| permafrost ozone layer recycling rainforest wildlife habitat extinct environment acid rain |
- reaction of sulphur and nitrogen oxides with water droplets
- the natural or social conditions in which people live
- treating used substances so that they are fit to use again
- the natural home of a plant or animal
- the layer of soil that is permanently frozen
- hot, wet forest in tropical areas where rainfall is heavy and there is no dry season
- animals (and plants) which live in a wild state
- the layer which protects the Earth from the sun’s destructive UV rays
- gone forever
X. Answer the following questions.
1. What are the main ecological problems? 2. What sources of air and water can you name? 3. What damage do acid rains bring? 4. Why are the ozone “holes” dangerous for the life on the Earth? 5. Why is tropical rain forest a natural recycler, provider and protector for our planet? 6. Why did some species of animals, birds, plants disappear from the Earth? 7. How has the human race upset the nature balance? 8. What can you say about ecological situation in Belarus?
2.
XI. Translate the sentences from Russian into English.
1. Человечество процветало в окружающей его среде. 2. Одна из самых угрожающих форм загрязнения воздуха – это кислотный дождь. 3. Защитный слой Земли, озоновый, предохраняет Землю от разрушительных ультрафиолетовых лучей. 4. Кислотный дождь разрушает леса во многих странах. 5. Большое количество видов животных, птиц, рыб и растений находятся под угрозой вымирания, а некоторые редкие виды исчезли навсегда. 6. У нас есть только несколько лет, чтобы попытаться вернуть все вспять.
What You Can Do to Help!
Here are some ways in which you, your friends and your family can begin trying to save the Earth right now:
- try not to waste energy;
- before you throw anything away, stop and think. Might someone else have a use for it?
- if you have a choice, avoid buying packaged goods;
- don’t waste paper;
- before you buy anything, ask yourself if you really need it;
- never drop litter;
- protect wild life, wild plants and trees;
- put out food for wild creatures in winter;
- safeguard water supplies;
- don’t buy anything that involves cruelty to animals;
- help to clean up your local environment;
- try to reduce noise pollution;
- buy organic products wherever possible;
- join conservation organizations;
- keep yourself informed about environmental issues;
- explore nature in the right way;
- use the law of nature in your life.
Last Chance
I. Learn how to read years:
Years ending in “00” are said with “hundred”: 1900: nineteen hundred, but note, 2000: the year two thousand.
Read the years mentioned in the text: 2200, 2300, 2400, 2500.
II. Guess the meaning of the words and explain their meaning:
a time machine the universe a space ship
III. Make up derivatives:
pollutant - загрязняющий агент
verb -
participle I -
participle II -
noun –
IV. Match the words with their synonym or definitions:
1. to dump a. garbage
2. dangerous b. rich
3. a chemical c. to get rid of, to throw away
4. waste d. overcrowding
5. to cut down e. to begin suddenly and violently
6. liquid f. a substance neither a solid nor a gas
7. to warn [wo:n] g. hard to find, not common
8. scarce [`skeəs] h. a substance used in or produces by chemistry
9. to break out i. able or likely to cause harm or loss
10. wealthy j. to bring down by cutting
11. overpopulation k. to tell of smth bad that may happen
V. This is a science fiction story about a woman from the year 2500. She is talking to the leaders of the United Nations. Read the story and find out: Why did she come to speak to them?
LAST CHANCE
Good evening, ladies and gentlemen. Thank you all for coming here and listening to my story. Let me begin by telling you how I came to be here: I came in a time machine. In the year 2500, we are able to travel through time to any year in the history of the earth.
I have returned to this year to tell you something important: This year is your last chance to change your lifestyle to save the earth!
I will explain. Beginning in the middle of the 20th century, a few people were worried about polluting the earth's water and air. They talked about the dangers of pollution, but most people did not listen and did not change their way of life. Instead, they continued to dump dangerous chemicals and other waste into lakes and oceans, to drive more and more cars and trucks and to cut down trees.
By the year 2200, the earth's water was completely polluted. People could no longer drink water, and they had to use other types of liquids. This forced a change, but it was not enough. Scientists warned about overpopulation and said that in the future there might be too many people on the earth. But not enough was done.
So, by the year 2300, there were so many people that food became scarce. There was no water to grow food and all of the fish in the lakes and oceans died because of pollution. Terrible wars broke out between the wealthy and the poor. People started to think about finding another place to live. Scientists were working very hard to find another planet in space where humans could live.
By the year 2400, the air was too polluted for humans to breathe. So we had to leave earth. But only the very wealthy were able to leave. Where did we go? Nowhere. And everywhere. You see, scientists did not find another safe planet, so now we must travel around the universe in our space ships. We are still looking for a place to call our home.
So, it is up to you to change history. There is still hope. You must change your lifestyle now, before it is too late.
