Discussing Plants and Animals

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Part 3 Preparation

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Learning Objectives

In this lesson you will:

Practice answering questions based on Part 3 of the IELTS Speaking test.
Learn and practice some different ways to talk about the environment and language for discussing other people's points of view.
Practice pronouncing /f/ as in "fan" and /p/ as in "pan."

Exercise 1

Warm-Up: Pronunciation Practice

Listen and Repeat

Listen and repeat after your tutor.

A) fan

B) pan

A) fine

B) pine

A) fort

B) port

A) fun

B) pun

A) fries

B) prize

Quiz

Your tutor will choose 5 words and say them aloud. After each word, say whether it is from Group A or Group B.

Quiz Your Tutor

Choose 5 words and say them aloud. After each word, your tutor will say whether it is from Group A or Group B.

Tongue Twisters

Practice saying these tongue twisters with your tutor. First say them slowly, then try to speed up.

French fries for first prize!
Fresh peas and fried pork pies.

Exercise 2

Helpful Vocabulary

Listen and repeat these words with your tutor.

Synonyms of Good and Bad Points

advantages
disadvantages
positives
negatives
benefits
drawbacks
pros
cons

Tell your tutor which synonyms describe good points and which describe bad points.

For example:

"Advantages are good."
"Disadvantages are bad."

The Environment

Listen and repeat these words with your tutor. If you don't know a word, ask your tutor to read the definition and example sentence.

species

Noun

biodiversity

Noun

extinct

Adjective

deforestation

Noun

flora

Noun

fauna

Noun

conservation

Noun

habitat

Noun

Exercise 3

Speaking Test Part 3 Dialogue

Read the dialogue based on Part 3 of the IELTS Speaking test with your tutor. You will be the examiner. At the end, you will need to answer 3 questions.

	Examiner In what ways are humans different from other animals?
	Ms. Takahashi Some people say that there is a big difference, but to my mind, we aren't really that different from other animals. We all eat, drink, and breathe. I mean, I guess humans have more complex language than other animals. Oh, and we have opposable thumbs, which most animals don't have, and we wear clothes. But aside from that, we're quite similar to animals in many other ways, in my view.
	Examiner What are some of the benefits of having a pet or an animal?
	Ms. Takahashi It's often argued that there are a lot of positives to owning a pet. It can teach children how to look after and care for something, and this is useful for when they grow up. Some other advantages are that animals can also reduce stress and decrease loneliness. You can get wool from a sheep or eggs from a chicken, so animals can be useful too.
	Examiner Do you think conservation is more important than development?
	Ms. Takahashi There is an argument that conservation shouldn't get in the way of progress and development. But many people, including myself, think it's extremely important to preserve biodiversity for future generations. If you look at the Amazon rainforest, for example, it's scary to think that through deforestation we may have already destroyed thousands of species.

Questions

According to Ms. Takahashi, what are the main differences between humans and animals?

What are the benefits of children having pets, according to Ms. Takahashi?

Does Ms. Takahashi think progress and development are more important than conservation?

Exercise 4

Useful Language

Ms. Takahashi uses these phrases to discuss other people's points of view. Listen and repeat them with your tutor.

Some people say …
It's often argued that ...
There is an argument that ...
Many people think ...

Exercise 5

Fill in the Blanks

Read the dialogue based on Part 3 of the IELTS Speaking test with your tutor and fill in the blanks. Your tutor will be the examiner.

	Examiner Do you think conservation is more important than development?
	Phuong It's often (1) that one of the biggest issues facing the world is the (2) of biodiversity that's happening as a result of (3). I think it's really important that we put the conservation at the forefront of our environmental concerns as the loss of entire (4) and their habitats could put the systems that enable us to survive at risk.
	Examiner What are some of the benefits of having a pet or animal?
	Phuong There are so many (5) to having a pet. Some people say there are more (6) than advantages. But I couldn't imagine life without a pet. Pets make me happy, and it's lovely to have something to look after. So there are a lot more (7) than negatives, I think.

Choose answers from the options below that fit in blanks 1 to 7

Answer Pool (Questions 1-7)

positives
deforestation
drawbacks
advantages
loss
species
argued

Exercise 6

Part 3 Test Practice

Answer these questions based on Part 3 of the IELTS Speaking test.

In what ways are humans different from other animals?

What are the some of the benefits of having a pet or animal?

Do you think conservation is more important than development?

If you could have any animal as a pet, which would you choose and why?