Tóm tắt Tiếng Anh Lớp 8 - Chương trình học kì 2

UNIT 7: POLLUTION
P.11
Noise is constant and loud sound. To measure the loudness, or volume of sounds, people use a unit called a decibel. When a sound is louder than 70 decibels, it can cause noise pollution. Do you know that the noise from a vacuum cleaner or a motorcycle can result in permanent hearing loss after eight hours? The sounds of a concert are even more serious. They can reach as high as 130 decibels and may cause immediate and permanent hearing loss. Noise pollution can also lead to headaches and high blood pressure. If you are listening to music through headphones, and other people can hear it, it means the music is too loud and unsafe. If there seems to be a ringing or buzzing in your ears, it means the noise is affecting you and damaging your hearing. Wearing earplugs when you go to concerts or other loud events, and listening to music through headphones or headsets at safe levels can help you reduce the effects of noise pollution.
P.13
Reporter: Does thermal pollution mean that bodies of water get hotter, Mr Nam?
 Mr Nam: Not always. Sometimes the water becomes colder, and that’s also thermal pollution. In general, thermal pollution means a change in the water temperature.
Reporter: That’s interesting! What causes it? 
Mr Nam: Power stations are one factor. They use water in the nearby lakes or rivers to cool their equipment, which heats up the water. Then they dump the hot water back into its source. 
Reporter: Are there any other causes? 
Mr Nam: Yes. Thermal pollution may also happen due to the discharge of cold water from reservoirs into warm rivers. 
Reporter: Thermal pollution can have dramatic effects. Right? 
Mr Nam: Certainly. Most aquatic creatures need a certain temperature to survive. Warmer water has less oxygen in it, and this can harm fish populations. Besides, warmer water can cause harmful algal blooms. This can change the colour of the water like in the first picture and, more seriously, the algae poisons the fish. 
Reporter: What can we do, Mr Nam? 
Mr Nam: In many places, they build cooling towers like in the second picture to cool down the water from power stations. 
Reporter: Anything else we can do? 
UNIT 8: English speaking countries P.23
Good morning. I hope you all had a good sleep. We are now heading for Wanaka. We arrive at the first destination, Puzzling World at 9.30. The first puzzling thing which welcomes you is the Leaning Tower. When you get inside the spacious café, you will find yourself among various wooden puzzles and games. The Illusion Room is a must-see as there’s nothing else like it in the world. Puzzling World is possibly the most photographed attraction in New Zealand. At 12.30 we leave for Lake Wanaka, New Zealand’s fourth largest lake. This ‘natural paradise’ has something for everyone. Adventure lovers may follow the biking and walking tracks through the park. Relaxation seekers may stay by the lake, taking a boat ride, or just sitting and watching its changing beauty. We meet up at 4 o’clock and the bus leaves at exactly 4.15. I hope 
Unit 9: Natural disasters P.28
1. Yesterday, a terrible storm struck the rural area of Ha Giang Province. 2. Villagers rushed into public shelters as soon as the volcano erupted. 3. Hundreds of buildings were completely destroyed when the earthquake shook the city. 4. The mudslide buried the whole village while people were still sleeping in their houses. 5. The forest fire raged for eight hours and some animals were badly injured or killed. 6. We managed to run out of the house into the street before the walls collapsed.
P.31
Welcome to ‘Nature and You.’ Today we have asked our listeners around the world to call us to express their views on these two questions: ‘Are there more natural disasters now than there were in the past?’ and ‘Are we prepared to deal with natural disasters?’
- Hi, I’m Sarah from Sydney, Australia. I think there are more natural disasters now than there used to be. Whenever I watch the news on TV, I see places that are flooded or affected by drought. I’m certain this is the result of climate change and global warming. 
- Hello, I’m Peter from London, England. I don’t think that there are more natural disasters now than in the past. But more are being reported on the news in shorter time periods. We’ve seen them so often on the news that we’ve become used to them.
 - Hi, everyone, I’m Nubita from Tokyo, Japan. I think recent earthquakes and tsunamis just show how unprepared we are to deal with them. Despite all the technology and knowledge available to us nowadays, many people become victims of natural disasters.
 - Good evening everyone, I’m Linh from Ha Noi, Viet Nam. I don’t think we can prepare for natural disasters as nobody knows when or where they are going to strike. It’s Nature’s way of reminding us who is in charge and that we should show more respect to the natural environment
P.33
Nghe An Province was badly affected again when a typhoon hit the area last night. The storm began at around 11 p.m. and raged throughout the night. Dozens of people were seriously injured and hundreds of others were left homeless. The severe winds caused extensive damage to property, including homes and businesses, particularly in Cua Lo, a coastal town in Nghe An. The storm had already weakened by the time emergency workers arrived in the area. Rescue operations have started and many people trapped in collapsed or damaged buildings have been freed. Workers are now clearing up the debris left behind by the severe storm. The government has already sent rescue equipment to Nghe An, as well as food and medical supplies. People left homeless have been taken to safe areas, where temporary accommodation will be built to house them. The weather bureau has issued flood warnings for Nghe An and nearby provinces as heavy rain is expected to continue over the next few days.
P.37
Nguyen: Is Singapore really as clean as it’s advertised? 
Phong: Yes, it is. Nguyen: How can they do that?
Phong: They have a very strict policy on keeping the environment clean. Before we started our tour, the tour guide warned us that we could be fined or arrested for spitting or littering. Nguyen: But how would they know? 
Phong: There are hundreds of officers in plain clothes. Their job is to blend into the crowd and spot anyone who breaks the law.
 Nguyen: What would happen if you did break the law? 
Phong: Well, for example, if you spat out your chewing gum in the street, you would be fined two hundred dollars. 
Nguyen: Really? But how could you know about it? 
Phong: There are posters in public places to tell people what they should or shouldn’t do. Nguyen: That’s a good idea.
 Phong: And from a young age, children are taught how to behave at school and in the family. 
Nguyen: Habits start early, right? 
Phong: Yes. Once you’ve learnt them, they become lifetime habits
Unit 10: Communication P.45
Reporter: Dr Minh Vu, what exactly is ‘netiquette’? 
Dr Minh Vu: The word is a combination of ‘net’ and ‘etiquette’. It’s a set of rules for behaving properly online. 
Reporter: Could you tell us the main rule of netiquette? 
Dr Minh Vu: Remember that the people we’re communicating with online are real people. Don’t say and do unpleasant things online, just like in real life. 
Reporter: But sometimes perhaps it’s not what we communicate, but how we communicate ? 
Dr Minh Vu: Absolutely. For example, if you write emails, or post comments using CAPS LOCK, this means you are shouting at people! 
Reporter: Of course it’s not polite at all. What else should we do when sending emails? 
Dr Minh Vu: Check your message for spelling mistakes before you send it. It shows respect towards the other person. Don’t use too much shorthand. This may confuse your reader. Reporter: How about behaviour in chat rooms and on message boards?
Dr Minh Vu: Follow discussion rules. Use polite language. People may not know who you are but you’re judged by the quality of your writing.
Unit 11: Science and technology P.55
Nick: Hey, Duong and Chau, do you remember Dr. Nelson’s talk on science and technology? Chau: Yes. He said that science and technology would help us solve the world’s problems in the future. 
Nick: Right. I think world hunger is a problem now, and developing ways to get high yields in farming will help feed the growing population on earth. 
Duong: Good point. Also we may be able to live on other planets, so overcrowding won’t be a problem any more 
Nick: And I like the idea of having lessons at home with a robot, and on the Internet.
 Duong: And no more paper books. We’ll have e-books, and tablets for everything.
 Chau: That doesn’t sound like a benefit to me. I’d still want to go to school. I’d like to communicate face-to-face with teachers and friends. In my opinion, science and technology will bring new problems to people
Duong: Like what? 
Chau: Well, robots will bring unemployment, and high yields in farming may destroy the environment and sending people to Mars may cause pollution 
 Nick: You’re right: so many new problems 
Unit 12: Life on other planets
I think the inhabitants of Jupiter may be very different to human beings. This is how I imagine them: They may be much bigger and more powerful than humans. Jupiterians may have eight legs and be able to move very fast. They may have a lot of hair all over their bodies and their skin might be very thick so they can live in temperatures of around -145 degrees Celsius. They may have four eyes and be able to see very far. They may also have a very good sense of smell and they may even be able to sense others’ feelings like happiness or fear. And I don’t think they eat and drink like us. Instead, they get all their energy from the rocks. They may charge their bodies by plugging their feet into the rock, just like charging a battery. That way, they don’t even need to breathe air. The only way they may be similar to us is they live in family units of parents and children. They may also use language to communicate with each other
P.69
Nick: I had a disastrous morning. 
Mike: Oh, what happened? 
Nick: I couldn’t find my mobile phone so I went out to find a phone box. It took me half an hour to find a phone box that worked - the first three were all out of order. After that, I dialled Tom’s number and heard the phone ringing, but then there was a silence! 
Mike: And then? Nick: I dialled again and got a wrong number. The third time I had a crossed line - I could hear two people having a personal conversation. The fourth time, I managed to speak to Tom, and we exchanged a few words, then we were cut off and we lost the connection. I got very angry. 
Mike: And ? 
Nick: When I tried again later, he wasn’t in the office. 
Mike: But Nick, tell me, what did you want to tell your brother so urgently? 
Nick: That my home telephone is out of order. Tom is the Head of the Telecom Department