Unit 3 People and Nature

И. И. Копейкина

A FEW GLIMPSES OF ECOLOGY:

ВЗГЛЯД НА ЭКОЛОГИЮ

Учебно-методическое пособие

по английскому языку

для бакалавров и специалистов экологического факультета

2 этап обучения

Краснодар

2011 г

УДК 803.0(075)

ББК 81.2

К55

Рецензенты:

О. Е. Павловская – доктор филологических наук, профессор

Т. С. Непшекуева – доктор филологических наук, профессор

Копейкина И. И.

К55 A Few Glimpses of Ecology: Взгляд на экологию: учебно-методическое пособие по английскому языку для бакалавров и специалистов экологического факультета 2 этап обучения / И. И. Копейкина. –

Краснодар, 2011. – 133 с.

Данное учебно-методическое пособие предназначено для работы в группах бакалавров и специалистов 2 курса экологического факультета и состоит из 14 уроков и комплекса упражнений, которые направлены на совершенствование навыков устной речи, чтения и перевода.

УДК 803.0(075)

ББК 81.2

Печатается по решению методической комиссии агрономического факультета и факультета экологии

ã Копейкина И. И., 2011

ã ФГОУ ВПО. «Кубанский

государственный аграрный

университет», 2011

Contents

INTRODUCTION

PART I THE EARTH IS OUR HOME

Unit 1 Plants Kingdom

Unit 2 Animals Kingdom

Unit 3 People and Nature

PART II ECOLOGY

Unit 1 Ecology as a Science

Unit 2 Biosphere

Unit 3 Ecosystem

Unit 4 Protected Areas

PART III ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEMS AND PROTECTION

Unit 1 Climate Change

Unit 2 Population and the Environment

Unit 3 Traffic and Air Pollution

Unit 4 Acid Rain

Unit 5 Water Pollution

Unit 6 Soil Pollution

Unit 7 Environmental Organizations

APPENDIX

ANIMAL COLLECTIVES

NAMES OF YOUNG ANIMALS

ENVIRONMENTAL ORGANIZATIONS AND DOCUMENTS

ECO VOCABULARY

ABBREVIATIONS

INTRODUCTION

Ecology is a very popular word today. But what does it mean? One of the definitions is: “Ecology is a branch of science which treats the world of nature – including its human component – at certain levels of biological organization.” But … what is Nature?

The word nature is over 5000 years old but it has only been used in the English language for 700 years. Since 1300, the word “nature” has been used in the English language to mean “essential qualities and innate disposition” as well as the “creative power in the material world”.

Nature most commonly refers to the "natural environment", the Earth's environment or wilderness— including geology, forests, oceans, rivers, beaches, the atmosphere, life, and in general geographic areas that have not been substantially altered by humans. This traditional concept of "nature" implies a distinction between natural and man-made, artificial elements of the Earth.

Beauty in nature has historically been a major theme in art and books, filling large sections of libraries and bookstores. That nature has been depicted and celebrated by so much art, photography, poetry and other literature shows the strength with which many people associate nature and beauty.

British artist John Constable and later Russian artists Ivan Shishkin and Ivan Aivasovsky turned their attention to capturing the beauty of the natural world in their paintings.

Wordsworth’s, Longfellow’s poetry described the wonder of the natural world, which had formerly been viewed as a threatening place.

1. Read the poem and learn it by heart.

NATURE IS WHAT WE SEE

by

Emily Dickinson

Nature is what we see,

The hill, the afternoon,

Squirrel, eclipse, the bumblebee,

Nay, Nature is Heaven.

Nature is what we hear,

The bobolink, the sea,

Thunder, the cricket

Nay, Nature is Harmony.

Nature is what we know

But have no art to say,

So impotent our wisdom is

To Her simplicity.

2. Do the quiz and find out what you know about nature.

Quiz

What do you know about nature?

Choose the right answer:

1) What language was the term “nature” derived from?

a) Greek

b) Russian

c) Latin

2) What is the position of the Earth relative to the Sun?

a) It is the fifth nearest to the Sun

b) It is the first nearest to the Sun

c) It is the third nearest to the Sun

3) What is the largest fresh-water lake in the World?

a) Lake Baikal

b) Lake Superior

c) Sea of Galilee

4) What is a biome?

a) classification of globally similar areas

b) a cell

c) classification of animals

5) What do pandas eat?

a) eucalyptus leaves

b) bamboo

c) insects

6) What is the highest tree on the Earth?

a) platan

b) sequoia

c) oak

7) What is the world’s oldest tree?

a) Norway spruce

b) Bristlecone pine

c) Siberian cedar

8) What forests are the most important for the life on Earth?

a) leaf-bearing forests

b) coniferous forests

c) rainforests

9) What is a primary site of photosynthesis in most plants?

a) the leaf

b) the root

c) the stem

10) What does the word “ecology” mean?

a) house + study of

b) house + live in

c) house + build of

11) Who was the first to coin the term “ecology”?

a) Jean Batiste Lamarck

b) James Hutton

c) Ernst Haeckel

12) What does the term “ecosystem” mean?

a) physical components of the environment

b) biological components of the environment

c) both physical and biological components of the environment

3. Read and translate the quotes about Nature:

- Man's heart away from nature becomes hard. ~Standing Bear

- I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting station, through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in. ~George Washington Carver

- Look at the trees, look at the birds, look at the clouds, look at the stars... and if you have eyes you will be able to see that the whole existence is joyful. Everything is simply happy. Trees are happy for no reason; they are not going to become prime ministers or presidents and they are not going to become rich and they will never have any bank balance. Look at the flowers - for no reason. It is simply unbelievable how happy flowers are. ~Osho

- Look deep into nature, and then you will understand everything better. ~Albert Einstein

PART I

THE EARTH IS OUR HOME

Unit 1