JAG03  Unit 4    Water II


Task 1   Listening for detail: 4 ways we can avoid a catastrophic drought

A) Watch and complete the gaps with the missing words.

https://www.ted.com/talks/david_sedlak_4_ways_we_can_avoid_a_catastrophic_drought?referrer=playlist
-talks_on_water  (5:39-7:05)

1.       Los Angeles …………. about a third of its water supply from a massive aquifer that underlies
the San Fernando Valley.

2.      You don't want to drink stormwater it until it ………………. a little bit.

3.      The goal in urban water harvesting is to ……………. the water, clean the water and get it
underground.

4.      In Burbank they're hooking storm sewers, and …………….. that water into an abandoned gravel
quarry.

5.      The water that's captured in the quarry is slowly ………….. a man-made wetland, and then it
goes into that ball field and …………. into the ground, …………… the drinking water aquifer.

6.      In this process, the water …………….. microbes and that ………….. the water.

7.      If the water's still not clean enough to drink after it …………. through this natural
treatment process, the city can treat it again when they ……………… it back out of the groundwater
aquifers before they deliver it to people.


B) Listening and speaking

Watch and write down all the verbs the speaker uses to describe the process of recycling
wastewater.  (7:52-8:45)


Task 2   Description of process

A)    Identify the main perspectives in each text:

biological       sociological      cultural        environmental      political      administrative

FLOODING

Flooding occurs when a large amount of water enters a given space, such as a valley, and cannot
flow away fast enough. The process normally begins when there is heavy rainfall. This means that
large volumes of water flow into an area, directly from the rainfall itself as well as along rivers
and down hillsides. Some of this water drains naturally. However, when much of the land is covered
in concrete as in the case of cities and roads, the outflow possibilities are restricted. As more
water continues to flow in, there is limited opportunity for it to flow out again. Following this,
water volumes reach unusually high levels whereby rivers burst their banks and the land, including
fields and buildings, is flooded. Floods can last a few hours or many days before the water levels
go down. When the water does subside, there is likely to be a considerable amount of mud and debris
left behind.


URBANISATION

Urbanisation is an important process which typically takes place as countries become
industrialised. The term ´urbanisation´ refers to the movement of people from rural areas to urban
areas or cities. There are a number of stages in the process of urbanisation. The first stage is
mainly that people move from rural areas into cities, particularly into suburban areas or the edges
of cities. Meanwhile, other city-dwellers may move from the city centre, where it can be crowded or
expensive, to the suburbs. City dwellers may even be relocated there as part of a redevelopment
plan. The next stage is the growth of the suburbs. These can grow both geographically and in terms
of population density. Thus the city becomes larger in extent or area, and in turn more crowded in
particular areas. As the population in rural areas declines, urban areas grow, which accelerates
the process.


B)    Identify the words / phrases in the texts that you can use in a description of any process.


C)    Categorise the words / phrases you identified according to whether they are used to: define
or explain the process

      connect or describe the sequence of stages

      show a connection between ideas


D)    Describe a process from your field of study. Organise your sentences into

a paragraph approx. 200 words describing the stages of the process. Add cohesive language as
appropriate. Include the following stages:

·         contextualise and give a name to the process

·         give a definition / explanation of any key term(s)

·         describe the various stages in the process

·         include examples as necessary

·         conclude with an evaluation or speculation


(Task 2 adapted from Chazal, E., & McCarter, S. Oxford EAP. OUP, 2012.)