Beruflich Dokumente
Kultur Dokumente
Natural
environment
Curso de Ingls
Avanzado
a) prey
2. cheetah
b) nocturnal
3. gazelle
c) carnivore
4. chameleon
d) camouflage
5. owl
e) endangered
has been assembled and how everything is interconnected and interdependent, and
that we are responsible for maintaining this vulnerable balance.
I did my fist Field Guiding course in 2003, but I soon decided to get a proper
university qualification, and decided to study Eco-tourism Management.
Interviewer: In a few words how would you describe your experience of
the Kruger as a safari guide?
Margaux: Ive always had a soft spot for the Kruger, and even though I can
travel the same road a million times things are constantly changing, and just when
you think youve seen it all nature always ends up surprising you. I love the
unexpected thrill of it all!
Interviewer: It seems a general opinion that game- and tourist densities in
the Kruger are highest in the southern portions of the Park. Has this been your
experience?
Margaux: I have to agree with this statement. Animal densities tend to be
higher in the Southern parts, where the various ecotypes and vegetation types
allow various plant species to flourish- giving rise to a greater mammal species
diversity.
Access to the Southern Parts are also fairly easy, unfortunately during peak
tourist seasons the roads can become quite congested, and the animals in general
move away to find some peace and quite.
Interviewer: Between the southern, middle and northern portions of the
Kruger, which do you prefer and why?
Margaux: I prefer the North. Its more remote, and although animal
numbers tend to be a bit lower than in other parts of the Park, all of the Big 5 can
be found in the area. Its also a brilliant place for bird watching, and the scenery is
magnificent. It just feels wilder, as a day can go by without seeing any other
tourist- something that never happens in the South of the Park.
Interviewer: Apart from the Big 5, Cheetah and Wild Dog, what Kruger
animals do you particularly enjoy encountering?
Margaux: Well yes, after the African Wild Dog, I would have to say that my
all time favourite animal is the Dwarf Mongoose! They are so curious, and if you
were to switch your vehicles engine off they would actually come out of the bush in
most cases and inspect your vehicle- very brave and often overlooked little
creatures!
Interviewer: As a guide and as someone staying close to the Kruger youve
probably witnessed some amazing happenings in the Park. Please share one or two
with us.
Margaux: This is quite a tricky question!
I think one of the most memorable experiences Ive ever had happened in
2007, during my first week of working as a guide. At that time I worked at one of
the 5 star private lodges, and I was living on-site in the Kruger Park. In the middle
of the afternoon I was asked to assist some of the housekeepers with preparing a
room for the new arriving guests. I heard an alarm call of some of the resident
bushbuck as I walked to the furthest suite, but I thought nothing of it, as it was hot
and I thought that no predator would be active during this time of the day. I had
managed to get to the door, when all of a sudden I saw three bushbuck dashing
past us, followed in close pursuit by a rather odd looking baboon. It happened so
quickly, yet it took my brain several seconds to register that this was not a baboon,
but a leopard whom had just run past us and killed one of the bushbuck, less than
15 meters from where we were standing. What made the moment even more
memorable is that we were standing in an unfenced area, and for the first time I
was taught a very important lesson: always respect nature and the warnings she
gives, and be ready to expect the unexpected!
Interviewer: Would you say visiting the Kruger on a regular basis has had
an emotional or spiritual impact on your life? If so, please elaborate.
Margaux: For sure its had both an emotional and spiritual impact on my
life. Unfortunately there are days when the guests just want to chase after the Big
5, and in the process one loses a bit of the magic of the natural environment, but
some days you are fortunate enough to come across like-minded souls who are
keen to sit quietly and absorb the beauties of the wilderness.
Adapted from Kruger National Park: Interview with Kruger Field Guide
Article by Denni Raubenheimer
2. Despite working in the Kruger for more than 3 years she does not get bored of it.
a) True
b) False
3. f you want to see the big animals you have to go to the South part of the park.
a) True
b) False
5. Margaux thinks theres a lot more to enjoy than chasing the Big 5.
a) True
b) False
Exercise 2: Vocabulary. Join the words with the meaning in the text.
1. renown
2. oblige
3. assemble
4. congest
5. overlook
6. elaborate
7. chase
Exercise: Fill the gaps with prevent, avoid or protect in the right
form.
1. These sunglasses are perfect for ___ my eyes.
2. So many policemen in the streets ___ thieves from stealing
3. You can ___ your house by installing an alarm.
4. She went in the house through the back door to ___ meeting her parents.
5. You should stay away from those boys in order to ___ problems.
Exercise: Fill the gaps with reach, arrive and get to in the right form.
1. We were waiting for him, but finally he ___ when the party was over.
2. Youd better hurry if you want to ___ the office on time
3. We ___ the top of the mountain yesterday in the evening.
4. I ___ late so I missed his speech.
5. After the shipwreck, 5 people managed to ___ the shore.
But it's not just science which is apparently making this social scheme work,
it's the attitude of the people who live here too. Their behaviour is even being
monitored by Northumbria University. It's a living human experiment.
At one of the ground floor flats, Dot and Brian Wilson are out gardening.
They're the couple on the complex with the green fingers and were chosen from
five hundred applicants because of their environmental awareness.
"We've got some leeks, onions, cauliflower and we're going to get some
peppers and peas too" Dot explains. I asked her what it feels like to be part of a
grand experiment. She laughs with delight, "I've always wanted to live in an ecofriendly home and I never thought I'd be able to do it. But I can and I am!
"Everybody's got something different to offer. Those that can garden, do the
gardening, and everybody else pitches in somewhere along the line".
Rio Adams is pitching in with the maintenance. She lives in one of the
houses and is sweeping the paths (wood chippings are environmentally friendly but,
apparently, they can cause a mess). Her two year old son Brody is over at the "bug
hotel".
It's a damp timber structure with sticks, leaves and pipes to try and attract
more insects. "There were no birds around and we're hoping that if there are more
insects, it will encourage them back".
The sense of community is something that Northumbria University is keen to
watch. Gill Davidson is one of the researchers, "We're trying to find out how this
community grows.
Some people started off being very environmentally aware and were living
that kind of lifestyle already, whereas others weren't and we're finding that people
are getting into the lifestyle much more now. There are gardening groups and a
community group is also being set up."
Some people's good habits seem to be rubbing off on others. If not, there's
a gadget which can help them along the way. Each kitchen has an energy monitor.
It shows how much electricity is being used and how much it costs. Early
findings from this two-year experiment suggest that house bills at Sinclair Meadows
are about 30 per month, compared to 30 per week in an average UK house.
3. Dot and Brian Wilson had never been worried about the environment until now.
a) True
b) False
Exercise 2: Vocabulary.
1. start off
2. keep off
3. fall off
4. get off
5. give off
e) a decrease in something
The actor is unknown: Those paintings were done during the Stone Age
The actor is irrelevant: An experimental solar power plant will be built in the
Australian desert.
You dont want to say who did it: Mistakes were made.
You are talking about a general truth: Rules are made to be broken.
You want to emphasize the action not the actor: the car has been repaired
so we can go back home.
people are.
o you use an
impersonal construction:
People believe that many children disappeared
The same idea can be expressed by using the passive in three different ways
subject
to infinitive
to infinitive
KEY: 1. This book was written by an Irishman. 2. The students are going to
be shown an old bone 3. The match had been lost. 4. The book has been forgotten.
5. English is not spoken in this shop 6. The house was built last year. 7. Doris will
be met at the station. 8. The office is cleaned every day 9. The computer will be
repaired tomorrow 10. My wallet must have been taken.
Reported speech
Simple present
Simple past
Present continuous
Past continuous
Simple past
Past perfect
Present perfect
Past perfect
Past perfect
Past perfect
Past continuous
Future
Present conditional
Future continuous
Conditional continuous
Can
Could
May
Might
Must
Had to
You do not need to change the tense if the reporting verb is in the present, or if the
original statement was about something that is still true.
Ex: We explained that it is very difficult to sing like that.
Questions in reported speech
In order to report a question we have to do the following changes:
- Change the word order from question to statement.
- Make the same tense changes as for the statements
- Use the same question words
- Use a full stop and not a question mark.
- We do not use auxiliary verbs do, does and did.
- Yes/ no questions use if or whether
Ex: Where did you go yesterday? / He asked where I had gone the day before.
Have you finished your homework?/ He asked if I had finished my homework.
KEY: 1. Jim asked how old my son was. 2. Peter asked why Lisa had left so early.
3. John asked whose dog was missing. 4. Mark asked me if I needed any help. 5.
Mary asked if she could stay a bit longer,
KEY: 1.he 2.they 3.she/her 4.I/him 5.he/ my 6.her 7.they/ my 8.my 9.they/their
10. her/her
Exercise 3: Choose the right option
. Why don't we go to the cinema? he said.
He ___ to the cinema.
a) suggested going
b) thanked for going
c) promised to go
d) warned against going
RECUERDA
The actor is unknown, irrelevant, you dont want to say who did it, you are
talking about a general truth or you want to emphasize the action not the
actor.
ometimes when you are reporting what people say or believe, you don t
know, or you dont want to say, who exactly the
people are.
o you use
an impersonal construction.
Some modal verbs do not change in reported speech might, could, would,
should, ought to
In order to report a question we have to change the word order and a full
stop.
We do not use auxiliary verbs do, does and did and yes/ no questions
use if or whether
There are many verbs which can be used to introduce reported speech.
Each one is followed by different grammatical patterns: Verb + Infinitive;
Verb + Object + Infinitive; Verb + object + Preposition + Gerund; Verb +
(that) + Sentence