Unit 6: Language Focus 2

Reduction of Adjective Clauses into Adjective Phrases

Whenever in an adjective clause, the relative pronoun is the subject of the clause, it is possible to reduce the adjective clause into an adjective phrase.

relative pronoun = WH words such as who, that, which, how, … used as the conjunction in an adjective clause

In order to reduce the adjective clause into an adjective phrase, we have to omit the relative pronoun, the auxiliary verb and use the participle (either the present participle or the past participle) of the main verb.

auxiliary verb = helping verb
present participle = verb + ing
past participle = verb + ed (for regular verbs)

Examples:

The mechanic who is repairing the car has been officially trained by the car manufacturer.
The mechanic repairing the car has been officially trained by the car manufacturer.

The man who came to the party was from El Paso.
The man coming to the party was from El Paso.

The car which has been repaired by the mechanic belongs to Mr. Tomlinson.
The car repaired by the mechanic belongs to Mr. Tomlinson.

The explanation which is given in this book is outstanding.
The explanation given in this book is outstanding.

Point:

It is also possible to reduce an adjective clause into a prepositional phrase.

Prepositional Phrase = Preposition + Noun Phrase

The car which is on the corner was repaired by the mechanic yesterday.
The car on the corner was repaired by the mechanic yesterday.

The explanation which is in this book is outstanding.
The explanation in this book is outstanding.

Examples for Irreducible Adjective Clauses:

We cannot reduce the adjective clauses in the following sentences because the relative pronoun of the adjective clause does not function as the subject of the clause:

The man whom I met is the CEO (chief executive officer) of the company.
I ⇨ Subject of the Clause
whom ⇨ Object of the Clause

The house which Mr. Williams has bought is located in a very convenient neighborhood.
Mr. Williams ⇨ Subject of the Clause
which ⇨ Object of the Clause

SPEAKING

DEVELOPING THE TOPIC

1. Vocabulary

1. erupts
2. spreads
3. break out
4. weep
5. shake
6. starve
7. casualties
8. victims
9. survived
10. refugees

2. Sentence Completion

1. population, coast, remote, outback (Australia)
2. center, Empire, stretched, length (Peru)
3. farmland, deliberately, fields, flooded (Vietnam)
4. east, peninsula, make up, country (Denmark)
5. desert, oases, coastline, fertile (Oman)
6. volcanoes, active, landscape, forests (El Salvador)

📘 Comprehension Questions & Answers: The Other Population Crisis

Section A

Q1: What principle has dominated international thinking for decades?
A1: That the world is overcrowded and humans are exhausting Earth’s resources.

Q2: What examples are given of human destruction of the planet?
A2: Flooding valleys, cutting down forests, and destroying habitats faster than scientists can classify them.

Q3: How is the future described if overpopulation continues?
A3: Nasty, brutish, and cramped.

Section B

Q4: What “self-evident” truth is being questioned by population analysts?
A4: That humanity is destined to drown under its own weight due to overpopulation.

Q5: What do analysts now predict about world population trends?
A5: Populations will rise but not as steeply or as long-lasting as feared, and eventually will peak and decline.

Section C

Q6: What evidence do statisticians give for declining population growth?
A6: People are having fewer children.

Q7: What was the global fertility rate in the 1970s?
A7: About six children per woman.

Q8: What is the current global fertility rate mentioned in the text?
A8: 2.9 children per woman and falling.

Q9: What population figure is projected for 2050?
A9: Nine billion people.

Q10: What earlier projection was considered more alarming?
A10: Fifteen billion people.

Q11: What two key questions arise from these trends?
A11: Why has the rise in world populations started to die out, and what will be the consequences of this decline?

Section D

Q12: How many children do European couples typically have today compared to the past?
A12: One or two children today, compared to three or four in the past.

Q13: What social changes have reduced the number of potential mothers in Europe?
A13: Women pursuing careers and not being judged for not marrying or having children early.

Q14: What aspirations of parents contribute to lower birth rates?
A14: Providing higher education and travel opportunities for children, which are costly.

Q15: What is the average birth rate in European countries?
A15: 1.4 children per couple.

Q16: What birth rate is needed to maintain a country’s population?
A16: 2.1 children per couple.

Section E

Q17: How much is Russia’s population declining annually?
A17: By almost 750,000 people a year.

Q18: What are the causes of Russia’s population decline?
A18: Alcoholism, breakdown of public health services, and industrial pollution affecting male fertility.

Q19: What policy affects China’s population growth?
A19: State-enforced quotas on the number of children.

Q20: When is China’s population expected to peak, and at what number?
A20: Around 2019, at 1.5 billion.

Q21: What percentage of population loss per generation is suggested for China?
A21: Twenty to thirty percent.

Q22: What global trend is happening with rural populations?
A22: An exodus to cities, with soon half the world’s population living in urban areas.

Q23: Why do urban families tend to have fewer children?
A23: Because children are seen as a financial cost rather than an asset for farm work.

Section F

Q24: What demographic changes are forecast for Europe?
A24: A major drop in the working-age population and a rise in the elderly population.

Q25: Why did a British politician urge women to have children as a patriotic duty?
A25: To ensure there will be a workforce in the future.

Q26: What is the current median age of people?
A26: Twenty-six years.

Q27: What will the median age be in a hundred years if trends continue?
A27: Fifty-two years (double the current).

Q28: What challenge do young Chinese adults face regarding family care?
A28: Caring for two parents and four grandparents without siblings to share the responsibility.

Q29: Why are pensions and incomes insufficient in China?
A29: They cannot rise fast enough to meet the demands of supporting the aging population.

Section G

Q30: What hope do some people cling to regarding economy and population?
A30: That a vibrant economy is possible without a growing population.

Q31: What is the mainstream economists’ view of this hope?
A31: They are pessimistic.

Q32: What positive effect could reduced human numbers have?
A32: It would be good for the planet in the long term.

Q33: What wilderness is mentioned as being under threat?
A33: The Amazon rainforest.

Q34: How many humans were on Earth just after the last Ice Age?
A34: Only a few hundred thousand.

Q35: By how much has the population grown since then?
A35: Ten thousandfold.

Q36: What does the text say about our attempts to control population growth?
A36: They are imperfect and lead us into an uncertain future.

WARMING UP

2.

1. b
2. a
3. a
4. c

DISCUSSING THE PASSAGE

EXERCISE A

• A. a
• B. b
• C. b
• D. a
• E. a
• F. b
• G. a

EXERCISE B

1. a
2. d
3. b
4. b
5. d

EXERCISE C

1.

1. c
2. h
3. b
4. g
5. a
6. i
7. j
8. e
9. f
10. d

2.

1. e
2. b
3. g
4. c
5. h
6. f
7. i
8. d
9. j
10. a

✍Homework:

🗣️‍The Summary of each Paragraph in the Reading of Unit 6

❓The Answers to the Questions on Pages 122-125

ENHANCING YOUR VOCABULARY: Unit 6

Exercise 1

1. h
2. e
3. a
4. f
5. j
6. g
7. b
8. i
9. c
10. d

Exercise 2

1. crops
2. retailers
3. blueprints
4. altered
5. ecological
6. organism
7. self-perpetuating
8. herbicide
9. toxins
10. weeds

You're in the supermarket deciding what you want to buy. The tomatoes and corn look especially delicious. But wait! Do you stop and wonder if those vegetables have been genetically modified? Wouldn't you want to know before you bought them? Shouldn't they be labeled so that you have the right to choose?

What are genetically modified foods? Genes are the blueprints for an organism. Genetic engineering is the process of artificially modifying these blueprints. Scientists can transfer the desirable genes of one organism to another—altering its genetic make- up. Scientists now are routinely using genes from bacteria, viruses, insects, fish, and animals to modify food crops.

Supporters of genetically-modified foods want crops that are resistant to herbicides—plant-killing chemicals that farmers use to kill unwanted weeds and plants. Supporters also say that these new genetically-altered crops such as corn, potatoes, and soybeans are more resistant to certain bacteria, viruses, and insects. Others claim that in the future scientists will develop foods that are more nutritious and able to prevent disease.

Opponents of genetically-modified foods are worried about the dangers. ... and they list many. New toxins in foods, the spread of disease across species, disturbances in the ecological balance, herbicide-resistant plants that may grow out of control. They claim that we don't know what the long-term effects of producing genetically-modified foods will be. And once changes are made in the genetic structure of organisms, they cannot be reversed. The problem will be self-perpetuating.

At the very least, opponents of genetically-modified food want producers and retailers to clearly mark products that contain genetically-modified ingredients. Will all this technology result in better crops and healthier food? Or is there a risk to humans and the environment that should not be ignored?

LISTENING TASK 1

Advantages

• Crops could be made resistant to plant-killing animals.
• Crops could be made resistant to bacteria, viruses and insects.
• More nutritious food could be developed.

Disadvantages

• There could be new toxins in food.
• Diseases could spread across different species of plants.
• Herbicide-resistant plants could grow out of control.
• The ecological balance could be disturbed.

LISTENING TASK 2

1. against
2. against
3. in favor of
4. in favor of
5. in favor of
6. against

Summary

The reporter discusses the debate over genetically modified (GM) foods. It highlights the process of genetic engineering, where scientists modify the genes of organisms to create crops that are more resistant to herbicides, pests, and diseases. Supporters argue that GM foods can lead to better crop yields and more nutritious food. However, opponents raise concerns about potential risks, such as new toxins, ecological imbalances, and the unknown long-term effects. They advocate for clear labeling of GM foods to allow consumers to make informed choices. The text questions whether the benefits of GM foods outweigh the potential risks to humans and the environment.

✍ Homework

Enhancing Your Vocabulary (Page 115)

WORKBOOK: Unit Five

EXERCISE A

1. d
2. a
3. a
4. c
5. b
6. d
7. c
8. b

EXERCISE B

1. authenticated
2. reckon
3. discrepancy
4. ubiquitous
5. evoked
6. dispassionate
7. intuitively
8. sophisticated

EXERCISE C

1. a statue
2. death
3. a gesture
4. attention
5. impact
6. answer
7. influence
8. notion

EXERCISE D

1. forgery
2. provocative
3. diversify
4. pretentious
5. conception/concept
6. discredited
7. disintegrated
8. negligent

EXERCISE E

1. in
2. for
3. up
4. up
5. with
6. on/upon
7. to
8. to

EXERCISE F

1. d
2. a
3. g
4. h
5. f
6. e
7. b
8. c

1. They climbed up to the top of a large rock from which they got a good view.
2. I would like to thank my tutor without whom I would never have finished the work.
3. Sue has now moved back to the house on Long Island on which she was born.
4. The star is to be named after Patrick Jenks, by whom it was discovered.
5. This is the ball with which Mark scored three goals in the final.
6. Dennis is now able to beat his father, from whom he learned how to play chess.
7. This book is enjoyed by adults as well as children, for whom it was primarily written.
8. There are still many things in our solar system about/of which we know nothing.

EXERCISE G

1. was
2. seems
3. is
4. are
5. is
6. is
7. have
8. varies

Audio Script

Andrew Warhol was born in 1928 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He studied at the Carnegie Institute of Technology. By 1950, Andy Warhol, as he now called himself, moved to New York City and pursued a successful career as a commercial designer and illustrator.

In the 1960s, Warhol became one of the leaders of the pop art movement. Taking its name from "popular," this art used images in popular culture for its subject matter. Probably one of Warhol's most famous images is called Campbell's Soup Can — a picture of a brand of soup popular in the U.S. Other famous works are Green Coca-Cola Bottles and the three-dimensional Brillo Box, which looks exactly like the box of soap pads sold in the supermarket.

Warhol also wanted to simplify the process of making art, so he silk-screened photographs onto painted canvas. He created very striking, brightly-colored portraits of celebrities. The most famous are of Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, and Elvis Presley. To make his art look even more mechanical, he would repeat many images of the same thing on the canvas, sometimes just changing the color or a few little details. He even named the place where he produced his art "The Factory".

Andy Warhol was also a filmmaker and a publisher. His magazine — called Interview — was filled with articles and gossip about celebrities. With his trademark bushy white hair and his association with celebrities, this man who seemed somewhat shy was always in the public eye. It seems that the more fun he made of art and fame, the more famous Andy Warhol became.

He died in 1987 and is the subject of the largest museum devoted to a single artist: The Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh, his hometown.

Answer Key

1. When was he born? 1928
2. Where in America was he born? Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
3. What style of art did he pioneer? Pop art
4. What are his most famous works?
   • Campbell's Soup Can
   • Green Coca-Cola Bottles
   • Brillo Box
   • Portraits of celebrities: Marilyn Monroe, Elizabeth Taylor, Elvis Presley
5. What other jobs did he have? He was also a filmmaker and a publisher.
6. When did he die? 1987

✍ Homework

📖 Workbook (Unit 5)