S e c o n d e d I t I o n 1 Reading for the Real World 1

TOEIC or Not TOEIC?
Discussion
Discuss the following questions.
1.
Should all students be required to take English test preparation classes or 
should it be the student and the parents’ choice? Why?
2.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of English being the dominant 
global language?
Track 16
 

---

Vocabulary Preview
 
Match each word or phrase with the correct definition.
1.
alien 
a.
specific kinds of plants or animals
2.
extinct 
b.
no longer existing
3.
grim 
c.
from another place
4.
habitat 
d.
belonging to a particular place
5.
native 
e.
gloomy; somber
6.
species 
f.
an environment where something lives and grows
Pre-Reading Questions
Think about the following questions.
1.
In what ways do humans cause damage to the planet?
2.
Do you think that humans are in danger of becoming extinct? 
Why or why not?
3.
What are some things we can do to help prevent the extinction 
of a species? 
Sixth Extinction
 
E n v i ro n m e n t a l I s s u e s
1
U N
I
T
5

---

54
Sixth Extinction
5
10
15
20
25
M 
ost species of plants and animals that have ever lived on Earth are 
now extinct. Though most have become extinct slowly, some have 
been almost completely wiped out in a sudden, massive, 
catastrophic
event. These mass extinctions have happened at least five times 
in the history of the Earth. The first mass extinction occurred about 450 million 
years ago, when sudden changes in sea level, caused by melting