Listening

Warm Up

Helpful Words and Phrases

Listen and repeat.

  1. historically
    • ex. This book tells stories of many historically important events.
  2. deforestation
    • ex. Deforestation in our country led to the loss of many trees and animals.
  3. a rainforest
    • ex. During the tour, tourists enjoyed watching many different kinds of animals in the rainforest.
  4. large-scale
    • ex. The company is planning a large-scale event to celebrate its anniversary. Hundreds of employees will be joining.
  5. a reputation
    • ex. The company gained a bad reputation because of using too much plastic in its products.

Article

Read the article below and answer your tutor's questions.

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Indonesia experienced a 27% rise in forest loss in 2023 compared to the previous year. The rise is mainly due to cutting down trees for palm oil and paper. However, this number is still considered historically low. Rod Taylor of the World Resources Institute said that deforestation has decreased compared to six years ago, which is good news for the country.

Indonesia is a huge tropical country with the world’s third-largest rainforest. It is home to many rare plants and animals. Since 1950, more than 74 million hectares (285,715 square miles) of Indonesian rainforest have been destroyed for the development of Indonesia’s main products, like palm oil, paper, rubber, and coal. Research shows that the deforestation rate increased twice between 2004 and 2014.

However, Taylor mentioned that large-scale deforestation in Indonesia has decreased compared to the past. He says fewer forests are being destroyed because companies don’t want a bad reputation. NGOs, consumers, and governments have been promoting eco-friendly practices. For example, Indonesian President Joko Widodo implemented a three-year ban on new palm oil businesses in 2018. As a result, forest loss slowed from 2021 to 2022.

This material was based on an article by The Associated Press.

Discussion

Choose a topic and discuss the questions with your tutor.

Deforestation

  • What is the situation of the forests in your country (ex. deforestation is low)? Discuss.
  • Indonesian rainforests have been destroyed for the development of the country's main products. In your opinion, is this acceptable? Why or why not? Discuss.
  • What do you think is the solution to deforestation? Discuss.

Company’s Reputation

  • Companies in Indonesia stopped cutting down trees because they don’t want to have a bad reputation. Why do you think companies don’t want to have a bad reputation (ex. they don’t want to lose sales)? Discuss.
  • In your opinion, what gives a company a bad reputation (ex. treating their employees badly, not paying taxes)? Discuss.
  • What companies/organizations have a good reputation in your country? Discuss.