The Noun Phrase – Lead In
A. Context Speaking
- Why is protecting history essential? Explain.
- Tell me about preserving artifacts.
- What role do museums play? Explain.
- Share a valuable historical object.
- Share a challenge in conservation.
B. Context Listening
Listening Comprehension: Conservation Project
You are going to hear a woman giving a talk about a project she is involved in. Before you listen, look at the pictures and the words below. What do you think the purpose of the project is?
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Listen and see if you were right. What did the study show? What did the woman’s team decide to do?
Listen again and match the beginnings (1-8) and endings (a-h) of these phrases. Pause the recording when you need to.
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a. with bright red bodies b. of the past c. of putting rubbish into the harbour d. with submerged rubbish e. to expand our study f. lying on the sea floor g. cleared of rubbish h. lying at the bottom of the harbour |
Add the phrases from Exercise 3 to the table below.
| noun + preposition | noun + past participle | noun + -ing | noun + to-infinitive |
|---|---|---|---|
| the idea of putting rubbish into the harbour | this horrible rubbish lying at the bottom of the harbour |
Show Answer Key and Audio Transcript Answer Key2 The study showed that there were more fish in areas with rubbish. The team decided to put rubbish back into some areas of the harbour. TranscriptGood morning, everyone. What you can see on the screen behind me is Sydney Harbour, and it may surprise you to learn that this horrible rubbish lying at the bottom of the harbor was actually put there intentionally as part of a conservation project! Now, the idea of putting rubbish into the harbor instead of cleaning it out may seem absurd to you, but allow me to explain. Two years ago, I was involved in a study with the University of Sydney. We were asked to try to calculate the number of fish and different species living in Sydney Harbor. During this study, the divers noticed that in the areas cleared of rubbish, very little life remained, whereas the old cars and other debris lying on the sea floor actually provided a rich habitat for an abundance of creatures, including up to twenty species of fish, crabs, seahorses, and amazing plants such as sea tulips with bright red bodies. We realized that if you remove all of the rubbish contained in the harbor, then you also take away the homes of the creatures living there. Earlier this year, with the help of the Sydney Harbour Federation Trust, we reached a decision to expand our study and start putting rubbish back into particular areas of the harbor. So far, we have used things like old car tires and rope, but we have a plan to carry out a more detailed study to test out a variety of artificial structures and see whether the sea creatures in the harbor find these as attractive a home as the rubble of the past. We’ll also catalog the creatures living there, and the data collected from the sites will be analyzed to establish whether these artificial reefs have, in fact, helped to increase the volume of fish in the harbor. In the meantime, if you have any suggestions of other possible sites with submerged rubbish that would be suitable for our research, please speak to me after the lecture. |