English Refresher · CEFR B1 · Unit 8

Environment & Sustainability

Imagine a greener world with the second conditional. Practice, check your answers, and study the flashcards.

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Speaking

Help the Planet

What to do: Work in pairs. Talk about the environment. There is no score — just speak and listen.

Audio 1Listen to an example

Listen to someone talk about their green habits, then talk about yours.

Talk about it

What do you and your family do to help the environment?
What is the biggest environmental problem where you live?
Imagine with the second conditional: "If everyone recycled, there would be less waste."

Featured Reading

Small Changes, Big Planet

Read the full interactive article and do the comprehension quiz.

Read it →

Reading

The Plastic Problem

What to do: Read this short extract from the unit article. Then answer the questions and tap Check Answers. (Read the full article using the link above!)

Every year, the world produces around 350 million tonnes of plastic waste. Much of it is "single-use" — a bottle or bag we use once and then throw away.

The good news is that plastic is one of the easiest problems to fight. If everyone carried a reusable bottle, we would throw away far less plastic.

1. About how many tonnes of plastic waste does the world produce each year?

2. "Single-use" plastic is used ______ and then thrown away.

3. What would happen if everyone carried a reusable bottle?

we would use more plastic we would throw away less plastic nothing would change

Listening

A School Eco Project

What to do: Listen two times. Then complete the sentences and answer the questions.

Audio 2Lena and Max talk about a recycling project

Lena: Hey, did you hear about the new recycling project at school?

Max: No, what is it?

Lena: They're putting recycling bins in every classroom — for paper, plastic, and cans.

Max: That's great. Our school throws away so much plastic.

Lena: I know. If everyone used a reusable bottle, we wouldn't need all those plastic ones.

Max: True. I always bring my own bottle now. What else can we do?

Lena: We could turn off the lights when we leave a room. And the school wants to plant trees in the spring.

Max: Nice! If I had more time, I would join the gardening club.

Lena: You should! Small actions really add up.

Max: You're right. I'll start with the reusable bottle and turning off lights.

1. The school is putting recycling ______ in every classroom.

2. Max always brings his own ______ now.

3. The school wants to plant ______ in the spring.

4. What can they do when they leave a room?

open the windows turn off the lights recycle the desks

5. What will Max start with?

joining the gardening club planting trees a reusable bottle and turning off lights

Grammar

Second Conditional

What to do: Complete each sentence. Remember: if + past simple, would + base verb. Use the verb in brackets.

1. If everyone ______, there would be less waste. (recycle)

2. If we used less plastic, the oceans ______ cleaner. (be)

3. If I ______ a bike, I would cycle to school. (have)

4. The air would be cleaner if we ______ less. (drive)

5. If people planted more trees, they ______ more CO2. (absorb)

Word Order

Build the Conditional

What to do: Tap the words in the correct order. Tap a word in your answer to put it back. Then tap Check Answers.

Writing

A Problem & a Solution

What to do: Write about one environmental problem and how to solve it (about 80–100 words). Use the second conditional. There is no automatic score — use the checklist.

Example: "One big problem in my town is plastic waste. People use too many plastic bags and bottles. If shops charged money for plastic bags, people would bring their own. If our school had more recycling bins, we would recycle more. I think small changes would make a big difference. If everyone helped, our town would be much cleaner."

0 words

Did you include…

a clear environmental problem
three or more second conditionals (If + past, would + verb)
environment vocabulary (recycle, waste, plastic, energy…)
at least one solution
a strong final sentence

Vocabulary

Flashcards

What to do: Tap a card to reveal the meaning and an example. These are the key words for this unit and the reading.

pollutionnountap to reveal

harmful substances in the air, water, or land"Cars cause a lot of air pollution."

to recycleverbtap to reveal

to make used materials into new things"We recycle paper, plastic, and glass."

renewable energynountap to reveal

energy from sources that don't run out, like sun and wind"Solar is a type of renewable energy."

a carbon footprintnountap to reveal

the amount of CO2 a person or activity produces"Flying increases your carbon footprint."

sustainableadjectivetap to reveal

able to continue without harming the planet"We need a sustainable way of living."

climate changenountap to reveal

long-term changes in weather caused by human activity"Climate change makes summers hotter."

eco-friendlyadjectivetap to reveal

not harmful to the environment"These bags are eco-friendly."

to reduce wastephrasetap to reveal

to make less rubbish"We can reduce waste by reusing things."

single-use plasticnountap to reveal

plastic used once and then thrown away"Straws are single-use plastic."

to conserveverbtap to reveal

to protect something and use it carefully"We must conserve water and energy."

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Score

Your Result

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