📝 Unit 4: For A Better Tomorrow
Second conditional · 3 Rs · capitalisation · TV interview · public announcement · environment essay
Task 1 — Second conditional: For a Better Tomorrow (5 marks)
(5 marks)
Rewrite each sentence as a second conditional.
(1) Every household does not recycle. The garbage dumps are growing.
→ If every household ........... , the garbage dumps ........... .
(2) We use too many polythene bags. Our canals are blocked.
→ If we ........... , our canals ........... .
(3) The government does not ban single-use plastics. The problem is not solved.
→ If the government ........... , the problem ........... .
(4) People burn rubber. The air is polluted.
→ If people ........... , the air ........... .
(5) We plant trees. The climate cools.
→ If we ........... , the climate ........... .
(1) Every household does not recycle. The garbage dumps are growing.
→ If every household ........... , the garbage dumps ........... .
(2) We use too many polythene bags. Our canals are blocked.
→ If we ........... , our canals ........... .
(3) The government does not ban single-use plastics. The problem is not solved.
→ If the government ........... , the problem ........... .
(4) People burn rubber. The air is polluted.
→ If people ........... , the air ........... .
(5) We plant trees. The climate cools.
→ If we ........... , the climate ........... .
(1) ... recycled ... would shrink.
(2) ... used fewer polythene bags, our canals would not be blocked.
(3) ... banned single-use plastics, the problem would be solved.
(4) ... did not burn rubber, the air would not be polluted.
(5) ... planted trees, the climate would cool.
5 marks.
(2) ... used fewer polythene bags, our canals would not be blocked.
(3) ... banned single-use plastics, the problem would be solved.
(4) ... did not burn rubber, the air would not be polluted.
(5) ... planted trees, the climate would cool.
5 marks.
Task 2 — Capitalisation (5 marks)
(5 marks)
Rewrite each sentence inserting capital letters where they are needed.
(1) scientists have not yet found out if mars holds favourable climatic
conditions to support life on it.
(2) the municipal council takes our garbage to recycling centres every
saturday.
(3) the river nile originates in east africa, flows through many countries
including ethiopia and egypt, and empties its water into the mediterranean sea.
(4) every year in july and in august my friends udaya, rishan and i go to
panadura beach to fly kites.
(5) the chinese believe that looking up at a kite improves your eyesight.
(1) scientists have not yet found out if mars holds favourable climatic
conditions to support life on it.
(2) the municipal council takes our garbage to recycling centres every
saturday.
(3) the river nile originates in east africa, flows through many countries
including ethiopia and egypt, and empties its water into the mediterranean sea.
(4) every year in july and in august my friends udaya, rishan and i go to
panadura beach to fly kites.
(5) the chinese believe that looking up at a kite improves your eyesight.
(1) Scientists have not yet found out if Mars holds favourable climatic conditions to support life on it.
(2) The Municipal Council takes our garbage to recycling centres every Saturday.
(3) The River Nile originates in East Africa, flows through many countries including Ethiopia and Egypt, and empties its water into the Mediterranean Sea.
(4) Every year in July and in August my friends Udaya, Rishan and I go to Panadura beach to fly kites.
(5) The Chinese believe that looking up at a kite improves your eyesight.
5 marks.
(2) The Municipal Council takes our garbage to recycling centres every Saturday.
(3) The River Nile originates in East Africa, flows through many countries including Ethiopia and Egypt, and empties its water into the Mediterranean Sea.
(4) Every year in July and in August my friends Udaya, Rishan and I go to Panadura beach to fly kites.
(5) The Chinese believe that looking up at a kite improves your eyesight.
5 marks.
Task 3 — Synonyms: Garbage / Polythene passage (5 marks)
(5 marks)
Replace each underlined phrase with ONE word from the box.
Box: chokes · considerable · accumulate · mistaken · reachable · perishable
(1) Roadside dumps contain a LARGE amount of plastic waste.
(2) Polythene CAN BE GATHERED little by little in drains for years.
(3) Vegetable peels are EASY TO DECAY, but plastic is not.
(4) Plastic is often TAKEN BY MISTAKE for food by birds.
(5) Plastic in sewer pipes BLOCKS AND TROUBLES the flow of water.
Box: chokes · considerable · accumulate · mistaken · reachable · perishable
(1) Roadside dumps contain a LARGE amount of plastic waste.
(2) Polythene CAN BE GATHERED little by little in drains for years.
(3) Vegetable peels are EASY TO DECAY, but plastic is not.
(4) Plastic is often TAKEN BY MISTAKE for food by birds.
(5) Plastic in sewer pipes BLOCKS AND TROUBLES the flow of water.
(1) considerable
(2) accumulate
(3) perishable
(4) mistaken
(5) chokes
5 marks.
(2) accumulate
(3) perishable
(4) mistaken
(5) chokes
5 marks.
Task 4 — Comprehension: Polythene interview (5 marks)
(5 marks)
Read the interview excerpt (above) and answer the questions.
(1) What is the name of the TV programme?
(2) What is today's topic?
(3) Who is Mr. Weerasinghe?
(4) Write the sentence that explains why polythene is a problem.
(5) Underline the correct answer. Most types of polythene .........
(a) decay within a few weeks.
(b) do not decay at all.
(c) decay only in salt water.
(1) What is the name of the TV programme?
(2) What is today's topic?
(3) Who is Mr. Weerasinghe?
(4) Write the sentence that explains why polythene is a problem.
(5) Underline the correct answer. Most types of polythene .........
(a) decay within a few weeks.
(b) do not decay at all.
(c) decay only in salt water.
(1) For a Better Tomorrow.
(2) Polythene and the Environment.
(3) One of the eminent environmentalists in the country.
(4) "The biggest problem is that most types of polythene don't decay."
(5) (b) do not decay at all.
5 marks.
(2) Polythene and the Environment.
(3) One of the eminent environmentalists in the country.
(4) "The biggest problem is that most types of polythene don't decay."
(5) (b) do not decay at all.
5 marks.
Task 5 — Notice / public announcement (40–60 words)
(5 marks)
Write a public announcement about a scheduled water cut in your
area on Saturday, 12th March 2027. Use 40–60 words.
Include:
• area
• date and time
• affected zones
• reason
• apology line.
area on Saturday, 12th March 2027. Use 40–60 words.
Include:
• area
• date and time
• affected zones
• reason
• apology line.
PUBLIC NOTICE
The National Water Supply and Drainage Board wishes to inform residents of
Maharagama that the water supply to Maharagama South and Borella Road will
be interrupted on Saturday, 12th March 2027 from 8.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. The
interruption is necessary for urgent pipe repairs. The Board apologises for
the inconvenience.
— Area Engineer, NWSDB.
58 words. 5 marks.
The National Water Supply and Drainage Board wishes to inform residents of
Maharagama that the water supply to Maharagama South and Borella Road will
be interrupted on Saturday, 12th March 2027 from 8.00 a.m. to 4.00 p.m. The
interruption is necessary for urgent pipe repairs. The Board apologises for
the inconvenience.
— Area Engineer, NWSDB.
58 words. 5 marks.
Task 6 — Short paragraph (50–60 words)
(5 marks)
Write a paragraph on ONE of the following. Use about 50–60 words.
(a) Why I refuse a polythene bag at the kade
(b) My family's recycling habits
(c) Three small steps for a better tomorrow
(a) Why I refuse a polythene bag at the kade
(b) My family's recycling habits
(c) Three small steps for a better tomorrow
MODEL — Three small steps for a better tomorrow (60 words)
Firstly, I carry a cloth bag to the shop and refuse the polythene one even
when it is offered for free. Secondly, our family washes and reuses every
glass bottle for water. Thirdly, on Sundays we sort the week's rubbish into
three bins — paper, plastic, kitchen — and the municipal van takes them
separately. Small steps. Real change.
5 marks.
Firstly, I carry a cloth bag to the shop and refuse the polythene one even
when it is offered for free. Secondly, our family washes and reuses every
glass bottle for water. Thirdly, on Sundays we sort the week's rubbish into
three bins — paper, plastic, kitchen — and the municipal van takes them
separately. Small steps. Real change.
5 marks.
Task 7 — Letter / data description (~100 words, 10 marks)
(10 marks)
Answer (a) OR (b). Use about 100 words.
(a) Write a letter to the editor of the Daily News on the polythene problem
in Sri Lanka. Suggest two solutions.
(b) The pie chart below shows the composition of household garbage in a
typical Sri Lankan home. Write a description.
Pie values: Food waste 45% · Plastic 25% · Paper 15% · Glass 10% · Metal 5%.
(a) Write a letter to the editor of the Daily News on the polythene problem
in Sri Lanka. Suggest two solutions.
(b) The pie chart below shows the composition of household garbage in a
typical Sri Lankan home. Write a description.
Pie values: Food waste 45% · Plastic 25% · Paper 15% · Glass 10% · Metal 5%.
(b) MODEL — Pie-chart description (105 words)
The pie chart shows the composition of household garbage in a typical Sri
Lankan home. Food waste takes the largest share at 45% — nearly half of
all household rubbish. Plastic comes a distant second at 25%, well above
the 15% taken up by paper. Glass accounts for 10%, while metal — the
smallest portion — makes up just 5%.
In summary, almost half of household garbage is compostable. If every house
started composting tomorrow, the volume going to landfill would shrink by
nearly half overnight. Recycling efforts must now target food waste as much
as plastic.
10 marks.
The pie chart shows the composition of household garbage in a typical Sri
Lankan home. Food waste takes the largest share at 45% — nearly half of
all household rubbish. Plastic comes a distant second at 25%, well above
the 15% taken up by paper. Glass accounts for 10%, while metal — the
smallest portion — makes up just 5%.
In summary, almost half of household garbage is compostable. If every house
started composting tomorrow, the volume going to landfill would shrink by
nearly half overnight. Recycling efforts must now target food waste as much
as plastic.
10 marks.
Task 8 — Article / speech (~200 words, 15 marks)
(15 marks)
Write on ONE of the following. Use about 200 words.
(a) An article: 'Let's Protect Our Environment'.
(b) A speech on 'The Effects of Using Polythene'.
(c) An essay on 'It is possible to achieve development without harming the environment'.
(a) An article: 'Let's Protect Our Environment'.
(b) A speech on 'The Effects of Using Polythene'.
(c) An essay on 'It is possible to achieve development without harming the environment'.
(b) MODEL — Speech on the Effects of Using Polythene (210 words)
Good morning, teachers and friends.
If you walk down any Sri Lankan town today, you will see polythene almost
everywhere — wrapping the chicken in the butcher's, carrying mother's
vegetables, even floating in the Kelani river. We use it because it is
cheap, light and waterproof. But that same cheapness is destroying our
island.
A single polythene bag takes between 500 and 1000 years to break down. In
that time, it does not disappear — it splits into tiny plastic pieces that
fish swallow, that block our drains and cause floods, and that release
poisonous gases when burnt. Last year a wild elephant in Habarana died with
eight kilograms of polythene in its stomach. That is one statistic; there
are thousands more.
What can we do? Three simple steps. First, refuse a polythene bag at every
shop — carry a cloth bag in your school bag. Second, refuse 'lunch sheets'
in tuition; ask the shop to wrap food in banana leaf or paper. Third, talk
about it: at home, at the temple, at the cricket match. Change spreads
faster than we think.
Our grandparents lived perfectly well without polythene. So can we.
Thank you.
15 marks.
Good morning, teachers and friends.
If you walk down any Sri Lankan town today, you will see polythene almost
everywhere — wrapping the chicken in the butcher's, carrying mother's
vegetables, even floating in the Kelani river. We use it because it is
cheap, light and waterproof. But that same cheapness is destroying our
island.
A single polythene bag takes between 500 and 1000 years to break down. In
that time, it does not disappear — it splits into tiny plastic pieces that
fish swallow, that block our drains and cause floods, and that release
poisonous gases when burnt. Last year a wild elephant in Habarana died with
eight kilograms of polythene in its stomach. That is one statistic; there
are thousands more.
What can we do? Three simple steps. First, refuse a polythene bag at every
shop — carry a cloth bag in your school bag. Second, refuse 'lunch sheets'
in tuition; ask the shop to wrap food in banana leaf or paper. Third, talk
about it: at home, at the temple, at the cricket match. Change spreads
faster than we think.
Our grandparents lived perfectly well without polythene. So can we.
Thank you.
15 marks.