That the problem of pollution and ecology has become the most important one for mankind is evident to all. The more civilization is developing, the greater the ecological problems are becoming. Air and water pollution by industry is now reaching tremendous proportions. In our era it is changing from a national to an international problem, especially in territories where rivers cross several countries. The seas and oceans are also becoming seriously polluted. A similar situation is developing in the atmosphere. It is known that many cities throughout the world suffer from air pollution.
However, our scientific knowledge and technological advancement make it possible to eliminate it if people use good will1 and make considerable investments for that purpose. The development of natural resources on a global scale is already possible from a scientific and technical standpoint2. Large-scale experimental work in this area is successfully being carried out.
At present scientists in industrially developed countries are working on the theory of interaction of all the atmospheric and oceanic global processes that determine the climate and weather of the world. Increasing growth of population, industrialization and the use of resources are slowly but surely changing the global climate and water balance. This can be described as a great experiment, one that may bring about changes in the environment more serious than ever before.
The essential feature in the environment protection is that many problems can be solved only on the level of world community3. Therefore, the planning of protection against pollution by human society as a whole4 is imperative today and in the near future. It is necessary to develop an international program to study data on land, forest, atmospheric and oceanic resources, both renewable and non-renewable. It is the joint efforts of many scientists and special public organizations that can deal with the problem and take necessary measures to protect the environment.
It is still a big job and much remains to be done5. However, scientists are confident that planned actions of all countries can eliminate pollution and achieve successes in purifying air, water and soil and in safeguarding natural resources. At the same time one must
Realize that social and political circumstances may stand in the way of further progress in this field.
Notes to the Text
Good will — добрая воля
Standpoint — точка зрения
Community — сообщество
As a whole — в целом
5. much remains to be done — еще многое предстоит (остается) сделать
УПРАЖНЕНИЯ Упражнение 17. Просмотрите текст 2А и ответьте на вопросы.
1. What is this text about? 2. What is ecology? 3. How does water (air) become polluted? 4. Why is the problem of water pollution becoming a global problem?
Упражнение 18. Найдите предложения с глаголом-сказуемым в Present Continuous, переведите.
1. Water and air are becoming more and more polluted. 2. At present computers are more widely used in the sphere of education. 3. Where were you at six o'clock? We were studying in the reading-room. 4. There are government and public organizations that are analysing data on land, forest and air. 5. New courses of education such as management are being organized in many institutes. 6. What will you be doing in the laboratory tomorrow morning? We shall be watching the operation of a new device. 7. Measures are being taken to save Lake Baikal. 8. The situation at Lake Baikal is remaining very serious. 9. Much attention is being paid at present to the development of international scientific contacts. 10. Science is becoming a leading factor in the progress of mankind.
Упражнение 19. А. Найдите предложения с глаголом-сказуемым в Continuous Passive, переведите.
1. Cambridge University was formed in the 12th century. 2. The solution of ecological problems may be achieved only by joint efforts of all countries. 3. Great changes in people's lives and work were brought about by the scientific and technological progress. 4. The theory of interaction of atmospheric and oceanic processes is being developed to determine the weather of the planet. 5. The teachers at Cambridge are called «dons» or «tutors». 6. Computers and la-
sers are being widely introduced at plants and factories. 7. The most important ecological problems must be considered at the government level. 8. The training at Cambridge and Oxford is carried out by tutorial system.
В. Переделайте предложения из действительного в страдательный залог.
1. Не is writing a letter at the moment. 2. John was preparing report all day yesterday. 3. We are learning grammar now. 4. At present mankind is making considerable investments to eliminate air pollution. 5. Today the changes in the global climate and water balance are bringing about serious changes in the environment. 6. Many scientists are constantly carrying out experimental work to solve the problem of environment protection. 7. The company is making plans for the future.
Упражнение 20. Найдите предложения, где it является формальным подлежащим, личным местоимением или входит в состав усилительной конструкции; переведите.
1. It is dark here. Please, turn on the light. 2. It was Gagarin who was the first man to orbit the Earth. 3. Our students study strength of materials. It is a very difficult subject. 4. Mathematics is studied at all technological institutes because every engineer must know it well. 5. It is the most interesting article on this subject. 6. It has become evident that ecological problems can be solved only on the global level. 7. Joint efforts of people throughout the world make it possible to achieve some progress in environment protection. 8. It is the development of robots that will solve some very complex problems of industry. 9. It is evident that research is becoming more specialized now. 10. The use of the new equipment made it possible to minimize the number of workers. 11. It is industrialization that is making ecological problems very serious.
Упражнение 21. Определите функции one и that, переведите предложения.
1. The problem that has become the most important one is the problem of pollution. 2. One can easily understand why the profession of an engineer requires a special college training 3. The new technologies that are being developed must be connected with traditional ones. 4. That air and water pollution by industrialization is reaching dangerous levels is realized by everyone. 5. It is the invention of an engine that started the first industrial revolution. 6. The main purpose of education is that graduates must be able to work
with the technology of tomorrow. 7. The education in Oxford and Cambridge is different in many ways from that in other universities. 8. We discussed the first industrial revolution, the one that took place some centuries ago. 9. New robots will have several manipulators that will carry out many functions. 10. That computers and robots are important for industrial uses is well known to scientists and engineers. 11. One must realize that the increasing number of cars brings about considerable pollution of the air. 12. It is the growth of industrialization that is changing the climate of the planet. 13. The essential feature of higher education in this country is that it combines theory with practice. 14. The simplest materials are those which have only one kind of atoms. 15. That the Earth is round was unknown for a long time. 16. It is found that the labour (труд) of a man with secondary education is 108 per cent more efficient than that of a man without that education. Moreover, the work of a university or college graduate is 300 per cent more efficient than that of a specialist with secondary education.
Упражнение 22. Переведите предложения с союзами сравнения.
1. The bigger the cities are, the greater the pollution is. 2. The more computers and robots are used in industry, the quicker technological progress will be. 3. The more automobiles appear in the streets, the worse the air in the cities is. 4. The more effective is the technology, the quicker is the development of this country. 5. The quicker we joint our efforts in protecting the environment, the quicker the ecological problems are solved.
