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Our planet Earth is only a tiny part of the universe, but nowadays it's the only place where we can live. People always polluted their surroundings. But until now pollution was not such a serious problem. People lived in rural areas and did not produce such amount of polluting agents that would cause a dangerous situation in global scale. With the development of overcrowded industrial highly developed cities, which put huge amounts of pollutants into surrounds, the problem has become more and more dangerous. Today our planet is in serious danger. Acid rains, global warming, air and water pollution, and overpopulation are the problems that threaten human lives on the Earth.
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 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, plain 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 problems 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.
In order to understand how air pollution affects our body, we must understand exactly what this pollution is. The pollutants that harm our respiratory system are known as particulates. Participates are the small solid particles that you can see through rays of sunlight. They are products of incomplete combustion in engines, for example: internal-combustion engines, road dust and wood smoke. Billions of tons of coal and oil are consumed around the world every year. When these fuels are burnt, they produce smoke and other by-products, which is emitted into the atmosphere. Although wind and rain occasionally wash away the smoke, given off by power plants and automobiles, but it is not enough. These chemical compounds undergo a series of chemical reactions in the presence of sunlight; as a result we have smog, mixture of fog and smoke. While such pollutants as particulates we can see, other harmful ones are not visible. Among the most dangerous to our health are carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide and ozone or active oxygen. If you have ever been in an enclosed parking garage or a tunnel and felt dizzy or lightheaded, then you have felt the effect of carbon monoxide (CO). This odourless, colourless, but poisonous gas is produced by the incomplete burning of fossil fuels, like gasoline or diesel fuel.
Factories emit tons of harmful chemicals. These emissions have disastrous consequences for our planet. They are the main reason for the greenhouse effect and acid rains.
Our forests are disappearing because they are cut down or burnt. If this trend continues, one day we won't have enough oxygen to breathe, we won't see a beautiful green forest at all.
The seas are in danger. They are filled with poison: industrial and nuclear wastes, chemical fertilizers and pesticides. If nothing is done about it, one day nothing will be able to live in our seas.
Every ten minutes one kind of animal, plant or insect dies out forever. If nothing is done about it, one million species that are alive today may soon become extinct.
And even greater threats are nuclear power stations. We all know how tragic the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster are.
Fortunately, it's not too late to solve these problems. We have the time, the money and even the technology to make our planet a better, cleaner and safer place. We can plant trees and create parks for endangered animals. We can recycle our wastes; persuade enterprises to stop polluting activities, because it is apparent that our careless use of fossil fuels and chemicals is destroying this planet. And it is now more than ever apparent that at the same time we are destroying our bodies and our future.
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:
tiny part крошечная часть
to pollute загрязнять
rural area сельский район
polluting agents загрязняющие компоненты
global scale. глобальный масштаб
acid rains кислотные дожди
overpopulation перенаселение
to threaten угрожать
to affect воздействовать
respiratory system дыхательная система
particulates макрочастицы
solid particles твердые частицы
ray of sunlight солнечный свет
combustion сжигание, сгорание
internal-combustion engine двигатель внутреннего сгорания
wood smoke сгорание древесины
by-products побочные продукты
power plants силовые установки
chemical compounds химические элементы
to undergo подвергаться воздействию
smog смог
fog туман
carbon monoxide угарный газ
nitrogen oxides окислы азота
sulfur dioxide сернистый газ
dizzy головокружение
odourless без запаха
fossil fuels органическое топливо
gasoline бензин
to emit испускать, выбрасывать
disastrous consequences гибельные последствия
greenhouse effect парниковый эффект
to breathe дышать, вдыхать
chemical fertilizers удобрения
pesticide пестицид
plant растение
insect насекомое
extinct исчезнуть, вымирать
wastes отходы
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
Dialogue:
- 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.
Translate into English:
1. Люди жили в сельских районах и не производили такого количества загрязняющих компонентов, которые могли вызвать опасную ситуацию в глобальном масштабе.
2. Кислотные дожди, глобальное потепление, загрязнение воздуха и воды, перенаселенность — проблемы, которые угрожают человеческой жизни на Земле.
3. Каждые десять минут на нашей планете вымирает один вид животных, растений или насекомых.
4. Фабрики выбрасывают тонны вредоносных химикатов, которые являются главной причиной парникового эффекта и кислотных дождей.
5. Еще большая угроза — атомные электростанции.
6. Всем нам известны трагические последствия чернобыльской катастрофы.
7.Загрязняющие вещества, которые вредят нашей дыхательной системе называются макрочастицами.
8. Макрочастицы — это мелкие твердые частицы, которые мы видим на солнечном свету.
9. Среди наиболее опасных для нашего здоровья находится угарный газ, окислы азота, сернистый газ и озон, или активный кислород.
10. Мы имеем время, деньги и технологии, чтобы сделать нашу планету лучше, чище и безопаснее.
Дата публикования: 2015-09-17; Прочитано: 387 | Нарушение авторского права страницы | Мы поможем в написании вашей работы!