Task #1: The pictures are not in the correct order. Label each picture with the
correct letter. Then put the letters in chronological order to make a coherent story.
School’s name: _______________________ Az Óbudai Harrer Pál Általános Iskola Wonderful World versenye 2016
A) Just then, two hikers appear. The creatures of the forest gather around and tell the hikers
about their problems. "We are hungry," "We're tired and weak," "Our babies are sick," the plants
and animals complain. "Can you help us?" they all ask. The hikers both nod their heads. "Yes,"
one hiker says. "I think I know what the problem is," he says. "It's acid rain."
B) But lately, Lucy Lake and her friends have not been feeling very well.
C) High in the mountains, deep in the forest, lives Lucy Lake. Lucy is a large, cold lake with
many different plants and animals living in and around her.
D) All the plants and animals of the forest gather together to talk about the problem. "Why are
we sick?" asks Frannie Frog. "What is doing this to us?" asks Sammy Spruce. "What can we
do?" asks Lucy Lake. No one has any answers.
E) "If you can help us think of solutions to the problem we will deliver a message to other
people about how they can clean up our environment," one hiker says.
F) "Acid rain comes from chemicals in the air, or 'pollution.' A lot of this pollution comes from
power plants that burn fossil fuels, like coal, to make electricity. We use this electricity to make
our lights and our TVs work. Pollution also comes from the cars and trucks people drive. This
pollution also causes acid rain."
G) On a normal day, the plants and animals at Lucy Lake have enough food and clean water to
keep them healthy. The wind carries pure air, and the rain comes down clear and clean.
H) "So, even though I don't want to, I help pollution travel long distances through the air!" says
Wendy Wind. "And whatever's in the air falls from the sky in my raindrops!" cries Raphael
Rain.
I) Time passes, and after a while, the forest and lake begin to feel a little better.
J) And the next time the hikers climb up the mountains to Lucy Lake, they smile at what they
find. "We're glad things have started to change," one hiker says. "And we're glad you helped us
make a difference," says the other.
K) With the help of the plants and animals, the two hikers make a list of ideas for saving Lucy
Lake and her friends.
The correct order is:
#1: _____
#2: _____
#7: _____
#8: _____
#3: _____
#9: _____
#4: _____
#10: _____
#5: _____
#11: _____
#6: _____
Task #2: Leaf through the text in 3 minutes. The video recording will then be
played, but only once. Fill in each blank with one word. You will then have an extra 3 minutes
to discuss your answers.
What Is Acid Rain? Most people think of rain as refreshing and 1)___________ to the
environment, but not all types of rain are a good thing. Acid rain is one type of rain that is
2)___________ to the environment. Although the name might give you the impression that
it's pure acid falling from the sky, acid rain is actually created when certain gases are mixed
with atmospheric 3)___________ to create precipitation that is more acidic than normal.
Sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides are two of the gases involved in the 4)___________ of
acid rain. When these gases are released into the environment and mixed with water, oxygen,
and other chemicals, they create acidic 5)___________, such as sulfuric acid and nitric acid,
which results in the formation of acid rain.
Although rain is most commonly thought of as wet, acid rain can come in both a wet or dry
form based on how the acidic materials fall from the 6)___________. When the materials are
in a wet form, they fall as rain, 7)___________, snow, or fog. In the dry form, they can fall
as gases or 8)___________. Both the wet and dry forms of acid rain can be carried by the
wind and travel a long distance before being 9)___________.
Causes of Acid Rain The causes of acid rain can be both natural and man-made. Both
volcanoes and 10)___________ vegetation release gases that result in the formation of acid
rain. However, the majority of gases come from man-made 11)___________, such as fossil
fuel combustion.
In the United States, around two-thirds of sulfur dioxide and one-quarter of nitrogen oxides in
the atmosphere are released from electric power 12)___________ due to burning fossil fuels.
The exhaust from vehicles also releases both gases into the air, so the more vehicles, the more
13)___________ of acid rain.
Measurement of Acid Rain We use the pH scale to measure acid rain. The pH scale
measures how acidic a 14)___________ is. It runs from 0 to 14; 0 is the most acidic, 7 is
15)___________, and 14 is the most basic. Although pure water is known to have a pH of 7,
normal rainwater has a slightly more acidic pH of around 5.6. This pH level is due to the
carbon dioxide in the atmosphere that 16)___________ into a weak carbonic acid. Acid rain
has an average pH of 4.2 to 4.4, which is almost ten times more acidic than normal rain.
The level of acidity can be determined using high-tech 17)___________ or using litmus
paper. When litmus paper is 18)___________ to a substance, it changes color depending on
the 19)___________: red for acidic, blue for basic, and a variety of colors for anything in
between.
Effects of Acid Rain Overall, the environment and its inhabitants are 20)___________ to
survive within a certain acidity level.