21 Percent of World’s Plants Could Disappear

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Materials Daily News

Intermediate

Exercise 1

Vocabulary

describe

Verb

dɪˈskraɪb

to say what someone or something is like or what happened

Love is a difficult emotion to describe.

The doctor is describing her condition.

This leaflet describes our new product.

identify

Verb

aɪˈdɛntəˌfaɪ

to find out or know who or what someone or something is

He identified himself as a security officer.

In class, the students learned to identify all the world's continents.

We identified several problems with the system.

plant

Noun

plænt

stationary organisms that require sunlight, water, and carbon dioxide for growth

My wife bought some plants for our balcony.

We have some plants in our bedroom.

We do not need to water this plant more than twice a week.

Perhaps a few more plants here in the waiting room would make it feel less impersonal.

extinct

Adjective

ɪkˈstɪŋkt

(of an animal or plant species) that has died out completely

International efforts have been made to keep panda bears from becoming extinct.

No one really knows what made dinosaurs extinct.

endangered

Adjective

ɪnˈdeɪndʒərd

(of a species) in danger of no longer existing

Red pandas are endangered species.

Bengal tigers are endangered species.

population

Noun

ˌpɑːpjəˈleɪʃən

all of the people or animals who live in a particular place

Global population is growing rapidly.

China has the largest population in the world.

Japan has a population of about 127 million people.

clear

Verb

kliːr

to remove obstacles or unwanted items from

The company is clearing the forest for construction.

It's time to clear the table.

They cleared the area to build a house.

urban

Adjective

ˈərbən

in or relating to towns or cities

Urban development is increasing rapidly in China.

Traffic is a problem in most urban areas.

Urban cars are developed especially for cities.

diversity

Noun

dɪˈvərsɪtiː

the state of different people or things existing in a group or place

The school is characterized by the diversity of its students.

Our company is committed to promoting racial diversity.

The diversity of this city attracts people who want to interact with a variety of cultures.

Diversity makes life interesting.

Exercise 2

Article

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21 Percent of World’s Plants Could Disappear

One in five of the world’s plants is currently at risk of disappearing forever. That is what a report by the Royal Botanic Gardens in London says.

The report is one of the first to try to describe all the plants known to science. It says scientists have so far identified 391,000 plants. And, it says, more than 80,000 of those are in danger of becoming extinct.

The plants are endangered by growing populations and clearing land for agriculture and urban development.

Plants are also threatened by logging and climate change.

Scientists say governments should do more to create protected areas.

Kathy Willis is director of science at the Royal Botanic Gardens. She says scientists need to identify which areas are important to conserve, or protect, for their diversity.