Text 17 Ecological problems

Since ancient times Nature has served Man, being the source of his life. For thousands of years people lived in harmony with the environment and it seemed to them that natural riches were unlimited. But with the development of civilization man's interference in nature began to in­crease.

Large cities with thousands of smoky industrial enter­prises have appeared all over the world today. The by­products of their activity pollute the air we breathe, the water we drink, the land we grow grain and vegetables. Every year world industry pollutes the atmosphere with about 1000 million tons of dust and harmful substances. Many cities suffer from smog. Vast forests are cut and burn in fire. Their disappearance upsets the oxygen bal­ance. As a result some rare species of animals, birds, fish and plants disappear forever, a number of rivers and lakes dry up.

The pollution of air and the world's ocean, destruction of the ozone layer is the result of man's careless interac­tion with nature, a sign of ecological crises.

As a result of the Chernobyl tragedy the Belarusian people faced the most horrible ecological disaster. About 18 per cent of the territory of Belarus was contaminated with radioactive substances. A great damage has been done to the republic's agriculture, forests and people's health. The consequences of the atomic power station ex­plosion are tragic for the Belarusian nation. Only a small per cent of Belarusian land remains uncontaminated. To­day we have a great increase in children cancer and leu­kaemia. New spots of radioactive contamination are being discovered every year.

Not only Chernobyl but many of our "peaceful" facto­ries and towns cause a great damage to the environment. Dangerous dust and blow-outs of the enterprises are being carried out by winds for long distances destroying the life around.

People all over the world are worried about what is happening to the environment. They understand that the Earth is their common home, a big green home. The environmental protection should be our universal concern. Se­rious joint measures to create a system of ecological secu­rity should be taken.

Some progress has been already made in this direction. As many as 159 countries — members of the UNO - have set up environmental protection agencies. Numerous con­ferences have been held to discuss questions of ecologi­cally poor regions including the Aral Sea, the South Urals, Kuzbass, Donbass, Semipalatinsk and Chernobyl. An in­ternational environmental research centre has been set up on Lake Baikal. The international organization Greenpeace is also doing much to preserve the environment.

But these are only the initial steps that must be carried forward to protect nature, to save life on the planet not only for the sake of the present but also for the future generations.

Vocabulary:

nature, n природа

source, n источник

environment, n окружающая среда

interference, n вмешательство

interaction, n взаимодействие

increase, v возрастать

by-product, n побочный продукт

power-station, n электростанция

contaminate, v загрязнять

cause damage причинять вред

pollute, v загрязнять

breathe, v дышать

harmful, a вредный

careless, a небрежный

substance, n вещество

upset, v нарушать

oxygen, n кислород

prevent, v предотвращать

dry up, v высыхать

rare, a редкий

animal, n животное

destruction, n разрушение

disaster, n несчастье, беда

damage, n вред

consequence, n последствие

explosion, n взрыв

protection, n защита, охрана

concern, n забота

security, n безопасность

research centre научно-иссле­довательский центр

save, v спасать

measure, n мера

to take mea­sures принимать меры

to take care (of) заботиться

Exercises:

I. Answer the questions.

1. Is nature the source of people's life?

2. For thousands of years people lived in harmony with nature, didn't they?

3. Has man's interference in nature increased with the development of civilization? What has it led to?

4. Why did some species of animals, birds, plants disappear from the Earth?

5. What is the result of man's careless interaction with nature?

6. What do you know about the Chernobyl ecological disaster?

7. What are the consequences of this tragedy?

8. Environmental protection is a universal concern of everyone, isn't it?

9. Has anything been done to solve ecological problems?

10. Is international cooperation necessary to create a system of ecological security? Why do you think so?

II. Translate the text and answer the questions.

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