ESL WORKSHEET - Environment and Nature

LESSON PLAN FOR ENGLISH TEACHERS

THE EXPANSION OF SEED BANKS

LinguaHouse
Mar. 17, 2022

Level: Upper-Intermediate (B2-C1)
Type of English: General English
Tags: Special Report; Environment and Nature; International Investment; Probability and Chance; Society and Change; The Future and Space; 18+ Years Old; 16-18 Years Old; 13-15 Years Old; Article Based
Publication date: 03/17/2022

This lesson looks at the expansion of seed banks and shows some of the positives and negatives of such projects. Exercises focus on listening and reading skills and related vocabulary. Students will be given the opportunity to discuss a number of issues that are related to the topic (by Peter Clarkin).

• CLICK HERE to download the student’s worksheet in American English.
• CLICK HERE to download the student’s worksheet in British English.
• CLICK HERE to download the teacher’s lesson plan in American English.
• CLICK HERE to download the teacher’s lesson plan in British English.
• CLICK HERE to download/listen to the audio.
  

AUDIO TRANSCRIPT

Interviewer: On today’s Green is Good podcast we are going to be talking to Sarah Podolski. Sarah works in a Seed Bank, and she is going to be telling us all about what that entails. Hi Sarah, thank you for talking to us today.
Sarah: It’s my pleasure.
Interviewer: So, can you tell us what kind of work you do at the seed bank?
Sarah: Sure, well at present I am one of a number of Senior Scientists working at the Global Seed Vault, and our work is primarily to do with the preservation and storing of the world’s seeds. We collect seeds from all around the globe, and we place them deep underground in our vault with the aim of creating a backup of as many of the world’s seeds as possible.
Interviewer: Wow! So quite important work then? How many different types of seeds exist at present?
Sarah: At present we think there are around 2.2 million unique seeds stored at different seed banks around the world. Our planet is home to a diverse range of plants and crops, and it is our hope that one day the Global Seed Vault will be able to preserve the vast majority of these.
Interviewer: Some people have suggested that Seed Banks are there should we all fall victim to some sort of horrific end of the world event. Is that the way you see them?
Sarah: Not exactly, although that is often the way they have been reported in the press. Seed Banks are there for various crucial reasons. Not all of them are to do with end of the world type scenarios. In our position as one of the biggest Seed Banks in the world, we connect with over 100 different environmental projects in different countries. As a result, what we can do is offer support to smaller Seed Banks that may fall victim to any man-made or natural disasters that could occur in their countries. Should their Seed Banks suffer any damage, we are then able to provide them with duplicate seeds to re-stock.
Interviewer: And I also believe that with a number of species you are in a race against time?
Sarah: That couldn’t be more true. Every year we lose a larger number of seed species because we haven’t had the time or resources to collect them and preserve them within the vault. This is primarily due to habitat loss in a number of areas. Deforestation plays its part as does climate change. The speed of loss is contrasted with the fact that research is a painfully slow process, and no matter as much as we want it to happen, we cannot acquire the seed samples quickly enough.
Interviewer: Thank you, Sarah, that really does emphasize the important work you are doing at the Global Seed Bank, and it really should plant a seed in all our minds…

Adapted from: https://www.linguahouse.com/esl-lesson-plans/general-english/the-expansion-of-seed-banks. Accessed on May 9, 2022. LinguaHouse.com © 2008 - 2022. All rights reserved.