Improve your English vocabulary and listening in just six minutes!
This year’s global heating and melting polar ice has many scientists asking whether it’s now too late to stop global warming. Have we have reached the point of no return? Neil and Georgina talk about the effects of climate change on the Arctic, and teach you vocabulary along the way.
This week’s question:
How many gigatonnes of ice are now melting into the ocean every year?
a) 450 gigatonnes
b) 500 gigatonnes
c) 550 gigatonnes
Watch the video to find out the answer.
Vocabulary
ice sheet
thick layer of ice covering a large area of land for a long period of time
glacier
very large, slow-moving mass of ice
in balance
having different parts or elements arranged in the correct proportions
tipping point
time at which a change or an effect cannot be stopped
rate
speed at which something happens or changes
throw your hands up
(idiom) show frustration and despair when a situation becomes so bad that you give up or submit
To download the audio and a transcript, go to: https://www.bbc.co.uk/learningenglish/english/features/6-minute-english/ep-201105