Understand common environmental problems and proposed solutions.
Explain cause and effect and compare practical protection measures.
Write a short environmental suggestion or opinion paragraph.
LEARN IN CONTEXT
Read and listen across several real contexts
This lesson uses the number and type of texts that fit the topic. Learn the same language across different situations instead of forcing everything into one dialogue.
Core textExplainer
环保行动为什么要具体？
Why this text is here: Explain environmental action through specific problem, action and effect instead of slogans.
‘Bǎohù huánjì’ shì yí ge hěn dà de mùbiāo, dàn zhēnzhèng xíngdòng shí xūyào xiān zhǎodào jùtǐ wèntí. Lìrú, yí ge shèqū rúguǒ fāxiàn gōnggòng qūyù lājī hěn duō, jiù kěyǐ xiān guānchá lājī zhǔyào láizì nǎli, fēnlèi shèshī shìfǒu fāngbiàn, zài juédìng gǎi shénme.
“保护环境”是一个很大的目标，但真正行动时需要先找到具体问题。例如，一个社区如果发现公共区域垃圾很多，就可以先观察垃圾主要来自哪里、分类设施是否方便，再决定改什么。'Protect the environment' is a broad goal, but action starts with a specific problem. If a community finds a lot of litter in public areas, it can first observe where it comes from and whether sorting facilities are convenient before deciding what to change.
个人行动也一样。节约水电、减少不必要的一次性用品、按当地规定分类垃圾，都是可以长期坚持的具体做法。不同地方的设施和规定可能不同，所以环保建议也应该结合实际条件。Individual action is similar. Saving water and electricity, reducing unnecessary disposable products, and sorting waste according to local rules are concrete habits that can be sustained. Facilities and rules vary by location, so environmental advice should fit actual conditions.
Practical textNotice
社区旧衣回收活动
Why this text is here: Read one concrete community environmental activity with clear scope and conditions.
旧衣回收周末活动
时间
Běn Zhōuliù shàngwǔ jiǔ diǎn dào shí'èr diǎn.
本周六上午九点到十二点。This Saturday, 9 a.m.–12 p.m.
地点
Shèqū fúwù zhōngxīn ménkǒu.
社区服务中心门口。Entrance to the community service center.
接收干净、可以再次使用的衣服；严重破损或潮湿物品不在本次接收范围内。Clean reusable clothing is accepted; badly damaged or wet items are not part of this collection.
Support textStory
办公室少用了多少一次性杯子？
Why this text is here: Show a small environmental change as an observed workplace process, without turning one example into a universal impact claim.
Yì jiā xiǎo bàngōngshì yǐqián kāihuì shí zǒng zhǔnbèi yí cìxìng zhǐbēi. Hòulái yuángōng tíchū, měi ge rén kěyǐ bǎ zìjǐ de bēizi fàng zài bàngōngshì, fǎngkè xūyào shí zài shǐyòng zhǐbēi.
一家小办公室以前开会时总准备一次性纸杯。后来员工提出，每个人可以把自己的杯子放在办公室，访客需要时再使用纸杯。A small office used to prepare disposable paper cups for every meeting. Later employees suggested keeping personal cups in the office and using paper cups only when visitors needed them.
Yí ge yuè yǐhòu, fùzé cǎigòu de tóngshì fāxiàn zhǐbēi gòumǎi cìshù míngxiǎn jiǎnshǎo. Zhège biànhuà bù néng jiějué suǒyǒu huánjìng wèntí, dàn duì zhè jiān bàngōngshì lái shuō, tā shì yí ge jiǎndān, róngyì chángqī jiānchí de gǎijìn.
一个月以后，负责采购的同事发现纸杯购买次数明显减少。这个变化不能解决所有环境问题，但对这间办公室来说，它是一个简单、容易长期坚持的改进。One month later, the colleague responsible for purchasing noticed that paper-cup purchases had clearly decreased. This change cannot solve every environmental problem, but for this office it was a simple improvement that was easy to sustain.
Support textInterview
陈雨采访社区回收点
Why this text is here: Connect environmental language to a bounded fictional field interview and evidence-aware reporting.
陈雨
Zhè ge huíshōudiǎn kāi le sān ge yuè yǐhòu, nǐmen fāxiàn zuì dà de biànhuà shì shénme?
这个回收点开了三个月以后，你们发现最大的变化是什么？After this recycling point had been open for three months, what was the biggest change you noticed?
愿意分类的人比刚开始多了，不过还有一些居民不清楚不同物品应该放在哪里。More people are willing to sort items than at the beginning, but some residents still do not know where different items should go.
陈雨
Nà wǒ zài bàodào lǐ huì bǎ jùtǐ zuòfǎ xiě qīngchu, yě huì shuōmíng zhèxiē zhǐ shì zhè ge shèqū sān ge yuè de qíngkuàng, bù néng dàibiǎo suǒyǒu dìfang.
那我在报道里会把具体做法写清楚，也会说明这些只是这个社区三个月的情况，不能代表所有地方。Then in my report I will explain the specific practices clearly and also state that this is only three months of experience in this community, not something that represents every place.
Learn the words this communication task needs first. Use the Level Vocabulary page to review the complete official inventory instead of treating every assigned reference word as a Course focus card.
01wūrǎn污染
(lit. and fig.) to pollute; to contaminate
02lājī垃圾
trash; refuse; garbage
03bǎohù保护
to protect; to defend; to safeguard
04kōngqì空气
air; atmosphere
05jiéyuē节约
to economize; to conserve (resources); economy
06jiǎnshǎo减少
to lessen; to decrease; to reduce; to lower
07zérèn责任
responsibility; duty; liability
08gōnggòng公共
public; common; communal
Vocabulary in context
These short sentences and mini-scenes make additional lesson words usable instead of leaving them as isolated cards.
环境问题不是只有政府才需要负责，个人和企业也有减少浪费的责任。Environmental problems are not solely the government's responsibility; individuals and businesses also have a duty to reduce waste.
Study the grammar point, then replace the example information with details from your own situation.
Causal clauses: 既然…就… / 由于…因此…
既然 + known cause, 就 + response
Use 既然 when the cause or premise is accepted and the second clause gives a logical response.
Jìrán dàjiā dōu zhīdào sùliào lājī de wèntí, jiù yīnggāi jiǎnshǎo bù bìyào de shǐyòng.既然大家都知道塑料垃圾的问题，就应该减少不必要的使用。Since everyone knows the problem with plastic waste, unnecessary use should be reduced.
Concessive contrast with 尽管 / 然而 / 不过
尽管 A, 但是 B
Use concessive contrast to acknowledge a real difficulty before presenting a different result or judgment.
Jǐnguǎn lājī fēnlèi xūyào shíjiān, dànshì chángqī lái kàn néng jiǎnshǎo zīyuán làngfèi.尽管垃圾分类需要时间，但是长期来看能减少资源浪费。Although waste sorting takes time, in the long run it can reduce resource waste.
Step 6 · Guided practice
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Submit the quiz to unlock lesson completion.
Step 7 · Communication task
Propose an environmental improvement
Your community, school or workplace has an environmental problem. Explain causes and effects and propose realistic measures.
Your task
Identify one specific environmental problem.
Explain at least one cause and one effect.
Acknowledge one difficulty with 尽管…但是… or 不过.
Use 既然…就… to justify one action.
Write at least 90 non-space characters to continue
Self-check rubric
At least three lesson words are used accurately.
At least one lesson grammar point is complete.
The response completes the communication target.
The Chinese can be read aloud without relying on English.
Step 8 · Review
Complete the mastery check
A lesson is complete only after the quiz, communication task and self-review requirements are met.