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Practise the topical vocabulary in answers to the following questions:

Why do you think the problem of environmental protection has come into the focus of public attention recently?

Why were people not concerned with environmental problems in the 19th century?

Why is clean and safe environment vital for humanity?

What are the main environmental problems humanity faces today?

What caused these problems?

What are the negative consequences of uncontrolled human activity?

What do you know about ozone holes, acid rains, “greenhouse” effect, deforestation? Why do these problems worry mankind today? Why are they called global?

What is done and can be done to protect nature?

1. Read the following passage and speak about the state of the environment in Ukraine:

During the Soviet period, rapid industrialization, intensive farming, and a lack of effective pollution controls resulted in serious degradation of the environment in Ukraine. Some of the most polluted areas in the world are now found here.

The coal-burning industries of eastern Ukraine, which emit high levels of sulfur dioxide, hydrocarbons, and dust, have created severe air pollution throughout the region. Air quality is particularly poor in the cities of Dnipropetrovsk, Kryvyy Rih, and Zaporizhzhya.

Lightly industrialized cities in the west, such as Uzhhorod and Khmelnytskyy, face air pollution caused by the prevalence of inefficient automobiles burning leaded gasoline.

Major rivers, including the Dnieper, Dniester, Inhul, and Donets, are seriously polluted with chemical fertilizers and pesticides from agricultural runoff and with poorly treated or untreated sewage. Coastal water pollution in the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea has necessitated the closing of beaches and has led to a dramatic reduction in fish catches. The freshwater flow into the Sea of Azov has been largely diverted for irrigation purposes, leading to a sharp increase in salinity.

The 1986 accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power plant has created severe environmental problems in northwestern Ukraine. Vast areas of land are contaminated by dangerous short- and long-lived radioactive isotopes, notably strontium-90, which can replace calcium in foods and become concentrated in bones and teeth. Contaminated agricultural lands near Chernobyl will be unsafe for thousands of years, though some of these areas continue to be occupied and farmed. Several thousand premature cancer deaths are expected over the long term.





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