Part of British wildlife at risk of extinction
(Level: Intermediate /  B1  / ** )

British wildlife turns out to have sharply declined in the past decades.
Among the species being on the brink of extinction are the hedgehog, the fritillary or the turtle dove.

 

the fritillary
Picture: wikimedia commons

the hedgehog
Picture: wikipedia.org

   
           

the turtledove
Picture: oiseaux.net

You are going to watch a BBC report focusing on the decline of British species.

Before watching

The following words could be useful:
to shrink: to become smaller (in amount...)    (se réduire / diminuer)
otter:  an animal with brown fur that swims in rivers  (loutre)
an assessment: a process in which a judgment is made about a situation  (évaluation... de la situation / des risques etc.)
stark: tough  (dur / sévère)
stocktake: stocktaking; inventory  (inventaire)
a turtledove: a bird that is sometimes used to represent love  (tourterelle)
to bustle: to move around quickly, looking very busy     (s'agiter / grouiller...)

While watching

Decide whether the following utterances are true or false!
Correct the false ones!
 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22634300

 

 

1. All the british wildlife species are said to be declining.
2. 10% of wildlife is on the brink of extinction.
3. More than 90% of turtle doves have disappeared in the last 30 years.
4. Nature can flourish everywhere even in the middle of a big city. 
5. The worst thing that could happen would be to lose species without understanding what effects their disappearance could have.
6. The conservation groups that made the assessment of British nature are rather optimistic for the future.

 

 



When you are finished, check your answers!

1. Faux. Certaines espèces sont réapparues partout - comme la loutre qu'on retrouve dans chaque comté.
2. Vrai: 1 espèce sur 10 risque bien de disparaître! 
3. Faux: plus de 90% en plus de 40 ans (depuis 1970)
4. Vrai, du moins si on lui en donne la possibilité. 
5. Vrai: entre autre  (la pire chose: le fait de voir les espèces disparaître tout simplement)
6. Faux. Ils se rendent bien compte que la nature tend d'office à être la grande perdante dans bien des cas. 

 
 

 

If you are interested, you can also read articles about the same topic:

 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/nature/22609000
 

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2328775/From-hedgehogs-otters-wildlife-winners-losers-60-species-decline--thrive.html