MAN AND NATURE

Task 1. Read these words paying attention to their pronunciation, find Russian equivalents and memorize in order to use them in your speech.

Natural resources and attractions:

minerals

(fresh) water-supplies (reservoirs)

flood

rainfalls

vegetation

greenery

wood-land(s)

forestry

wildlife

plant kingdom

animal kingdom (population)

flora and fauna

arable land (soil)

cultivated land

open land

"green" belts

recreation areas

coastal areas

country (national) parks

clear landscape

public open spaces

Environment and man:

to link man to nature

to adapt to environment

to be preoccupied with economic growth

unrestricted industrialization

the sprawl of large-built areas

industrial zoning

to upset the biological balance

to abuse nature

to dwindle natural resources

to disfigure (litter) the landscape

unpleasant/disastrous aftereffect

to cause long-term changes

ecology

ecosystem

to be environment-conscious

to be environment-educated

Environmental destruction and pollution:

to pollute/to contaminate

to emit pollutants

land pollution

derelict land

industrial wastes/effluent

by-products of massive industrialization

to dump waste materials on land

to drop/chuck litter

extensive use of agrochemicals

to spray crops with pesticides

the denudation of soil

the toxic fall-outs of materials

acid rain

water pollution

a dropping water level

to face the fresh water supply problem

depletion of water resources

the disruption of water cycle

sewage discharge

marine pollution

oil spillage

oil slick

leakage of toxic waste

air (atmospheric) pollution

the air pollution index

to produce foul air

to exhaust toxic gases (fuel)

exhaust fumes/emissions

to release pollutions into the atmosphere

fossil fuel

combustion of fuel

concentrations of smoke in the air

dust content in the air

to choke on the fumes

depletion of the ozone layer

radiation

high (low) radioactivity

radioactive contamination

to store (disperse) radioactive wastes

noise offenders (pollutants)

merciless killing of animals

destruction of animal habitats

to be on the edge of extinction

landfill

Nature conservation and environment protection:

a global imperative for environment

global environmental security

to be eco-friendly

to preserve/protect ecosystems

to create disaster-prevention programmes

without detriment/harm to environment

to harmonize industry and community, plants and people

sustainable use of natural resources

conservation movement

the environmental pressure group Greenpeace

to preserve woodlands

to protect and reproduce animal (fish, bird) reserves/preserves

to fight pollution

to install antipollution equipment

to use renewable/alternative energy

to minimize noise disturbance

to reduce pollution

to dispose garbage (litter, wastes) in designated areas

litter bin/garbage can

biodegradable

to recycle packaging (newspaper)

reclamation of scrap material

energy-efficient/energy-conserving

Task 2. Give English equivalents to the following words and word groups:

A. Запас пресной воды, зеленая зона, зона отдыха, нарушать биологическое равновесие, загрязнять природу, учитывающий необходимость охраны окружающей среды, живая природа, пахотная земля, истощать природные ресурсы, выбрасывать мусор, приспосабливаться к окружающей среде.

B. Среда обитания, вырабатывать загрязненный воздух, содержание пыли в воздухе, хранить радиоактивные отходы, загрязнение земли, промышленные сточные воды, разлив нефти, горение топлива, на грани вымирания, без ущерба для окружающей среды, опрыскивать посевы пестицидами, движение защитников окружающей среды, заповедник, отходы, энергосберегающий, истощение озонового слоя.

Task 3. Use your active vocabulary to:

A. give the synonyms:

garbage, to protect ecosystems, greenery, contamination, exhaustion of resources, protection movement, animal kingdom, country park, to decrease pollution, natural world, died out species, poisonous fall-outs, harm to environment, to drop litter, renewable energy, surroundings, industrial wastes, energy-conserving.

B. give the antonyms:

to store radioactive wastes, to destroy ecosystem, derelict land, plant kingdom, high radioactivity, to destroy animal reserves, to clean up environment, to increase, to collect garbage, to cut down woods, fossil fuel.

Task 4. Find the English equivalents to the following words and word combinations (pay attention to the text "The environment: problems and solutions").

1. выхлопные газы

2. таяние льда на полюсах

3. пробка, затор уличного движения

4. вырубать деревья

5. солнечная энергия

6. рак кожи

7. вымирание видов

8. увеличиваться

9. переработка отходов

10. кислотный дождь

11. вырубка леса

12. сухой, безводный

13. благоприятный для окружающей среды, экологически благоприятный

14. загрязнение

Task 4. Read the following text and be ready to observe environmental problems and solutions to them.

THE ENVIRONMENT: PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS

Historically our planet's remarkable regenerative capacity was able to cope with the environmental impact of hu­man activity. But this capacity is now stretched beyond its limit. There is a perceptible feeling in Eu­rope and further afield that many of the great environmental battles will be won or lost in the next ten years. If we do not act in the beginning of the 21^st cen­tury, it may be too late.

PROBLEMS

Pollution is damage to the air, sea, rivers or land caused by chemicals, waste and harmful gases. The biggest polluter today is the car. Exhaust fumes are the main cause of bad air quality, which can make people feel ill and have difficulty breathing. This prob­lem is especially bad in big cities where, on days when there is not much wind, a brown layer of smog hangs in the air. The number of cars is increasing every year and this causes serious congestion. Governments build new roads trying to improve the situation, but this means that they cut down trees and destroy more of the countryside.

Global warming and the ensuing climate changes that could transform temperate zones of the earth into arid deserts and flood low-lying regions as ice caps melt is one prospect of environmental degra­dation that faces mankind. It is caused by the release into the atmosphere of greenhouse gases, principally carbon di­oxide from the burning of fossil fuels. The gases go up into the Earth's at­mosphere and stop heat from leaving the Earth. As the heat cannot escape, the temperature on the Earth is run­ning up. Global warming may result in the melting of the ice at the Poles and rising of sea levels, leading to serious floodingand other disasters in many parts of the world. In other places the temperature will rise and there will be less rain, turning more of the land into desert.

Holes in the ozone layer. The ozone layer is a layer of gases that protects us from ultraviolet light coming from the sun, which can have a harmful effect on animals and humans. There may be a sharp rise in skin cancers as the protective ozone layer in the upper atmosphere is depleted by man-made chemicals.

Acid rain is a rain harmful to the environment because it contains acid from factory smoke. Acid rains cause damage to trees, rivers and buildings.

Species extinction is a natural fea­ture of the evolution of life on earth; the best-known example is the disap­pearance of the dinosaurs. In the last 400 years, however, human activities have been responsible for the loss of most of the animals and plants that have disappeared.

Deforestation is the term used to describe the disappearance of forests from large parts of the world's sur­face. Deforestation has been occurring steadily since the 20^th century.

Solutions

Alternative forms of transport. One of the main problems with cars is that they cause a lot of pollution and often carry only one person. Public transport is more environmentally friendly because buses and trains can carry large numbers of people at the same time. Even cleaner solutions are electric cars and bicycles.

Alternative energy sources such as wind, wave and solar power do not pollute the environment. They are much cleaner than oil and coal, but it's more difficult to get them regularly.

Recycling is another solution: in­stead of throwing away glass, paper, cans can be taken to special "banks" and recycled there.

Protesting. Many people try to pro­tect the environment by joining envi­ronmental groups that inform people about ecological problems and try to persuade governments to take more care of the environment, especially by organizing protests.

What environmental problems do these passages refer to?

1. Some experts predict that by 2090 the average temperature can be higher than today.

2. For some years scientists checked and rechecked their findings. By October 1984 the "hole" over Halley Bay showed a 30 per cent reduction in ozone.

3. The alarm was sounded in 1970 by the Scandinavian countries where acid rain has destroyed all life in many of their lakes.

4. Gone forever, for example, are seventeen species of bears, five of wolves and foxes, four of cats, five of horses and zebras and three of deer.

5. Around the world between 11 and 15 million hectares of tropical forest are lost every year, an area larger than Austria.

6. 25% of the world's electricity comes from dams and rivers.

7. At the moment most countries only turn between 5% and 10% of their rubbish into energy.

What are the causes of these environmental problems? Complete the chart with the information from the text and the phrases given below. Think over the problems and add more causes if it is possible.

poor air quality

emissions from factories

over fishing

destruction of natural habitats

illegal logging

acid rain

growth in the size and number of major cities

heavy traffic in cities

untreated waste

unsafe manufacturing processes

tourism in natural reserves

major accidents at sea

using wilderness areas for farming

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