Real conversation in easy English - Becca and Neil talk about how long-term weather patterns are shifting. Learn to talk about fossil fuels, greenhouse gases, renewable energy and conservation.
Vocabulary
| Word | English Definition | Chinese Definition |
|---|---|---|
| climate change | the change in weather over a long period of time | 气候变化 |
| fossil fuels | substances like coal, oil and gas dug up from earth and burnt for energy | 化石燃料 |
| greenhouse gases | gases that trap heat energy within Earth’s atmosphere | 温室气体 |
| conservation | protection of something from loss or waste | 保护；节约 |
| renewable energy | energy from things that won’t run out easily, like wind, sun, water | 可再生能源 |
| carbon dioxide / CO2 | a greenhouse gas produced by burning fossil fuels | 二氧化碳 |
Transcript Highlights
Neil: “Climate change is the change in weather over a long period of time. And when we talk about climate change now, we’re talking mainly about the world getting hotter.”
Becca: “Greenhouse gases, like carbon dioxide for example, they stay in the Earth’s atmosphere and they trap the sun’s heat, meaning that the Earth gets hotter and hotter.”
Becca: “A lot of people are using renewable energy — energy that comes from things like the wind or the sun that aren’t likely to run out.”
Neil: “Energy conservation is also really important… that means not using too much energy, especially if you don’t really need to.”
Critical Thinking Questions
- Have you noticed climate change where you live?
- What do you do to conserve energy or water at home?
- Are individual actions (turning off taps) enough, or do we need systemic change?