Topic 9: Environmental protection

Read and translate the text:

The poisoning of the world's land, air and water is the fastest spreading disease of civilization. It probably produces fewer headlines than wars, earthquakes and floods, but it is potentially one of history's greatest dangers to human life on the earth. If present trends continue for the next several decades, our planet will become uninhabitable.

Overpopulation, pollution and energy consumption have created such planet-wide problems as massive deformation, ozone depletion, acid rains and global warming that is believed to be caused by the greenhouse effect.

The seas are in danger. They are filled with poison: industrial and nuclear waste, chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The Mediterranean is already nearly dead, the North Sea is following. The Aral Sea is on the brink of extinction. If nothing is done about it, one day nothing will be able to live in the seas.

Every ten minutes one kind of animal, plant or insect dies out for ever. If nothing is done about it, million species which are alive today will have become extinct twenty years from now.

Air pollution is a very serious problem. In Cairo just breathing the air is life threatening - equivalent to smoking two packs of cigarettes a day. The same holds true for Mexico City and 600 cities of the former Soviet Union.

Industrial enterprises emit tons of harmful substances. These emissions have disastrous consequences for our planet. They are the main reason for the greenhouse effect and acid rains.

An even greater environmental problem are not somebody else's. They join and support various international organizations and green parties. If governments wake up what is happening - perhaps we'll be able to avoid the disaster that threatens the world and all of us with it.

Answer the questions:

1. What is the fastest-spreading disease of civilization?

2. What planet-wide problems have overpopulation, pollution and energy consumption created?

3. What will happen to our planet if present trends continue?

4. What is happening to the seas and rivers?

5. The Aral Sea is on the brink of extinction. Do you think it's possible to save it?

6. Is air pollution a serious problem? Why?

7. What were the tragic consequences of the Chernobyl disaster?

8. Are nuclear power stations dangerous?

9. What is the main cause of the greenhouse effect and acid rains?

10. What do people of different countries do to save our planet?

Vocabulary:

environment окружающая среда

headline заголовок

earthquake землетрясение

flood наводнение

potentially потенциально

decade декада

uninhabitable непригодный для жилья

overpopulation перенаселение

consumption потребление

deforestation обезлесение

ozone depletion истощение озонового слоя

greenhouse effect парниковый эффект

industrial and nuclear waste промышленные и ядерные отходы

fertilizer удобрение

to poison отравлять

to spread (spread, spread) распространяться

disease болезнь

species вид, род

to die out вымирать

to become extinct угасать, вымирать

enterprise предприятие

to emit выбрасывать

emission выброс

harmful substances вредные вещества

disastrous чудовищный

disaster несчастье, беда

consequence последствие

threat угроза

nuclear power stations атомные электростанции

tragic трагический

to support поддерживать

to threaten угрожать

the Mediterranean Средиземное море

the North Sea Северное море

the Aral Sea Аральское море

trend тенденция

acid rains кислотные дожди

global warming глобальное потепление

Mexico City Мехико

Chernobyl Чернобыль

pesticide пестицид

on the brink of extinction на грани исчезновения

environmental protection защита окружающей среды

rubbish мусор

kitchen leftovers кухонные отходы

to pollute загрязнять

to be concerned about smth. беспокоиться о чем-то

to put trash into smth. сбрасывать мусор(во что-то)

the polluted water загрязненная вода

to get contaminated быть отравленным

air pollution загрязнение воздуха

to destroy the ozone layer разрушать озоновый слой

to die from acid rain погибать из-за кислотных дождей

to affect the balance of nature оказывать влияние на гармонию в природе

to protect from pollution защищать от загрязнения

Read the dialogue and act it out:

- And we have a scientist with us today to discuss various predictions about our weather in the future. Professor Stein, what do you think about the latest report about our climate?

- I think the predictions are, in general, very accurate.

- So you think temperature will rise in the future?

- Yes, in the next twenty-five years, they'll rise by two six degrees.

- And what will the consequences of that be?

- Well, the ice at the North and South poles will melt and the sea level will rise.

- Do you think whole countries will disappear?

- No, I don't. That won't happen for another hundred or more years.

- And will there be enough fresh water for everyone?

- Yes, there will. But it won't come from rainfall, which will decrease in general, but from the sea with the salt taken out.

- Will fresh water cost more?

- Yes, certainly. And this will mean that factory goods will cost more to produce.

- What effect will this have on the economy? Will it get worse?

- No, I don't think so. But we'll have to change our lifestyles in the future.

Список рекомендуемой литературы

Основная учебная литература

1. Полякова Т.Ю., Синявская Е.В., Тынкова О.И., Улановская Э.С. Английский язык для инженеров. М., 1998.

2. Пумпянский А.Л. Упражнения по переводу научной и технической литературы. М., 1998.

Дополнительная литература

3. Дроздова Е.В. Everyday English. “Химера”, 2000.

4. Murphy R. English Grammar in Use, Cambridge, 2000.

5. Англо-русский, русско-английский словарь, Oxford, New York, 1997.