UNIT I
| GEOGRAPHY AS A SCIENCE |
The Earth is our only suitable habitat. Geographys task is to discover and capture its horizons in order to understand how people live and work and utilize their resources. This understanding is more urgently required than ever before because of new global realities the interconnected, integrated, and interdependent character of our lives.
The Earth. Apollo 17, NASA
Reading Material
Text A
Task
A) Before reading the text try to discuss the following questions.
What is geography about?
What kind of science is geography?
What does the term geography mean?
B) Now read the text, translate it and get ready to do the exercises after the text.
Geography
Geography is the study of the surface of the Earth. The word is derived from the Greek words geo (the Earth) and graphein (to write).
Geography is the exact and organized knowledge of the distribution of phenomena on the surface of the Earth. It deals with the form and motion of the planet so far1 as the knowledge of these is necessary for fixing positions on the surface. Geography is concerned also with the forms of the lithosphere or stony crust of the Earth, the extent of the water envelope or hydrosphere, the movements of the water and of the all surrounding atmosphere. The distribution of plants and animals and that of the human race and all the interactions and relationships between these distributions are within the areas of geographical inquiry as well.
The surface of the Earth is the interface2 of the atmosphere, lithosphere, and biosphere. It provides the habitat, or environment, in which humans are able to live. This habitable zone has a number of special characteristics. One of the most important is the complex interaction among many physical, biologic, and human elements of the Earth, such as land surface, climate, water, soil, vegetation, agriculture, and urbanization. Another characteristic is the high variability of the environment from place to place hot tropics to cold polar regions, dry deserts to humid equatorial forests, vast level plains to rugged mountains and uninhabited ice caps to densely settled metropolitan areas. Yet another is the consistency3 with which significant patterns occur, which makes possible generalizations about distributions.
Geographic study is particularly concerned with location, with areal patterns4 with the interrelationships of phenomena, with regionalization5, and with ties among areas. Typical areas of inquiry6 include where people live; in what sort of patterns they are distributed over the Earths surface; what factors of environment, resources, culture, and economic development account for7 this distribution; whether or not significant regions can be recognized by types of population, livelihood8, and culture, and what types of movements and relations occur among places.
Geography is a synthetic science, largely dependent for its data on the results of specialized sciences such as astronomy, physics, geology, oceanography, meteorology, biology and antropology and always having respect to the natural regions of the world. Viewed in this light geography is a unified and definite science9 of wide outlook and comrehensive grasp10.
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Geography is divided into systematic fields and regional specializations, which can be grouped under three main headings: physical geography, human geography and regional geography. There is a number of subdivisions, such as mathematical geography, which deals with the shape, size and movements of the earth. Political geography studies the worlds political divisions. Economic geography deals with estimation of the environment and resources, distribution of economy and population. Historical geography examines the ways in which the relationship between people and their environments has changed over time. Human geography is concerned with human activities and organization in so far as these relate to the interaction of people with their physical environment and with the environments created by human beings themselves, and the consequences of these interrelationships. Physical geography is concerned with the physical characteristics and processes of the atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere and lithosphere. The principal branches of physical geography are geomorphology, climatology, biogeorgraphy and soil geography.
Regional geography studies distinctive regions of the world, the people and their environment, their economies and cultures.
As human activity has become more able to affect the landscape and ecology of the world, two more branches have emerged: resource management and environmental studies.
Notes:
1. so far ,
2. interface ,
3. consistency
4. areal patterns ()
5. regionalization 1.; 2.
6. areas of inquiry
7. account for
8. livelihood
9. unified and definite science
10. comprehensive grasp .
Word Study
Ex. 1. Read the international words correctly. Mind the stress.
| a) complex climate culture element factor human humid nature natural planet region special typical | b) activity astronomy geography geology ecology economy activity complexity climatic biology phenomena position political | c) agriculture anthropology biologic geologic geographic climatology distribution economical equitorial interaction systematic meteorology metropolitan | d) atmosphere biosphere hydrosphere lithosphere characteristic oceanography biogeography urbanization vegetation specialization regionalization |
Ex. 2. a) Memorize the following pairs of derivatives.
 N Adj
|  N N
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| geography geographic geology geologic biology biologic economy economic climate climatic system systematic atmosphere atmospheric science - scientific | geography geographer astronomy astronomer biology biologist ecology ecologist geology geologist meterology meterologist science scientist geomorphology geomorphologist |
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b) Translate the following derivatives into Russian paying attention to different ways of suffixation and prefixation; use a dictionary if necessary.
act active activity action interatcion;
define definite indefinite definition definitely;
distribute distribution distributor distributively;
divide division subdivision divisible indivisible indivisibility;
special specialist specialty specialize specialization;
region regional regionalization;
urban urbanize urbanization;
unify unified union unity united unit universe university;
habitat habitable inhabit uninhabited inhabitant.
Ex. 3. Transform as in the models:
Model A: to distribute phenomena the distribution of phenomena
to fix positions, to vary from place to place, to measure the temperature and rainfall, to distribute over the Earths surface, to depend, on the results of specialized sciences, to divide into systematic fields, to estimate the environment and resources, to distribute economy and population, to describe the surface of the Earth.
Model B: human activities the activities of the human
land surface, the Earths crust, habitable zone, water envelope, equatorial forests, temperature measurements, climatic elements, geographic study, areal patterns, environmental factors, economic development, physical geography, human geography, regional geography, environmental studies, resource management.
Ex. 4. Match English and Russian equivalents.
| 1) to be derived from 2) exact and organized knowledge 3) the distribution of plants and animals 4) to deal with 5) interactions and relationships 6) to provide the habitat 7) soils and vegetation 8) areal patterns 9) habitable zone 10) densely settled metropolitan areas 11) human activity 12) to observe and describe the surface of the Earth 13) the high variability of the envi- ronment | a) b) c) d) e) f) , g) h) i) j) k) l) m) |
Ex. 5. Translate into Russian the following words, word combinations and sentences.
Knowledge: exact knowledge, organized knowledge, good knowledge, poor knowledge. His knowledge of geography is perfect.
Distribute: to distribute books (maps, products); to be distributed over the Earths surface; distribution of population (resources, phenomena, economy). Geography is the exact and organized knowledge of the distribution of phenomena on the surface of the Earth.
Deal (dealt, dealt): to deal with smb., to deal with history, to deal with a problem; to deal with fires, dealer. Meteorology deals with weather and climate.
Surface: earths surface, the surface of the Moon, the surface of the sea, surface water, on the surface. Scientists have got photographs of the surface of Mars.
Exact: exact sciences; exact time, exact data, exact memory; exactly; not exactly the same. Physics and mathematics are exact sciences.
Environment: environmental, environmental protection, environmental studies, environmental research, social environment, natural environment, man-made environment, human environment; environmentalist. The problems of environmental protection are of great importance now.
Habitat: human habitat, natural habitat, wildlife habitat; habitant, habitable zone; to in habit; inhabitable, inhabitant, inhabited locality, uninhabited ice caps. The surface of the Earth provided the habitat in which humans are able to live.
Variety: great variety, variety of reasons, variety of ways, genetic variety; various reasons, various subjects; variation, variations of temperature, daily variations, environmental variation; variability.
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Ex. 6. Pair the words in column A with a suitable phrase in column B.
| A | B |
| 1) to deal with 2) to be divided 3) to be distributed 4) the relationship 5) to fix 6) the high variability 7) to be concerned 8) to provide 9) the form of 10) to be dependent 11) measurements of 12) the principal branches 13) to be grouped 14) to be derived | a) positions on the surface b) temperature and rainfall c) the habitat or environment d) from the Greek words e) under three main headings f) the lithosphere or stony crust of the Earth g) between human society and the land h) of physical geography i) the form and motion of the planet j) into systematic fields k) over the Earths surface l) with areal patterns m) of the environment n) on the results of specialized sciences |
Ex. 7. Find the words close in meaning and write them down in pairs.
Environment, definite, water envelope, movement, influence, study, to be concerned with, lithosphere, motion, physiography, human geography, exact, habitat, stony crust, hydrosphere, knowledge, affect, field, anthropogeography, to deal with, branch, physical geography.
Ex. 8. Make a list of attributes to go with the following words.
science, geography, zone, region, activity, pattern.
Ex. 9. Match a term with a proper definition.
| 1) Geodesy | a) studies the worlds political divisions |
| 2) Economic geography | b) the subject which describes the earths surface its physical features, climates, vegetation, soils, products, peoples and their distribution |
| 3) Climatology | c) the science of the measurement of the shape and size of the earth, including its weight, density, etc, and also of the surveying of such large portions of the earths surface that the curvature of the earth has to be considered |
| 4) Political geography | d) the science of the composition, structure, and history of the earth including the study of the materials of which the earth is made, the forces which act upon these materials and the resulting structures, the distribution of the rocks of the earths crust, and the history not only of the earth itself but also of the plants and animals which inhabited it throughout the different ages. |
| 5) Geography | e) deals with estimation of the environment and resources, distribution of economy and population |
| 6) Geology | f) the study of the physical features of the earth, or the arrangement and form of the earths crust, and of the relationship between these physical features and the geological structures beneath. |
| 7) Geomorphology | g) deals with the shape, size and movements of the earth |
| 8) Geophysics | h) the science which treats of the various climates of the earth and their influence on the natural environment |
| 9)Mathematical geography | i) the study of the physical processes relating to the structure of the earth, including not only the lithosphere but also the hydrosphere and the atmosphere |
Ex. 10. Choose the best alternative to complete the following sentences.
1. The word geography is derived from the (Latin / Greek) words geo (the Earth) and graphein (to write).
2. Geography is the exact knowledge of the distribution of (population / phenomena) on the surface of the Earth.
3. The surface of the Earth is the (interface / distribution) of the atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere.
4. One of the special characteristics of the environment is its high (stability / variability) form place to place.
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5. Geographic study is particularly concerned with the relationship between (human society and the plants / human society and the land).
6. Geography is largely dependent for its data on the results of (natural sciences / specialized sciences).
7. All regional specializations of the science of geography can be grouped under (many / three) main headings.
8. The principal activities of the (economy geographer / physical geographer) include observing, measuring and describing the surface of the Earth.
9. Human activity has become more able (to change / affect the landscape) of the world.
10. The principal branches of physical geography are (geomorphology and soil geography / mineralogy and petrology).
Ex. 11. Give the English equivalents.
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; -; -; ; ; ; ; -; ; ; .
Ex. 12. Fill in the missing words in the sentences. Choose from the words given in the box.
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1. Geography is the study of the of the Earth.
2. The word geography from the Greek words geo and graphien.
3. The surface of the Earth is the of the atmosphere, lithosphere, hydrosphere and biosphere.
4. One of the special characteristics of the environment is its high
5. The environment varies from hot tropics to cold polar regions, to humid equatorial forests.
6. The zone has a number of special characteristics.
7. Geographic study is particularly concerned with location, with , with the interrelationship of phenomena.
8. The main areas of inquiry where people live, in what sort of patterns they over the Earths surface.
9. Geography is a synthetic science, largely for its data on the results of specialized sciences.
10. Economic geography estimation of the environment and resources, distribution of economy and population.
11. Geography has subdivisions.
12. The principal activities of include observing, measuring and describing the surface of the Earth.
