S6 Writing Unit 1 Part B9

Learning English through Social Issues

You attended a wedding banquet last night and shark fin soup was among the dishes served to the guests. You looked up the issue online and saw the following information on the topic:

Millions of sharks are killed around the world each year for their fins. The process has been described as extremely cruel, and many scientists have pointed out the harm it can do to the ecosystems. Meanwhile, some Asian cultures are hesitant to ban shark fins completely, saying that traditional cuisines should be preserved.

​

• Write a blog entry about this experience.

• Express how you felt upon seeing the dish and whether or not

you think shark fins sales and consumption should be banned altogether.

• Give your blog entry an appropriate title.

​​Help stop shark finning

Last night I was at my cousin’s wedding banquet, and you won’t believe what was served – shark fin soup! Despite the recent media attention surrounding the inhumane practice of shark finning, most of the guests seemed blissfully unaware of the implications behind eating this soup. Some guests were even impressed that my cousin was able to provide them with such an expensive dish. I was very distressed by the situation and decided to look into the issue and bring it to the attention of a wider audience.

Multiple Choice

It saddens me when I think about the inhumane practice involved in shark finning, that is, cutting the fins off a shark and dumping it back into the water – alive. Because of the finning, a shark loses its mobility, sinking to the sea bed _____ it dies of suffocation or falls prey to other predators.

• where

• when

• what

• who

Multiple Choice

People also need to wake up to the fact that sharks and sea animals of the like are

an essential part of the marine ecosystems. Sitting at the top of the aquatic food

chains, they play a massive role in regulating the population sizes of other species. As the number of sharks continues to decline, the food web will become disrupted, and ultimately the whole ecosystem of our planet will be put ____ risk!

• by

• in

• on

• at

Multiple Choice

Fortunately, there have been many political and social efforts to stop shark finning.

Hawaii became the first Pacific island state to ban the sale, distribution or possession of shark fins. By making this ground-breaking decision, Hawaii is setting an excellent ______ for the rest of the world. Hopefully, in the near future,

other countries and regions will launch similar campaigns against this immoral

practice.

• example

• choice

• action

• decision

Multiple Choice

I hope after reading this you will say no to shark fin soup. With its severe impact on our environment, I believe it does not deserve to be a part of our well-respected culinary culture. Help support the fight against shark finning by refusing to eat at restaurants that serve the dish. If we stop consuming shark fins, the selling will stop, and so will the killing. Let’s be a role model and help spread the word (散佈消息), and we can work together to restore our precious marine ecosystem____ it’s too late!

• although

• before

• after

• because