Was Genghis Khan An Eco-Warrior?

Transcription

1 SPEAKING FLUENCY #257 Here are the questions with answers. Pause the recording and speak out loud. You don t have to be perfect. Just speak quickly and have fun. Remember, if you want to improve your speaking, you have to speak a lot. d e e p e n g l i s h

2 Genghis Khan was the most feared invader in history. Was Genghis Khan the most loved invader in history? No, Genghis Khan wasn t the most loved invader in history. He was the most feared invader in history. His Mongol armies killed over 40 million people and wiped out entire civilizations. Did his Chinese armies kill over 4 million people? No, his Chinese armies didn t kill over 4 million people. His Mongol armies killed over 40 million people. What did his Mongol armies do to entire civilizations? His Mongol armies wiped out entire civilizations. Yet, the Guardian newspaper says the bloodthirsty ruler was good for planet Earth. What newspaper printed the article? The Guardian newspaper printed the article. Did the Guardian newspaper say that Genghis Khan was a gentle ruler? No, the Guardian newspaper didn t say that he was a gentle ruler. The Guardian newspaper said that he was a bloodthirsty ruler. Did the article say he was good for planet Earth? Yes, the article said that he was good for planet Earth. The Mongol invasion lasted a century and a half and it created an empire, which covered a quarter of the globe. How long did the Mongol invasion last? The Mongol invasion lasted a century and a half. What did the invasion create? The invasion created an empire. Did the empire cover half the globe? No, the empire didn t cover half the globe. The empire covered a quarter of the globe. During the 13th century, Genghis attacked many populated areas. During what century did Genghis attack? He attacked during the 13th century. What areas did he attack? He attacked populated areas. While Genghis left a lot of dead bodies, he didn t leave a carbon footprint. In fact, he did the opposite. What did Genghis leave a lot of? He left a lot of dead bodies. Did he leave a carbon footprint? No, he didn t leave a carbon footprint. What did he do the opposite of? He did the opposite of leaving a carbon footprint. Deep English,

3 Trees once again grew on the land that was once occupied by the people he killed. What grew again? The trees grew again. Where did the trees grow? The trees grew on the land that was once occupied by the people he killed. The trees became forests. The forests became huge. The trees absorbed carbon dioxide. The environment became greener. What did the trees become? The trees became forests. What did the trees absorb? The trees absorbed carbon dioxide. What happened to the environment? The environment became greener. According to one study, Genghis removed over 700 million tons of carbon from the atmosphere, which is the same amount of carbon generated on the world s roads every year. Did Genghis remove over 70 million tons of oxygen from the ocean? No, he didn t remove 70 million tons of oxygen from the ocean. He removed 70 million tons of carbon from the atmosphere. What is generated every year? The same amount of carbon is generated every year on the world s roads. Researcher Julia Pongratz explained that man-made climate change began long before the industrial era. Who explained man-made climate change? A researcher named Julia Pongratz explained man-made climate change. When did she say that manmade climate change began? She explained that man-made climate change began long before the industrial era. Deep English,

4 She said, "Humans started to influence the environment thousands of years ago. What did Julia Pontgratz say that humans influenced thousands of years ago? She said that humans influenced the environment thousands of years ago. We changed the Earth's landscapes when we cleared forests for agriculture. How did humans change the Earth s landscapes? Humans changed the Earth s landscapes when we cleared the forests. Why did humans clear the forests? They cleared the forests for agriculture. Genghis Khan s environmental impact is comparable to other historical events such as the Black Death in Europe, the fall of China s Ming Dynasty and the conquest of the Americas. Were there other historical events comparable to Genghis Khan s environmental impact? Yes, there were other historical events that were comparable. All these events led to massive depopulation and an increase in forests, but none compared with the huge decrease in carbon during the period of the Mongol Empire. Did the historical events lead to a massive increase in population and a decrease in forests? No, the historical events didn t lead to a massive increase in population and a decrease in forests. The events led to a massive depopulation and an increase in forests. Was the decrease in carbon during the Mongol Empire huge? Yes, the decrease of carbon during the Mongol Empire was huge. Environmentalists argue Genghis is the only historical figure responsible for manmade global cooling. What do environmentalists in the article argue? The environmentalists in the article argue that Genghis is the only historical figure responsible for man-made global cooling. You could say the great invader was an unwitting agent of nature. Was Genghis Khan called the great invader? Yes, Genghis Khan was called the great invader. Was the great invader an unwitting agent of nature? Yes, the great invader was an unwitting agent of nature. Deep English,

5 The Mongol invasion only decreased global carbon dioxide by a fraction. Yet it is still the most significant reduction recorded in history. Did the Mongol invasion decrease global carbon dioxide a lot? No, the Mongol invasion didn t decrease global carbon dioxide a lot. The Mongol invasion decreased global carbon dioxide only by a fraction. Was the historical reduction significant? Yes, it was the most significant reduction recorded in history. The irony is, there was no significant environmental damage caused by carbon in Genghis s time. Was there any significant environmental damage caused by carbon in Genghis time? No, there wasn t any significant environmental damage caused by carbon in Genghis time. It may sound callous to say every cloud has a silver lining, but there were unintended benefits to depopulation. Does it sound callous to say every cloud has a silver lining in this situation? Yes, it does sound callous to say every cloud has a silver lining in this situation. The needs of man and the needs of nature are not always the same thing. A balance must be found if we are to live in harmony Are the needs of people and the needs of nature always the same? No, the needs of people and the needs of nature aren t always the same. What needs to be found so that humans and nature can live in harmony? A balance needs to be found so that humans and nature can live in harmony. Photos / Credits: Photo #1 (cover) by Fe Ilya: Deep English,