The end of life on Earth? It weighed about 10,000 tons, entered the atmosphere at a speed of 64,000 km/h and exploded over a city with a blast of 500 kilotons. But on 15 February 2013, we were lucky. The meteorite that showered pieces of rock over Chelyabinsk, Russia, was relatively small, at only about 17 metres wide. Although many people were injured by falling glass, the damage was nothing compared to what had happened in Siberia nearly one hundred years ago. Another relatively small object (approximately 50 metres in diameter) exploded in mid-air over a forest region, flattening about 80 million trees. If it had exploded over a city such as Moscow or London, millions of people would have been killed.
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Discussion Answer the following questions.1) Do asteroids scare you? Why or why not? Have you ever experienced any type of natural disaster? What can be called a global issue? Can you name any? 2) What do you think are the three most serious issues the world/our country is facing at the moment? 3) Why do you think so many people become involved in crime? Is there a way to prevent them from doing it? 4) Do you think drug dealing and prostitution should be legal? What would change? 5) What social problems is this country facing now? Can anything be done about them? 6) What wars and conflicts are going on in the world? What are their causes? Do you think such problems can be solved peacefully? 7) Do you know any countries where human rights are violated? In what way? 8) How does the growth in population affect the environment? 9) Do you remember any natural disasters that have happened recently? 10) What can everyone do to help protect the environment? 11) Do you separate rubbish? 12) What does it mean when something is environmentally friendly? 13) What can cause global warming? Is there a way to reduce it? 14) Have you ever experienced floods or fire? What did you do? Can you do anything to protect yourself from them? What would you do if a flood was endangering your home? 15) Should we help people from other countries facing their own social issues or natural disasters? Why / why not? If yes, how could we help them? 16) Do you think we should clone animals and children? Why? Why not? 17) Should animals be kept in zoos? |
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