Exercise 1. Read the text quickly and write out the unknown words. Check their meaning in your dictionary. Try to make a crossword with them

Energy figures into almost every human activity: it heats our homes, fuels our cars, ploughs our soil and powers our machinery. The exploitation of energy resources and energy production has a negative impact on the environment. The burning of fossil fuels is accompanied by discharges of acid gases, ashes, soot and other pollutants. Open cast mining leads to alteration and destruction of the landscape. Nuclear power stations are risky, and the storage and processing of radioactive waste is a technical problem yet to be solved. People have become more worried about global environmental issues like acid rain and climate change.

The world we know today and the standard of living we enjoy would be impossible without modern means of transportation. An efficient transportation system is essential for economic development. Although the benefits of modern transportation are undeniable, they come at a high price: traffic accidents, noise, air pollution and energy, natural resource consumption etc. Transportation affects the environment (natural and urban), as well as human health.

The Industrial Revolution changed the course of human history. The extended use of machinery brought about explosion on fabrics, vehicles and labour-saving devices. The purpose of industrial activity is to manufacture goods for either final or intermediate consumption. Every manufacturing industry impacts the environment to some extent by using up energy and raw materials. The impact on the environment is greater if those materials are non-renewable. Emissions from industrial activities also impact the environment. This pollution can, however, be reduced through environmentally clean technologies or emissions — abatement technologies.

Forests serve many important functions for the environment and man, society should take special care to preserve and manage them. The impact of recreational activities has been to both the benefit and detriment of forests. In general they tend to favour, and thus preserve, forests with high levels of biodiversity, encouraging the conservation and protection of wildlife and helping to limit the loss of forest to urban sprawl and road building. However, when the frequency of visitors and tourists becomes excessive, problems of soil errosion occur along footpaths. Wildlife is also disturbed, plants and saplings are trampled, and litter accumulates. The result of mass tourism growth is the rising rates of dangerous substances noise, and environmental degradation.

Human activity affects the urban environment. The high concentration of people and activities makes cities major contributors to local, regional and global environmental challenges. Thus, many environmental problems can be effectively addressed and resolved in cities. We must remember that pollution and waste should not be put into the environment faster than the environment can degrade and recycle them, or render them harmless.