Disappearing, depletion, townspeople, influence, offering, pressing, worked out, investigator

1) Jacques Cousteau, the famous explorer said that population growth is the primary source of environmental damage.

2) As the century begins, natural resources are under increasing pressure, constituting a threat to public health and development.

3) Water shortages, soil exhaustion, loss of forests, air and water pollution, and degradation of coastlines afflict many areas.

4) Most developing countries with rapid population growth face the urgent need to improve their standards of living.

5) The link between population growth and the environmental impact seems obvious at first glance.

6) Two-thirds of major fisheries are fully exploited or depleted.

7) Two of every three species are estimated to be in decline.

8) City residents consume resources not just from the surrounding areas, but from around the world.

5. Finish the sentences using the text.

1) Jacques Cousteau, the famous explorer said …

2) As the century begins, natural resources are …

3) Most developed countries currently …

4) At the same time most developing countries face …

5) The link between population growth and the environmental impact …

6) This is true, but the larger picture of the link …

7) A very small proportion of the population …

8) Human action has transformed …

9) We have lost more than one-quarter of …

10) The last extinction has begun because …

11) As cities grow ever larger, …

12) It is necessary …

13) Without practicing sustainable development …

6. Translate.

1) Известный исследователь Жак Кусто сказал, что рост населения – это основной источник разрушения окружающей среды.

2) Нехватка воды, истощение почвы, утрата лесов, загрязнение воздуха и воды являются проблемой многих территорий.

3) В настоящее время большинство развитых стран потребляет больше ресурсов, чем могут произвести.

4) В то же время большинство развивающихся стран сталкиваются с острой необходимостью улучшения жизненных стандартов.

5) На первый взгляд, связь между ростом населения и его воздействием на окружающую среду кажется очевидной.

6) Однако картина гораздо сложнее.

7) Очень маленькая часть населения потребляет большинство мировых ресурсов.

8) Мы живём во время величайшего исчезновения животных и растений.

9) По мере роста городов их влияние на окружающую среду растёт.

10) Жители городов потребляют ресурсы не только с прилегающих территорий, но и со всего мира.

11) Городские территории также экспортируют отходы и загрязнители, отрицательно влияющие на окружающую среду далеко за их пределами.

12) Улучшение жизненных стандартов без разрушения окружающей среды – это мировая проблема.

7. Summarize the text “Population and the Environment”. Use the following beginnings:

The text reports on…

The text touches upon…

A careful account is given to…

It is reported that…

Much attention is given to…

The text points out that…

The text deals with the problem of…

The text provides information on…

The text defines the phenomenon of…

The text covers such points as…

The effects of… on … are considered.

8. Work in pairs. Speak and express your opinion on the facts below. Use the following expressions:

I agree (don’t agree) that…

I think that …

In my view (opinion)…

1) Jacques Cousteau’s words "Population growth is the primary source of environmental damage" is a statement about the challenges human population poses for nature.

2) The link between population growth and the environmental impact seems obvious only at first glance.

3) Slowing population growth would help improve living standards and would provide time to solve sustainability problems.

Reading for Understanding

1. Read the text and choose the headline:

a) A Variety of Species

b) Population and Wildlife

c) Overexploitation

d) Over-harvesting

There are few places left on the planet where the impact of people has not been felt. We have explored and left our footprint on nearly every corner of the globe. As our population and needs grow, we are leaving less and less room for wildlife.

Wildlife is under threat from many different kinds of human activities, from directly destroying habitat to spreading invasive species and disease. Most ecosystems are facing multiple threats. Each new threat puts additional stress on already weakened ecosystems and their wildlife.

People have always depended on wildlife and plants for food, clothing, medicine, shelter and many other needs. But today we are taking more than the natural world can supply. The danger is that if we take too many individuals of a species from their natural environment, the species may no longer be able to survive. The loss of one species can affect many other species in an ecosystem. Overexploitation is the overuse of wildlife and plant species by people for food, clothing, pets, medicine, sport and many other purposes.

The hunting, trapping, collecting and fishing of wildlife at unsustainable levels is not something new. The passenger pigeon was hunted to extinction early in the last century, and over-hunting nearly caused the extinction of the American bison and several species of whales.

Today, the Endangered Species Act protects some U.S. species that were in danger from overexploitation, and the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora (CITES) works to prevent the global trade of wildlife. But there are many species that are not protected from being illegally traded.

What Wildlife Are Being Overexploited?

Fish and other aquatic species

As fishing boats have improved, the fishing industry has become very efficient at harvesting fish and shellfish. The industrialization of the fishing industry and the increasing world demand for seafood have people taking more fish from oceans, lakes and rivers than is sustainable.

Birds

Birds are collected or hunted for sport, food and the cage-bird pet trade.

Mammals

People have always hunted mammal species—for fur, food, sport, and for their horns. Mammals are also trapped for the pet trade, zoos and biomedical research. Today, illegal hunting still threatens many species, especially large mammals such as tigers, rhinoceros, bears and even primates, whose body parts are highly valued in some parts of the world for traditional medicine.

Amphibians

Amphibians are collected and shipped all over the world for the pet trade, medicine, education, scientific research and for food

Reptiles

Reptiles are harvested and traded around the world for their skins or shells, their eggs, meat, and for the pet trade

Plants

Plants are vital to our survival and are the foundation of most of the Earth’s ecosystems. People harvest plants for food, medicine, building materials, and as raw materials for making other products. But we are taking too many plants from the wild. A number of tree species, such as mahogany, are under threat because of over-harvesting.

Notes:

footprint -след passenger pigeon -странствующий голубь

invasive -агрессивный shellfish -моллюск

weakened -ослабленный cage -клетка

rhinoceros -носороги mahogany -красное дерево

trapping -охота с применением капканов horns –рога

2. Find in the text the equivalents to the following word combinations:

почти в каждом уголке земли; меньше и меньше места для дикой природы; различные виды человеческой деятельности; непосредственное разрушение места обитания; несбалансированные уровни; чрезмерная охота; мировая торговля дикими животными и растениями; ловля рыбы и моллюсков; торговля птицами для содержания в домашних клетках; основа большинства экосистем Земли; под угрозой

3. Select the statement that best expresses the main idea of the text.

a) There are few places left on the planet where the impact of people has not been felt.

b) Each new threat puts additional stress on already weakened ecosystems and their wildlife.

c) Wildlife is under threat from many different kinds of human activities.

d) Overexploitation is the main threat to wildlife and plant species.

4. Is it true or false? Correct the wrong statements.

1) There are many places left on the planet where the impact of people has not been felt.

2) Wildlife is under threat from many different kinds of natural events.

3) Each new threat puts additional stress on already weakened ecosystems and their wildlife.

4) People have never depended on wildlife and plants.

5) The danger is that if we take too many individuals of a species from their natural environment, the species may no longer be able to survive.

6) Overexploitation is the sustainable use of wildlife and plant species by people for food, clothing and other purposes.

7) There are few species that are not protected from being illegally traded.

8) Animals are vital to our survival and are the foundation of most of the Earth’s ecosystems.

5. Retell the text.