________.
2. According to Norman, man’s role is ___________________________________.
3. He is _____________ for killing an animal.
4. Nebraska goes back with a ___________ to get the meat.

SCENE 5

{trapping, sinking in ice}

Questions:
1. How would you describe sleighing dogs?
2. What is a role of a trapper, according to Norman?


SCENE 6

How does Norman relate to his dogs? What is their interdependence?


SCENE 7

{Alex and Norman, accident on a rock, wolves, Northern lights}

Questions:
1. In which way do Norman and Alex agree, and what are the differences between them?


SCENE 8

Questions:
1. What could be possible answers to Nebraska’s last question?
2. Consider life in that area 50 years from now.
3. Complete the sentences:
a) Norman Winther is ______________________________.
b) He lives _______________________________________
c) He loves ______________________________________
d) He thinks ___________________________________
e) He would like _________________________________
f) He says __________________________________
g) He fears _________________________________

4. Learn more about World Wildlife Fund (WWF)

UN Secretary General Introduction for the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity

UN Secretary General Welcome Message for the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity from CBD on Vimeo.

Listen to the speech and fill in the blanks:

Our lives depend on biological ____________. Species and eco systems are disappearing at an unsustainable ____________. We humans are the ____________. We start to lose a wider variety of ____________ goods and services that we take for granted. The consequences for economies and people will be ____________, especially for the world poorest people.

In 2002 world leaders agreed to substantially ____________ the rate of biodiversity loss by 2010.

We know already that the biodiversity ____________ will not be met.

We need a new vision and new efforts. To be as usual is not an ____________.

For this year of biodiversity I call on every country and each ____________ on our planet to join together in the global alliance to protect life on Earth.

Biodiversity is life. Biodiversity is ____________ life.

Solutions: diversity, rate, cause, environmental, profound, reduce, target, option, citizen, our.