A:I think we should give financial support to the poorer countries where people are destroying the countryside. In addition to this, governments ought to protect jungles and forests.
B: I agree. We could also help by planting more trees to replace those which have been lost. Furthermore, governments could reduce the need for more land by encouraging people in poor countries to have smaller families.
A: That's a good idea. To stop pollution, I think we should encourage industries to use cleaner methods of production. We could also recycle more of our waste, so there would be less rubbish.
B: Yes. People should also try to use bicycles instead of cars especially in cities.
A: If we want to stop illegal hunting we should encourage governments to introduce harsher punishments for the illegal hunters and raise public awareness about endangered species.
B: Governments could also help by creating more national parks with more park rangers to protect the animals inside.
Interviewer: Welcome to another edition of "The Sunday Papers". On today's programme, we'll be speaking with Mr. Alistair Gunn, an animal protection activist from a group called Save the Animals. Welcome, Alistair.
Alistair: Thank you, Leslie.
Interviewer: Alistair, what is Save the Animals' current project?
Alistair: Well, our main goal is to educate the public about the dangers that many species are facing, and to protect these animals where possible. One of the main problems we're concerned about now is habitat destruction. The human population is growing, and is crowding animals out of their natural homes.
Interviewer: What can be done about that?
Alistair: Firstly, financial support for poorer countries is important. People in poor countries are destroying jungles and forests because they need farmland to feed their families. Therefore, jungles and forests need to be protected so that animals can continue to live in their natural habitat.
Interviewer: Will that stop the threat to animals?
Alistair: No, it's only one part of the solution. Pollution is another problem. We're trying to identify those industries which are doing the most damage, and encourage them to use cleaner methods of production. Also, we're trying to educate the public about the importance of recycling, since recycling helps save trees and other natural resources. Everyone should do their part to save animal habitats.
Interviewer: Is there anything else your group is working on?
Alistair: Yes. Illegal hunting must be stopped, too. This can be accomplished only if governments introduce harsher punishments for illegal hunters. We're also trying to raise public awareness about endangered species and encourage people to stop buying products which are made from these animals.
Interviewer: Unfortunately, that's all the time we have today. Thank you for telling us about the work of Save the Animals, Alistair, and I wish you every success.
Alistair: Thank you, Leslie.
A: Is the Earth really getting warmer?
B: There's no doubt at all that the Earth is getting warmer. Scientists, people who know about these things, tell us it is true, that four years out of the last ten have been the hottest since records began. And so if this effect – the greenhouse effect -continues, it's fairly certain, scientists believe, that within the next century, the next hundred years, the Earth will have been heated up by four degrees. Yes, it is getting warmer.
A: But why does it matter if the world gets warmer?
B: It matters because it changes a lot of things to do with our everyday life. If the Earth gets hotter, this will cause the level of the sea to rise by roughly between one and one-and-a-half metres over the next hundred years. It doesn't sound much - it's an awful lot. It'll cause flooding – vast areas of the Indian coast, Bangladesh, Holland, London even, will be under water.
A: And would there be any other effects?
B: There will be many other effects. One of the things that will happen is that we will have more storms. This will cause an awful lot of damage – damage to crops, to houses and to people. And there is another way that the world and our lives will be affected in this way, that certain areas of the world – America, the United States of America, and Russia – that grow an awful lot of the food for the world, could suffer from drought. And so if they're not making the food, there'll be famine – that's the problem. Areas like the Mediterranean, for example, could be turned into desert. We could simply not have enough to eat because the Earth is warming up.