F2F Class Notes (Sonia)[R]

“roots grow out”: natural hair starts growing after dyeing

immune(adj): protected against a particular disease by particular substances in the blood/ something bad

e.g my daughter is immune to punishment when she stays with her grandmother.

e.g The press had criticised her so often that in the end she had become immune (to it).

e.g He seems to be immune to colds – he just never gets them.

immunity (n): she had immunity from the law because she was a very important politician

e.g if you look after yourself well you can build up your immunity to many sicknesses.

immune system (n): the system in your body which helps protect you against disease

e.g I don’t think my immune system was so good thats why it took me a long time to recover

gone viral: spread very quickly to many people(usually about disease and the internet

e.g bad news always goes viral faster than good new

emaciated(adj): very thin and weak in appearance, usually because of illness or extreme hunger

e.g Look the dog is emaciated, it is only skin and bones

e.g look at the child in the picture he is emaciated

wander(v): to walk around slowly in a relaxed way or without any clear purpose or direction

e.g after graduation many people wander across the world to find something to do.

e.g When I arrived in the new town I wandered around for hours in wonder

e.g The tiny girl lost her way she wandered around the roads to find her mother

forage(v): searching for food to eat (usually not about killing, so finding vegetables or dead animals)

Humans mostly used to hunt and forage

plight(n) : an unpleasant condition, especially a serious, sad, or difficult one

e.g The polar bear’s plight was incredibly devastating.

devastated(adj): causing a lot of damage or destruction

e.g I was devastated by the video

heart-wrenching(adj): hearts your heart, feels like your heart is being pulled

e.g it is so heart-wrenching to hear the news

conservation(n): to conserve/ protecting nature

we have conservation organisations to discuss how to protect nature

staple(n):a main/regular product or part of something

e.g In the winter a scarf is my favourite staple clothing

e.g coffee is my staple in the morning

A video of a starving and emaciated polar bear collapsing in Canada’s wilderness has gone viral on the Internet. The video shows the bear in search of food, wandering across land with no snow or ice. The creature is all skin and bones and is seen foraging for food in rusty waste containers. It is at times too weak to support its own body weight and has difficulty standing. Paul Nicklen, the photographer who took the video footage, stated the polar bear’s plight was a clear sign of the devastating impact of climate change. He said filming the animal had been heart-wrenching. He explained his team were, “pushing through their tears and emotions while documenting this dying polar bear”.

Mr Nicklen is part of the environmental group Sea Legacy. His team was on Canada’s Baffin Island to shoot a documentary on conservation. He said the bear they filmed was not old and probably died within hours. He said: “This is what starvation looks like. The muscles atrophy. No energy. It’s a slow, painful death.” He blamed the bear’s sad plight on global warming. He said: “As temperatures rise and sea ice melts, polar bears lose access to the main staple of their diets – seals.” Climate change is the biggest threat to the world’s 26,000 polar bears. The video explains that bears are, “starving, and running out of energy” and are “forced to wander into human settlements for any source of food.”

Pronunciation

immune: /ɪˈmjuːn

plight: plaɪt