F2F Class Notes (Jesse) [R]

https://breakingnewsenglish.com/

http://www.51voa.com/VOA_Special_English/

Grammar

it is different with – from + to 

every children – every child / each child
all children

grammar is singular for every + each
grammar is plural for all

meaning of every – all of them separated
meaning of each – 1 of them, including all

Vocabulary

mortal (can die) / fatal (can kill you)

mortality rate = the rate of death

species – a type / family of animals

debris – “de bree” – garbage that comes from things being destroyed / thrown away

object
structure / instruction

obstruction – the structure of sth that is blocked due to an object

compact – small and everything together
eg. this mobile phone is very compact

fragments – a small part of sth

digest
ingested = swallow and go into your gut / stomach

Antarctica – the ice country below Australia – the south pole 
The arctic – the north pole

a long way = a long distance
eg. man, you have a long way to go until you are an adult

flashy – looks good / expensive / amazing

annoyed / frustrated 

diabetes – die a (bi ti) / bee teas

prevent
preserve

Pronunciation

plastics – plas ticks

Scientists have made an alarming discovery about what kinds of pollution are most harmful to seabirds. A study led by Australia’s Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies discovered that balloons were the deadliest kind of plastic for seabirds. The research team said balloons were 32 times more likely to kill seabirds than hard plastics. They found that while balloons and other soft plastics accounted for only 5 per cent of plastics ingested, they were responsible for more than 40 per cent of deaths among seabirds. Lead researcher Lauren Roman said: “Hard plastic fragments may pass quickly through the gut, but soft plastics are more likely to become compacted and cause fatal obstructions.”

The study examined 1,733 dead seabirds and found that more than a quarter of the deaths were attributed to eating plastic. Ms Roman explained that plastic is becoming an increasing threat to seabirds. She said: “Marine debris ingestion is now a globally recognized threat….We suggest that reducing the presence of balloons and balloon fragments in the ocean would directly reduce seabird mortalities.” LiveScience.com said: “With an estimated 280,000 tons of floating marine debris worldwide, about half of all seabird species are thought to ingest plastic on a daily basis. Birds are especially likely to swallow dangerous balloons because they closely resemble squid, according to the study.”