way2go! 6, Arbeitsheft

35 Read the text about the effect of cows on the environment. Some words are missing. Complete the text by writing one word for each gap (1–11) in the spaces provided. The first one (0) has been done for you. LANGUAGE IN USE 6 0 or 6 1 7 2 8 3 9 4 10 5 11 1 cattle: Vieh 2 culprit: Missetäter/in, Schuldige/r 3 condensed: kondensiert, verflüssigt Cow burps matter too What do you think has the worst effect on the environment? It’s not the car, (0) the plane: it’s the cow. Believe it or not, cattle1 are responsible for 18 percent of the greenhouse (1) that cause global warming. That’s more than all forms of transport put together! There are approximately 1.5 billion cows on the planet, (2) of them releasing around 500 litres of methane every day. We (3) often think of farts as being the culprit2, but burps are actually the main source of cattle-produced methane, a gas which warms the world 20 times faster (4) carbon dioxide. Given these facts, it’s (5) surprising that researchers have tried to capture this gas. A cowfart backpack has been designed which is fixed (6) the cow’s back and manages to capture and collect the gases emitted through the cow’s mouth or stomach via a tube inserted through the skin (which the researchers say is painless). The gas is (7) condensed3 and ready to use to provide power for the farm on which the cow lives for activities, such as cooking, lighting a home or driving a car. Another way to reduce the methane released by cows is to change their diet. Surprisingly, seaweed has been shown to naturally cut (8) methane production in cows and other livestock. As cows digest their food, carbon dioxide and hydrogen are released. A natural enzyme then combines the two gases, creating methane in the process. Food supplemented (9) seaweed suppresses this enzyme, and methane emissions are reduced as a result. A study found that giving cows small amounts of seaweed over several months saw their methane emissions fall by over 80%. In the future we will (10) likely need more bright ideas like this. Reports say that, unless changes are (11) , the damage done by cattle will more than double by 2050 as the demand for meat increases. Therefore, efforts to reduce the environmental impact of keeping cattle are more important than ever. Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum des Verlags öbv

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