EFL Movie Study Guide for:
Lost Worlds--Life in the Balance
from www.krigline.com www.krigline.com.cn
Story: Will wild
animals someday freely roam through today’s great cities, as they do
through the deserted ruins of ancient Tikal? What can we learn from the
mistakes of these once-great civilizations? This documentary takes you to
places that will surprise you with their beauty and complexity, from the
mysterious mountains of Venezuela to the water system under your feet.
Because of earth’s biological diversity, when we protect nature, we
protect ourselves. (Documentary, narrated by Harrison Ford; 40 minutes;
Imax; 2006)
Warning: some students
are squeamish about the bugs, but it has lots of beautiful scenery
A few terms
(vocabulary):
*abandoned:
to leave a place without intending to return (often because of safety)
*bellwether:
something that indicates future development or trends, like the “lead
sheep” (with a bell around its neck) shows the way that all of the sheep
that follow it will go
*(biological)
diversity: the variety of interconnecting life that keeps things
healthy
carnivorous plants: plants that “eat meat” (i.e., that live
by killing animals, instead of by gaining nutrition from the soil)
deforestation: to clear forests; i.e., to cut down too many
trees
*dense:
tightly packed or close together; concentrated; not sparse (“Compared to
the countryside, the city is densely populated.”)
dusk: the period after day but before night
ecosystem: interdependent creatures and the environment
they inhabit and depend on
faucet: the thing that water comes from in your bathroom
(also called a tap)
habitat: the natural conditions and environment in which a
plant or animal lives
inhabitants: those who live in a certain place.
jaguar: a large cat (like a leopard), mainly found in the
forests of the Americas
kelp: a type of large seaweed, that supports a wide range
of living things
*metropolis:
big city. “Beijing is a densely populated metropolis”
*nursery:
pre-kindergarten school; a place that helps small children/plants/animals
to grow and develop properly (“Kelp is a nursery for
spawning fish.”)
okay: OK, all right
*to pollute:
to make the environment dirty by dumping waste or smoke into rivers,
lakes, or the air
*shallow: not
deep, often referring to water or thinking
*resourceful:
able to use whatever is available, often in un-normal ways, to achieve a
goal (“The soil is very poor, so plants and animals must be resourceful
to get the nutrition they need.”)
restoration: the process of restoring something or
“bringing sth back” that was damaged
to reweave: to weave again; to reconnect complex things,
like the way someone makes cloth or clothes by hand
species: a biology term for organisms that are very similar
and that can be bred (put together) to produce plant/animal “children”
(“Many species are being driven to extinction.”)
watershed (of a river): the land area that drains into a
particular lake, river or ocean
phrases and proper nouns
to be “master” of sth: to be the boss; to be in charge of
things
to tip the balance of life: to do sth that gives one form
of life an unfair or unnatural advantage
the Table Mountains (Roraima): the unique mtns shown in
this film; the indian name is “tepuis”
Venezuela: a country in northern South America where you’ll
find the Table Mountains;
委内瑞拉
Discussion Questions (mostly taken
from the documentary; be sure you understand the underlined words)
1.
What keeps all cities and
civilizations alive, then and now? In modern cities, it is easy to take a
lot of things for granted. Give examples.
*2.
All ecosystems have a balance that keeps it living. What causes the
balance to change? What happens when natural biological diversity is
interrupted? Give examples from the film or from your own
knowledge/experience.
3.
According to the film, long
ago 1/3 of all land was covered with pristine (unspoiled) forests,
full of life. China’s forests (and those of the Mediterranean) were
the first to be cut. Why? Why did the speed of deforestation
increase in the Industrial Revolution?
4.
In the last 50 years, we’ve
cleared more forests than in all our previous history. Less than half of
the original forests are left. Why? So what (why is this important to us)?
*5.
“When
we protect nature, we protect ourselves.” How is this true? Give examples.
Why should we care about tiny frogs or other odd creatures? Why do you
think this expensive documentary was created?
6.
What happened to the “Lost
Civilization” of Tikal? Why did such an advanced city disappear? See quote
1. In what ways are we masters, and in what ways are we utterly dependent
upon nature?
7.
To what extent does modern
technology allow us to “tip the balance” of nature without serious
consequences? How is technology an asset and how it is a
liability to civilization? If Tikal had our technology, might it still
exist? Explain your answer.
8.
People love to see places
like Roraima, but when they do they create trash and damage the
environment. Tourism is a great business. Why? In what ways is
tourism a good thing or a bad thing? Give details.
*9.
How do we balance tourism and environmental protection? In places like
Venezuela, the government does not have the money or personnel to “police”
distant areas like Roraima. In China, this could be said for a lot of
places. Who is responsible to protect the environment?
10.
It is always cheaper for a
business to pollute than for it to care about the environment. In
our day, it is cheaper to throw many things away and then buy new ones
(e.g., plastic bottles), than it is to fix or reuse them. What
implications does this film have concerning the development of China, from
a business perspective?
Quotes from the film:
1.
“In the cities we think we
are the masters of our lives, but everything comes from nature.”
2.
“Roraima is a biological
island, lost in time, eroded by eons of wind and rain.”
3.
“Maybe our work will help us
understand our world and the world we have to lose.”
4.
Harvard University Professor
Edward O Wilson: “What could be more inspiring than to begin the age of
restoration, reweaving the wondrous diversity of life
that still surrounds us?”
