Englisch · 2021 · C4 Vocabulary - Grammar

Complete the text by using suitable forms of the words. Write them down.

Scientists warn: Insects will disappear

Global warming is not the only serious ____ to humans. Another one is the falling numbers of insects and the many species ____ have already died out. Scientists say that half of all insects worldwide ____ since the 1970s. A new warning is that over 40 per cent of insect species could die out in our lifetime. One researcher said the number of insects was decreasing by 2.5 per cent every year. Many species of ____ bees and other insects are now extinct. This can trigger a catastrophic collapse of the ____ ecosystems.

Professor Dave Goulson said a lot of insects ____ by pesticides used for farming and gardening. He said lower numbers of insects might mean we would not have enough ____ for people. He told reporters: “Three-quarters of our crops depend ____ the help of insects. Crops will begin to fail. If this happens, we ____ things like strawberries any longer. One of the most worrying trends is the decline of honeybees. In the USA, the number of honeybee colonies ____ from six million in 1947 to just 2.5 million in 2014.” Professor Goulson warned: “We can’t wait another 25 years before we do anything because it will be too late.”

Choose from the following words or expressions and use suitable forms:

• a) to threaten

• b) ?

• c) to disappear

• d) butterfly

• e) Earths / Earth’s / Earths’

• f) to kill

• g) feed

• h) from / on / of

• i) not have

• j) to drop

Source: Sean Banville: Breaking News English – Lesson: Insect Apocalypse, https://breakingnewsenglish.com/1911/191117-insect-apocalypse.html