To close (down) / shut down a power station / plant
a power station / plant closes (down) / shuts down: The power plants have shut down.
to commission a power station / plant | to put / place a power station into commission вводить в действие / сдавать в эксплуатацию электростанцию
to decommission a power station / plant снимать с / выводить из эксплуатации электростанцию: a decommissioned power plant in Colorado
8. power plant [countable] a machine or engine that produces power and supplies it to a building, factory, plane, car etc силовая / энергетическая установка
9. wind farm [countable] a group of wind turbines in one location producing a large amount of electricity ветровая электростанция: The wind farm may be able to generate enough electricity / power for 2000 homes.
10. windmill [countable] a tall thin structure with parts that turn round, used to change the power of the wind into electricity ветродвигатель; ветроэнергетическая установка; ветряк
11. dam [countable] a special wall built across a river or stream to stop the water from flowing, especially in order to make a lake or produce electricity плотина, дамба; насыпь; запруда; перемычка, мол: Work on the dam began in 1983 but was held up by economic and environmental objections. | Environmentalists fear that, if completed, the hydroelectric dam will severely disrupt the Danube ecosystem. | The Aswan High Dam is on the river Nile in Egypt. | The dam will stand 600 feet high. | In other countries smaller dam projects have created bodies of water in which mosquitoes thrive. | Following widespread protests the government announced the cancellation of the dam project in early March.
to build / construct / erect a dam строить / возводить плотину: It was quite another thing to build a dam, store the water, and make the desert bloom. | They went ahead with plans to build a dam on the Danube River. | The Marshalls erected dams on their estate and were responsible for creating Tarn Hows.
storage / reservoir dam плотина водохранилища At the lodge gates turn right over the reservoir dam, then walk up through Blackstone Bank Wood.
hydroelectric dam плотина гидроэлектростанции: The soil washed from the hills is silting up the hydroelectric dams. | It has also promised not to build any new hydroelectric dams, the source of the rest of the country's electricity.
to burst / break a dam прорывать плотину: Breaking the dam could submerge downstream cities such as Wuhan.
a dam bursts / breaks плотину прорывает: A dam burst and flooded their villages. | The dam burst after heavy rains. | More than 70 people were killed in the floods, caused when a dam burst. | If the dam breaks it will inundate large parts of the town.
the burst / break of a dam прорыв плотины
12. reservoir [countable] an artificial or natural lake where water is stored so that it can be supplied to the houses in an area водохранилище, водоем; резервуар; бассейн: This will act as a water reservoir to keep the soil from becoming too soggy. | Which towns use the water from the reservoirs on the River Derwent? | This reservoir was formed by damming the River Blith. | Radioactive water seeped into underground reservoirs.
natural reservoir естественное водохранилище
artificial reservoir искусственное водохранилище
to build a reservoir: Water companies should concentrate on reducing waste instead of building new reservoirs.
a reservoir dries up водохранилище / водоем высыхает / пересыхает: Reservoirs are drying up and farmers have begun to leave their land in search of water.
13. (water) catchment area [countable] (technical) the area of land around a river or lake that it gets its water from водосбор, водосборный бассейн, водосборная площадь, область водосбора: Attempts will be made to reduce pesticide use in water catchment areas.
14. to dam (up) [transitive] to stop the water in a river or stream from flowing by building a special wall across it перегораживать / подпирать плотиной, запруживать реку, сооружать дамбу: Pinchot wanted to dam the Tuolumne River and flood the valley to provide water and electricity to San Francisco. | The local people dammed up the river to make a lake for their water supply. | The East Branch River was dammed in 1952. | The Stanislaus River is dammed fourteen times on its short run to the sea.
15. power failure | power cut(British English)| (power / electrical) outage(American English)| blackout [countable] a period of time when there is no electricity supply нарушение энергоснабжения, (аварийное) отключение / прекращение подачи электроэнергии; перерыв в подаче энергии; авария в энергосистеме: Half way between Victoria and Gatwick there was a power failure, the lights went out and the train ground to a halt. | A drop in voltage can be more serious than a power cut. | I keep a supply of candles to use in power cuts. | He said there was no power outage. | A brief electrical outage sapped its power. | There was an electricity blackout in a large area in the north of the country.
to have / suffer / experience a power failure / cut / outage / blackout: Customers of San Diego Gas & Electric had power failures that lasted an average of 57 minutes that year. | Parts of the country have had power cuts because of the storm. | On enquiry they were told that the other had been lent to a local restaurant when it suffered a power cut. | Several neighbourhoods in the San Francisco area experienced blackouts last night.
a power failure / cut / outage / blackout occurs: For example, the specialist Sun Frost range keeps food fresh for weeks rather than days if a power cut occurs. | Even a one-day outage, such as the one that occurred last June, can cost these giant companies $ 100 million.
to cause a power failure / cut / outage / blackout: The last locally-caused power failure of greater magnitude was the Loma Prieta earthquake in October, 1989. | Storms caused power cuts in hundreds of homes last night. | A windstorm in Washington is causing power outages throughout the region. | The storm caused a sudden blackout and brought down telephone lines.
16. to black out [transitive] to cause a failure of electrical power in sth нарушать / отключать энергоснабжение; вызывать аварию энергосистемы: Storm damage blacked out much of the region. | The entire city was blacked out overnight.
17. renewable (adjective) renewable energy and natural materials replace themselves by natural processes, so that they are never completely used up возобновляемый: Renewable energy will become progressively more important as time goes on. | They are at last beginning to invest in renewable energy. | Worldwide, groundwater is 40 times more abundant than fresh water in streams and lakes, and although groundwater is a renewable resource, reserves are replenished relatively slowly. | Trees are a renewable resource that when managed properly can sustain our needs indefinitely. | The basic challenge for sustainable agriculture is to maximize the use of locally-available and renewable resources. | Renewable sources of energy must be used where practical. | And we should develop renewable sources of energy.
18. non-renewable (adjective) non-renewable types of energy such as coal, oil, or gas cannot be replaced after they have been used невозобновляемый, невосполнимый: All countries are being asked to cut down on their use of non-renewable resources. | Estimates of the availability of non-renewable fuels vary. | The key threat that Green politics poses to the capitalist global system is in the matter of the consumption of non-renewable resources. | They are also increasing their rate of consumption of non-renewable resources in the form of fossil fuels. | These are the non-renewable sources of energy that have been used predominantly in the past.
19. water / electricity / gas supply [uncountable] the act of providing water, electricity, or gas водоснабжение, электроснабжение, газоснабжение; подача / поставка воды / электроэнергии / газа: The local people dammed up the river to make a lake for their water supply. | The electricity supply industry is to be broken up and sold. | Some estimates suggest that up to 11 percent of total gas supply in Britain is being lost.
20. water / electricity / gas supply (system) [countable – usually singular] a system that is used to supply water, electricity, or gas система водоснабжения / электроснабжения / газоснабжения; водопровод: Industrial waste leaked into the water supply. | Chemical waste has found its way into the water supply. | Chemical waste has poisoned the city's water supply. | The chemical leak poisoned the water supply. | The fertilizers and pesticides used on many farms are polluting the water supply. | Cleaning up the water supply is their top priority. | It is claimed the dust left behind pollutes water supplies. | Most urban water supplies in the United States now contain fluoride in varying amounts. | The electricity supply is less reliable in mountainous areas of the country. | Alarms sound if gas supplies break down, and automatically connect reserve tanks. | A simple change in the weather can make significant changes in demand on the gas supply system.
to cut off the water / electricity / gas supply отключать систему водоснабжения / электроснабжения / газоснабжения: The town is without electricity and the water supply has been cut off. | The electricity supply has not been cut off.
21. to site | to locate [transitive] to place or build something in a particular place размещать, помещать; располагать в определенном месте; назначать место (для постройки и т. п.): Any coal-burning power plant must be sited with extreme care. | Where have they decided to site the new factory? | The new factory is to be sited in Fort Collins. | Where is the new factory to be located? | Newly formed global corporations in the emerging world are also gradually beginning to locate facilities in the developed world. | Atlanta was voted the best city in which to locate a business by more than 400 chief executives.
22. to disrupt | to dislocate [transitive] to prevent something, especially a system, process or event, from continuing in its usual way by causing problems нарушать; разрушать; подрывать; срывать: The drought has severely disrupted agricultural production. | The aim of the strike was to disrupt rail services as much as possible. | Climate change could disrupt the agricultural economy. | Frequent strikes dislocated the economy. | The strike at the financial nerve centre was designed to dislocate the economy.
23. disruption | dislocation [uncountable; countable] a situation in which something, especially a system, process or event, is prevented from continuing in its usual way нарушение; разрушение; подрыв; срыв: There had been loss of shipping and sales of overseas assets, but there was no great disruption and dislocation. | The disruption has now spread and is affecting a large part of central Liberia.
disruption / dislocation to / of sth: There was severe disruption to the gas, water and electricity supplies. | The new building was stained by smoke, but there was no disruption to normal operations. | A big jump in energy conservation could be achieved without much disruption of anyone's standard of living.
to cause disruption / dislocation (to / of sth) | to impose disruption / dislocation on sth | to lead to / result in disruption / dislocation: The strike caused widespread disruption to train services. | The storm caused considerable dislocation of air traffic. | Snow has caused serious dislocation to / of train services. | They very often impose large-scale social and environmental disruption on a society. | Change without unity would lead to disruption and chaos. | These could easily lead to the disruption of overseas markets and sources of raw materials.
to minimize disruption / dislocation: If you are considering going on secondment during term time it is obviously important to minimize disruption to the teaching programme.
economic / industry / social / civil disruption / dislocation: This will cause economic disruption comparable with a hike in oil prices or interest rates. | The 1930s was a period of economic dislocation. | At the time of the shooting the students were not rioting or causing civil disruption.
serious / major / severe / substantial / massive / widespread disruption / dislocation: They caused serious disruption to the government's privatization plans. | But it would have caused major disruption in many other areas as well. | The rail strike is causing major disruptions at the country's ports. | The accident, which left wreckage spread over a wide area, blocked the road causing severe traffic disruption. | To support such action, officials would have to show that the publications caused or would probably cause substantial and material disruption. | The one day strike will close many government offices causing massive disruption.
Natural Disasters
1. disaster | catastrophe | calamity [countable; uncountable] a sudden event such as a flood, storm, or accident which causes great damage or suffering бедствие, катастрофа; беда, несчастье; авария: The earthquake was a national disaster. | The blizzard was a catastrophe that affected 17 states, ranging from New Hampshire to Tennessee. | Hurricane George was just the latest calamity to hit the state.
to cause / bring (a) disaster / catastrophe / calamity вызывать бедствие / катастрофу, приводить к бедствию / катастрофе: The earthquake has caused an ecological disaster. | It's threatening to cause a huge ecological disaster. | It is estimated that one heavy rainstorm could bring disaster. | That is 80m times the power of the Hiroshima bomb – enough to cause a global catastrophe.
to spell disaster (for sb / sth) | to threaten (a) catastrophe to make someone expect disaster / catastrophe предвещать бедствие / катастрофу, угрожать бедствием / катастрофой: The drought could spell disaster for wildlife. | The lack of rain could spell disaster for farmers. | More bad weather would spell disaster for this year's wheat crop. | The oil spill threatens an unparalleled ecological catastrophe.
to be a disaster / catastrophe / calamity (for / to sb / sth) to have a very bad effect on: The oil spill was a disaster for Alaskan sea animals. | The fire was a catastrophe for / to everyone.
to be heading for (a) disaster / catastrophe / calamity | to be headed for / towards (a) disaster / catastrophe / calamity | to move towards (a) disaster / catastrophe / calamity идти к бедствию / катастрофе: Forecasters predict the region's economy is heading for disaster. | In sum, our nation was headed towards ecological disaster. | The economy seems to be moving towards catastrophe.
to face / suffer / experience (a) disaster / catastrophe / calamity попасть в беду, испытать несчастье: The Black Sea is facing ecological catastrophe as a result of pollution.
to deal with / cope with // recover from (a) disaster / catastrophe / calamity: It could prevent us from dealing expeditiously with emergencies such as natural disasters or military threats. | The local people are used to coping with disaster.
to result in / end in / lead to (a) disaster / catastrophe / calamity: Most people now accept that global warming could result in an environmental catastrophe. | The expedition ended in disaster, with three people being killed.
to avoid / prevent / avert / ward off (a) disaster / catastrophe / calamity: If the world is to avoid environmental catastrophe, advanced economies must undergo a profound transition. | But they also knew there was a remote chance that their efforts might help to prevent catastrophe. | This would help prevent such a disaster occurring again. | Sudan requires food immediately to avert a humanitarian catastrophe. | We are the last generation who can avert this catastrophe.
(a) disaster / catastrophe strikes / hits (sb / sth) | (a) disaster / catastrophe befalls sb / sth | (a) disaster / catastrophe occurs / happens бедствие / катастрофа происходит / случается / постигает кого-л.: Everything was going smoothly until suddenly disaster struck. | The 1987 hurricane was the worst natural disaster to hit England for decades. | This is one of the worst natural disasters ever to befall the area.
ecological / environmental / economic / nuclear / man-made disaster / catastrophe: Rampart Dam was an ecological disaster probably without precedent in the world. | But it's also a story of ecological disaster and man's excess. | Tex Slampacker was referring to yet another man-made ecological disaster. | Perhaps international pressure can stop this environmental disaster. | The result is that civil, socio-political and environmental disasters are now threatening the roots of our existence. | The 1986 nuclear disaster in Chernobyl spread radiation worldwide. | Scientists say the oil spill is an ecological catastrophe. | Most people now accept that global warming could result in an environmental catastrophe. | Each side claims that its estimate of the chances of nuclear catastrophe is more accurate.
national disaster / catastrophe: The earthquake was a national disaster.
disaster area / zone / scene зона бедствия: The Los Alamos area was officially declared a disaster area after the forest fires there in May.
2. natural disaster / catastrophe [countable; uncountable] a disaster / catastrophe caused by nature, not by an accident стихийное бедствие: Natural disasters such as floods and earthquakes are common occurrences in California. | The plan is intended to protect the environment and reduce damage from natural disasters. | The governor said the earthquake was the worst natural disaster to hit India for over 50 years. | There are many who have suffered personal disaster and whose livelihoods have been destroyed by natural catastrophe or invasion. | Most countries of the world have their records of great natural catastrophes which changed the local face of the earth.
3. drought [countable; uncountable] a long period of dry weather when there is not enough water for plants and animals to live засуха; засушливость; нехватка дождей: A severe drought has caused most of the corn crop to fail. | Somalia was again crippled by a drought that threatened to kill hundreds of thousands more. | The area has been ravaged by drought. | Exacerbated by drought, water abstraction has increased by 70 percent over the past three years to satisfy consumer demand.
(a) drought threatens sb / sth: This year a severe drought threatens the lives of 3m people, half the population.
(a) drought hits sth | to be affected / touched by (a) drought | to be plagued by / with (a) drought: The village has been hit by a devastating drought. | Both places represent semiarid savannas and have repeatedly been affected by drought and famine. | Fires continued to burn elsewhere in the West in states plagued by one of the worst droughts of the century.
to suffer / experience (a) drought: Central Africa is suffering one of the worst droughts of the century. | During the same period, the city experienced its first severe drought.
severe / long / prolonged drought: A severe drought caused most of the crops to fail, then winds reaching hurricane force destroyed what was left. | A severe drought is threatening the rice crop. | This year (a) severe drought has ruined the crops. | This summer, the situation has been exacerbated by prolonged drought.
4. flood | inundation(formal)[countable; uncountable]| flooding[uncountable] a very large amount of water that covers an area that is usually dry наводнение, потоп; затопление; половодье; паводок; разлив: Floods in Bangladesh caused over 100 deaths. | The village was cut off by floods. | The town was completely destroyed by floods. | After the flood it took weeks for the water level to go down. | The river banks have been built up to prevent flooding. | Villagers were moved to higher ground, the great barrage was built, and the flooding began. | Last weekend's flooding left over 10,000 people homeless. | The severe flooding has claimed over 500 lives. | Over the past decade this has flooded six times with another inundation expected this spring.
to cause / lead to a flood / inundation / flooding (in a place): The rainstorms caused floods in the low-lying parts of the town. | The flooding, caused by three days of torrential rain, is the worst in sixty-five years. | The removal of such a sediment source may be disastrous, causing inundation of coastal flood defences. | They were helped by a Spring tide which caused extensive flooding and rendered all the fords impassable. | Flooding caused by the dam may displace up to a million people.
a flood / flood water(s) / floodwater(s) strike(s) / hit(s) / inundate(s) / sweep(s) through (a place): The flood struck / inundated several cities. | The southwest of England has been badly hit by floods. | A couple of years ago these lanes were far from peaceful when a flash flood swept through the area. | Floodwaters periodically inundate the lowlands of the state. | Over 25 people drowned when a school bus tried to cross a river and flood waters swept through.
a flood / flooding destroys / devastates / obliterates / wipes out / ravages sth | a flood / flooding causes / brings destruction (to sth): The country has been devastated by floods. | Frequent flooding eventually obliterated all traces of the community that used to live there. | Whole villages were wiped out by the floods. | The area has been ravaged by floods. | The flood caused great destruction. | The floods brought death and destruction to the area.
to be in flood a river that is in flood has much more water in it than usual so that water flows over its banks: The river is in flood again.
to suffer a flood: Last winter, the town suffered the worst floods for fifty years.
to survive a flood: Snapping out of his brief trance, Mungo supposed Stanley was relieved that at least the shop had survived the flood.
to prevent a flood / inundation / flooding: The scheme proposed by the National Rivers Authority is designed to prevent flooding caused by a repeat of the 1947 event.
a flood / flood water(s) / floodwater(s) subside(s) / recede(s) паводковая вода убывает: The flood (waters) subsided. | After three weeks the flood waters finally receded.
raging flood сильное наводнение
flash flood / flooding a flood that happens very quickly or suddenly, and continues for only a short time внезапное / неожиданное наводнение: In the event of a flash flood, remember that you should immediately seek higher ground. | Summer flash floods achieve little beyond destroying crops. | Violent thunderstorms have caused flash flooding across the region.
flood water(s) / floodwater(s) паводковая вода: Helicopters continued to search for others who had climbed trees to escape from the flood waters. | The building was evacuated, as flood water filled the basement. | The flood waters were controlled by a succession of carefully engineered sluice-gates and locks.
5. to flood (formal) (1) to inundate [transitive] to cover an area of land with a large amount of water затоплять, заливать: A dam burst and flooded their villages. | Towns and cities all over the country have been flooded. | If the dam breaks it will inundate large parts of the town. | Water burst through the dam and flooded local villages. | Floodwaters periodically inundate the lowlands of the state. | The fields were inundated with the heavy rain.
(2) [intransitive] to become covered with a large amount of water быть / оказаться затопленным: Ten years ago the valley flooded. | The whole town flooded last summer. | The houses down by the river flood quite regularly. | The whole town flooded when the river burst its banks.
(3) to overflow[intransitive]| to flood / overflow one's banks / bed | to burst one's banks if a river or lake floods / overflows, water rises up over its edges and covers the land around it разливаться, выйти из берегов
to flood / overflow: Three major rivers have already flooded, and two more are on red alert. | Reservoirs overflowed, and saturated levees continued to break in the San Joaquin Valley. | The drains flooded and water overflowed down the main street.
to flood / overflow one's banks / bed | to burst one's banks: Many streams have flooded their banks, making some roads impassable. | The river overflowed its banks. | 500 people were forced from their houses when several rivers overflowed their banks. | Now the water ran strongly only when the river overflowed its new bed.
6. to flood out [transitive] if people, places, or things are flooded out, the water from a flood makes it impossible for people to stay in that place or to use that thing: The river flooded them out every few years. | Several families living by the river were flooded out. | Train lines were flooded out.
7. earthquake [countable] a sudden shaking movement of the earth's surface that often causes a lot of damage землетрясение: The 1989 earthquake rendered them dangerous, and the structure came down in 1991. | Earthquakes are not common in this part of the world. | The earthquake killed 62 people. | The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 had a magnitude of 8.3. | It was a 6.3-magnitude earthquake. | The earthquake registered / measured 5.3 (points) on the Richter scale.
to record an earthquake зарегистрировать землетрясение
to cause / trigger (off) an earthquake вызвать землетрясение: He claimed that the site was geologically unsound and any stress caused by a shift in water levels could cause an earthquake. | Shifting plates of the Earth's crust push against each other, triggering volcanic eruptions and earthquakes.
an earthquake hits (sth) / strikes (sth) / happens / occurs землетрясение происходит: A severe earthquake hit / struck (the area). | Mexico City was badly hit in the 1985 earthquake. | About two-hundred people died in the earthquake which hit northern Peru. | A powerful earthquake struck the Italian island of Sicily early this morning. | A severe earthquake struck the area. | An earthquake measuring 6.1 on the Richter scale struck southern California on June 28. | Earthquakes happen when stresses in rock are suddenly released as the rocks fracture.
an earthquake destroys / devastates / flattens / razes (to the ground) / shakes sth | an earthquake reduces sth to rubble | an earthquake causes / brings destruction (to sth): In 1906 an earthquake destroyed much of San Francisco. | Kobe was devastated by the 1995 earthquake. | Western India was devastated by a huge earthquake. | More than 10,000 houses were flattened by the quake. | The city has been razed by an earthquake. | The city continued to thrive until a massive earthquake razed it to the ground in 749AD. | On 4 March 1977, Bucharest was shaken by a severe earthquake. | A massive earthquake reduced the city to rubble. | The president flew in to look at the destruction caused by the earthquake.
to survive an earthquake: They survived what was, at least, a Pretty Big Onethe largest earthquake to strike northern California in eighty-three years.
light / minor earthquake легкое землетрясение: There was a terrifying rumbling noise and the stairs shook as though a minor earthquake had passed beneath the house.
severe / powerful / devastating earthquake сильное / разрушительное землетрясение: San Francisco was shaken by a severe earthquake which, together with the fire that followed, almost completely destroyed the city. | A powerful earthquake struck the Italian island of Sicily early this morning. | The plant, situated on the outskirts of the capital, Yerevan, was closed after the devastating earthquake in 1988.
earthquake zone: The city is in an earthquake zone. | Government officials visited the earthquake zone on Thursday morning to co-ordinate the relief effort.
8. volcano [countable; plural –volcanoes / volcanos] a mountain with a large hole at the top, through which hot rocks, lava, and ash sometimes rise into the air from inside the earth вулкан: They found ash from the volcano all the way over in Kansas. | The volcano came to life a week ago. | The volcano spewed out more scorching volcanic ashes, gases and rocks.
a volcano erupts вулкан извергается: Pompeii was destroyed when the volcano erupted in 79 AD. | The volcano last erupted over fifty years ago. | The volcano erupted last year killing about 600 people. | The volcano erupted in 1980, devastating a large area of Washington state.
active volcano one that may explode at any time действующий вулкан: Etna is Europe's most active volcano.
dormant / sleeping volcano one that is not active at the moment спящий вулкан: The term 'dormant volcano' is applied during the period between eruptions to those volcanoes thought to be potentially active. | The site chosen for the painting is a view across the bays of the dormant volcano Rangitoto which dominates Auckland's skyline. | So on this occasion when the priest set forth this ancient cry, it was as if a sleeping volcano erupted.
extinct / dead volcano one that is no longer active at all потухший вулкан: Even mightier in the background is the extinct volcano of Arthur's Seat. | The island is actually the summit of a huge, extinct volcano.
9. eruption [uncountable; countable] an outbreak of a volcano извержение: eruptions of ashes and lava | in a state of eruption
volcanic eruption извержение вулкана
10. landslide | landfall | landslip(British English)| mudslide [countable] a sudden fall of a lot of earth or rocks down the side of a cliff, hill, mountain etc обвал, оползень: There were also a number of landslides in the area. | Small communities in Idaho were cut off when highways were closed by landslides or flooding. | Areas threatened by landslides and floods are being identified and rezoned to prevent later devastation. | Most of the deaths were caused by landslides and collapsing buildings. | Roads were flooded or blocked by landslips. | Five homes there were evacuated because of mudslides. | Some mudslides were reported throughout the region, blocking part of a river and causing some flooding.
to cause / trigger (off) a landslide / landslip / mudslide: Flooding caused landslides and serious property damage. | Torrential rains caused a massive mudslide. | Initial rescue efforts were hampered by a lack of heavy equipment and by landslides triggered by the initial earthquake.
11. avalanche [countable] a large mass of snow, ice, and rocks that suddenly falls down the side of a mountain лавина, обвал: Two skiers were killed in the avalanche. | The original station in the open was destroyed by an avalanche with the loss of thirty-five lives in 1964. | Eventually he is killed by an Alpine avalanche.
12. storm [countable] a period of very bad weather when there is a lot of rain or snow, strong winds, and often thunder and lightning буря, гроза; ураган; шторм: The forecast says there will be storms. | The Spanish ships were wrecked in the storm. | A lot of trees were blown down in the recent storms. | They're still clearing up the storm damage.
a storm brews / gathers собирается буря: There was a storm brewing on the horizon. | There's a storm brewing in the Pacific. | A storm was gathering.
a storm breaks / unleashes itself it suddenly begins буря поднимается / начинается / разражается: The storm broke at five o'clock. | A violent storm broke just as we reached the mountain. | That very night a fierce storm broke over the sea. | In the evening the wind became stronger and soon a great storm broke above us. | It was when they decided to return to shore that a terrible storm unleashed itself in the Moray Firth.
13. hurricane [countable] a storm that has extremely strong winds and heavy rain and that moves over water, especially found in the West Atlantic Ocean ураган; тропический циклон: The hurricane blew some palm trees over. | In 1842 six ships were at anchor in Funchal Bay when a hurricane blew them all on to the shore. | Hurricane Andrew was last night heading into the Gulf of Mexico. | In 1346 a hurricane whipped up the sea to destroy the town. | Hurricane George was just the latest calamity to hit the state.
the eye of a hurricane центр урагана: The eye of the hurricane hit Florida just south of Miami.
hurricane force very strong: Everywhere there are typhoons, sometimes of hurricane force. | Hurricane force winds are expected tonight. | A hurricane-force gust blew off part of a church tower.
14. tornado (plural – tornadoes / tornados) | whirlwind | twister (American English) (informal) [countable] an extremely strong wind that moves quickly with a circular movement, causing a lot of damage смерч, торнадо; вихрь; сильный ураган: A tornado destroyed twelve homes in Ashport, Tennessee yesterday. | Rival scientists battle to place scientific equipment in the path of a raging tornado. | A team of scientists chases tornadoes, then the twisters chase the scientists. | Being in a car that is lifted into the sky by a twister tends to give you good material.
15. cyclone [countable] a violent tropical storm or wind in which the air moves very fast in a circle циклон; область низкого давления: Darwin was flattened by Cyclone Tracy in 1974. | The north and south winds met where the house stood, and made it the exact centre of the cyclone. | A cyclone in the Bay of Bengal is threatening the eastern Indian states.
16. typhoon [countable] a very violent storm in tropical areas in which the wind moves in circles, found in the West Pacific Ocean тайфун: Suddenly a fierce typhoon descends upon the Pequod. | This is because the hottest time coincides with the typhoon season. | It has called the typhoon the worst natural disaster in South Korea in four years. | The typhoon has left a trail of death and destruction across much of central Japan.
17. storm | hurricane | tornado | whirlwind | twister | cyclone | typhoon COLLOCATIONS
to cause a storm / hurricane / tornado / whirlwind / twister / cyclone / typhoon: That collision of conflicting air masses usually causes particularly rambunctious storms to slam California.
a storm / hurricane / tornado / whirlwind / twister / cyclone / typhoon occurs: It is designed to withstand the sort of storm that statistically would be expected to occur once in every 10,000 years.
a storm / hurricane / tornado / whirlwind / twister / cyclone / typhoon hits / strikes (sth) буря налетает / наносит урон: The storm finally hit. | The hurricane / tornado / typhoon hit / struck (several cities). | Hurricane Louis is expected to hit at the weekend. | The storm was the most powerful to hit Hawaii this century. | The 1987 hurricane was the worst natural disaster to hit England for decades. | The state of Florida was hit by a hurricane that did serious damage. | Twenty people were killed when storms struck the Mid-West.
a storm / hurricane / tornado / whirlwind / twister / cyclone / typhoon destroys / devastates / flattens / razes (to the ground) / levels (to / with the ground) / ravages sth буря разрушает / наносит урон: Hundreds of homes were flattened by the tornado. | The storm levelled hundreds of houses, but left some untouched. | A tornado ravaged the countryside.
a storm / hurricane / tornado / whirlwind / twister / cyclone / typhoon rages буря бушует: By the time we reached the airfield next morning a tropical storm was raging.
a storm / hurricane / tornado / whirlwind / twister / cyclone / typhoon abates / subsides / blows over / blows itself out буря стихает / утихает: The ship sailed when the storm abated. | We waited for the storm to abate. | The storm has lasted a long time, it should soon blow over. | The hurricane blew itself out.
to be / get caught in a storm / hurricane / tornado / whirlwind / twister / cyclone / typhoon: They are believed to have been caught in a storm without enough food or water. | Then one day Johnny Appleseed got caught in a fierce storm.
great / fierce / heavy / severe / terrible / raging / violent / howling storm / hurricane / tornado / whirlwind / twister / cyclone / typhoon сильная буря: But there may also be more extremes in the weather such as severe storms, droughts and floods. | Once there was a terrible storm with very heavy rain. | The sky was overcast and suddenly there was a violent thunder storm. | The authors also predict an increase in violent storms, fires, landslides and avalanches in the Alpine region as well as widespread deforestation.
18. lightning [uncountable] a powerful flash of light in the sky caused by electricity and usually followed by thunder молния: There was a great summer storm, with thunder and lightning and heavy rain.
lightning flashes / flickers молния сверкает: Lightning flashed overhead. | Overhead, lightning flickered frequently as the static electricity accumulating in the ash cloud discharged.
lightning strikes / hits (sb) молния ударяет: Two farm workers were struck by lightning. | Another bolt of lightning struck behind him. | That tree was struck by lightning.
flash / bolt of lightning вспышка молнии: A flash of lightning lit up the sky. | Another flash of lightning lit up the cave. | The rumbling becomes louder and is interspersed with flashes of lightning as the sky blackens. | Atop a mountain he slew his daughter, then was immediately struck dead by a bolt of lightning.
lightning strike | stroke of lightning удар молнии: I believe that there was a lightning strike on the car. | Energy was released into the building by a lightning strike.
forked lightning зигзагообразная молния
ball lightning шаровая молния
Farming
1. farming [uncountable] the practice or business of growing crops or keeping animals on a farm занятие сельским хозяйством / фермерством, ведение сельского / фермерского хозяйства; земледелие: In the wettest and wildest parts of the marshes, fishing and fowling replaced more organized farming.
arable / livestock / sheep / dairy / fish / fur farming: It was no accident that a good many towns were sited on the borderline between arable farming and pastoral regions. | Livestock farming has been seriously affected by the need to produce so much so quickly. | But coyotes are taking the biggest bite out of sheep farming in Northern California. | This makes the area unsuitable for dairy farming where a constant supply of lush summer grass is essential.
farming industry: The farming industry needs to inform the public about all aspects of their industry and open these up to public discussion. | As has been said before, there is a general gloom about the farming industry.
2. agriculture [uncountable] the practice or science of farming сельское хозяйство; земледелие; агрономия: Local wildlife and agriculture are likely to be badly affected, environmentalists claim. | More than 75% of the land is used for agriculture. | But this pattern has begun to change, especially in the ever-sensitive area of agriculture. | The initiative will allow the entrepreneurs to test new approaches to agriculture or develop new agricultural products and activities. | Agriculture is still largely based on traditional methods in some countries. | The area depends on agriculture for most of its income.
3. farming | agriculture COLLOCATIONS
to be involved / engaged / employed in farming / agriculture | to practise farming / agriculture заниматься сельским хозяйством: She will most probably be involved in agriculture, in subsistence farming of crops like rice. | They were engaged in agriculture and industry but they renounced trade. | At the beginning of the 1980s, about a third of the total labour force was employed in agriculture. | Seventy percent of the country's population practises subsistence agriculture.
intensive / sustainable / traditional / organic farming / agriculture: They said they didn't have strong views on intensive farming. | Our increase in intensive farming has brought with it an increase in outbreaks of food poisoning. | More intensive agriculture has led to increased concentrations of nitrate in groundwater in many areas. | The basic challenge for sustainable agriculture is to maximize the use of locally-available and renewable resources. | One battleground in the debate is the issue of whether biotechnology threatens sustainable agriculture. | Quietly, slowly and significantly, sustainable agriculture is sweeping the farming systems of the world. | The decline in revenue from traditional farming means that farmers must diversify. | If agreed by the Council of Ministers it will form the basis for support to the maintenance of traditional agriculture without intensification. | Some farmers are likely to achieve this by converting to organic farming.
subsistence farming / agriculture натуральное сельское хозяйство; примитивное сельское хозяйство: Much of the worldwide loss was the result of impoverished farmers being compelled to clear the land for subsistence agriculture. | By contrast, there was a general shift from subsistence agriculture to the production of cash crops and the provision of services. | The world which had been dominated by subsistence agriculture crumbled.
4. agricultural (adjective) relating to farming сельскохозяйственный; аграрный, земельный, земледельческий: The country's economy is mainly agricultural and depends on crops like coffee. | The land is only to be used for agricultural purposes. | Large families are more common in traditional agricultural societies than in cities. | The Saudi authorities have made agricultural development a central plank of policy to make the country less dependent on imports. | Relief agencies are stepping up efforts to provide food, shelter and agricultural equipment.
agricultural land: The world's supply of agricultural land is shrinking fast. | Good agricultural land is in short supply. | Chemical products were used liberally over agricultural land.
agricultural policy: Farmers have criticized the government's agricultural policy.
agricultural reform: Successful agricultural reform is also a sine qua non of Mexico's modernization.
agricultural productivity / efficiency продуктивность сельского хозяйства, производительность труда в сельском хозяйстве: Agricultural productivity remained low by comparison with advanced countries like the United States. | There are many ways to increase agricultural efficiency in the poorer areas of the world.
agricultural products / produce сельскохозяйственные продукты, сельскохозяйственная продукция: France is the world's second-biggest exporter of agricultural products. | There's a glut of agricultural products in Western Europe.
agricultural production сельскохозяйственное производство: The drought has severely disrupted agricultural production. | Exceptionally dry weather over the past year has cut agricultural production.
agricultural / farm subsidies субсидии на развитие сельского хозяйства: The European Community is at loggerheads with the rest of the world over its agricultural subsidies. | The US wants big cuts in European agricultural export subsidies, but this is meeting resistance. | A clash with America over farm subsidies left the Europeans and their common agricultural policy shaken but not stirred.
agricultural chemistry агрохимия
agricultural engineering агротехника
5. to farm [transitive; intransitive] to use land for growing crops or keeping animals заниматься сельским хозяйством; обрабатывать землю
to farm sth: They farmed some of the best land in Scotland. | His grandfather farmed 250 acres across the border in County Monaghan. | He farms sheep. | Their land is farmed very intensively. | The land has been farmed organically since 1995. | Apart from the small plots given to each member family for their house and garden, all the land is farmed collectively.
to farm: They've been farming in the area all their lives. | The family has farmed here for generations. | My family has farmed here since 1901. | The cossacks were given allotments of land and farmed there as the wooden fortifications gradually rotted away.
6. to cultivate [transitive] (1) to till | to work to prepare and use land for growing crops обрабатывать, возделывать: Farmers worked the fertile valleys. | He was left to work the farm alone.
to cultivate / till the land / field / soil: The land was too poor / rocky to cultivate. | Population growth is causing people to clear more woodland so that they can cultivate the land. | The tribe cultivated the land and grew the food. | Most of the world's fertile land is already being cultivated. | In agricultural societies, men tilled the land while women tended home and children. | The townspeople tilled the soil and produced most everything they ate. | Workers were singing as they tilled the rice paddy fields. | They were looking forward to tilling their own fields in a land of plenty.
cultivated land обрабатываемая земля: Today, we have only about two acres of cultivated land per person.
tilled field обработанное поле: freshly tilled fields
(2) (formal) to grow to plant and take care of a particular crop выращивать, культивировать; разводить: We cultivated maize and watermelons. | Gradually it was found more profitable to cultivate vines and olives rather than grain. | Rice is cultivated throughout the coastal regions. | Many people in other parts of the world grow crops for their own use. | Farmers grow only a few crops, while gatherers pick from a vast range of wild plants. | The villagers grow coffee and maize to sell in the market.
7. to fertilize [transitive] to add a natural or chemical substance to soil in order to help plants grow удобрять, обогащать (почву), вносить удобрение
to fertilize the soil / a field / a plant: The faeces contain nitrogen and it is that which fertilizes the desert soil. | When I do fertilize the plants you mention, I use a high-phosphorus fertilizer.
8. to irrigate [transitive] to supply land with water so that crops will grow орошать; поливать
to irrigate the soil / land / farm / area / region: A system of channels carries water down from the mountains to irrigate the soil. | This water goes first to generate hydroelectric power and then to irrigate the land. | The stored water is then used to irrigate nearby agricultural land. | None of the water from Lake Powell is used to irrigate the area. | In order to overcome the problem of an inadequate water supply, many parts of the arid and semi-arid regions have been irrigated.
irrigated land / field / farm / crop: All of the newly irrigated land has been allocated to Sri Lankan farmers and their families in plots of one hectare. | Large amounts of cotton are also grown in irrigated fields surrounding the town.
9. to harvest | to reap [transitive; intransitive] to gather a crop from the fields собирать / убирать / снимать урожай, жать: The group scatters to harvest the guavas. | The farmers are harvesting their crops. | Winter wheat is planted in the autumn and harvested in early summer. | The painting depicted a group of peasants reaping a harvest of fruits and vegetables. | Spring and summer are taken up by the reaping of hay and the threshing of corn.
10. cultivation [uncountable] the planting and growing of plants and crops обработка, возделывание; выращивание, культивирование; разведение: Shifting cultivation was still being practised in Czechoslovakia, for example, until the late 1970s at least. | Regularly, where intensive cultivation succeeds, civilized people in the Far East occupy only small areas. | Terraces for rice cultivation covered the hillsides. | Sugar cane cultivation is in decline on the island. | The ranch was used mainly for the cultivation of strawberries.
(to be / bring sth) under cultivation (to be / start to be) used for growing crops: These fields have been under cultivation for years. | Every inch of fertile land was under cultivation. | Even though the population expanded, there was no possibility of bringing ever-increasing amounts of land under cultivation. | Predicting how much more land can be brought under cultivation is complicated by two other factors.
11. irrigation [uncountable] орошение, ирригация; полив: a sophisticated irrigation system | major irrigation projects| The agricultural land is hilly and the irrigation poor.
12. harvest [uncountable; countable] (1) the act of gathering a crop from the fields сбор / уборка урожая, страда; жатва: The field was ploughed up after the harvest.
(2) harvest time / season the time of year when a crop is gathered from the fields сезон сбора урожая, время жатвы, страдная пора: It rained for the potato harvest. | There was about 300 million tons of grain in the fields at the start of the harvest. | It was harvest time. | It was impossible to carry out the perambulations during the harvest season.
at harvest (time) во время сбора урожая / жатвы: The way the year is running we could have a drought at midwinter and snowdrops at harvest time. | It won't be long now till harvest (time). | Her chief festival, of course, came at the harvest time.
13. crop [countable] (1) a plant such as grain, fruit or vegetable that is grown by farmers and used as food сельскохозяйственная культура: The main crop is wheat and this is grown even on the very steep slopes. | The main crop in China is rice. | The main crops were oats and barley. | The wind and rain flattened the crops.
to plant a crop сажать сельскохозяйственную культуру: They're all out planting the crops today. | Rice farmers here still plant and harvest their crops by hand.
to grow a crop выращивать сельскохозяйственную культуру: With high-yield varieties of rice the farmers can grow two or three crops a year. | Most of the land is used for growing crops. | Enormous discipline would be necessary to run the irrigation systems necessary to grow crops. | There is enough rain in this region to provide grazing for cattle and good land to grow crops.
to spray crops (with sth) | to spray sth (on / on to a crop) опылять / опрыскивать культуру: Farmer Chris Slatter was spraying a crop of flax when he made the grim discovery. | If the food market expands, they reason, it could reduce the need to spray crops with harmful pesticides. | Most viruses used in pest control programmes have been sprayed directly on to crops.
to be in crop / out of crop to be / not be cultivated: The land is in / out of crop.
cash crop grown to be sold for profit товарная культура: Tobacco is the state's largest cash crop. | Why don't producer nations simply switch crops and either become more self-sufficient in food, or produce a different cash crop?
to rotate crops чередовать культуры
crop rotation: To these ends, longer and new crop rotations can be introduced. | What crop rotation will suit the farm?
(2) harvest | output the amount of grain, fruit or vegetable that is produced in a season урожай: a crop of wheat / rice / potatoes | the wheat / corn / grain / potato / grape / rice crop / harvest | The US government says that this year's corn crop should be about 8 percent more than last year. | By the 1880s half the wheat harvest was being exported. | It was estimated that 20 percent of the grape harvest had been lost. | Indian farmers have doubled their output of cereal crops like wheat.
good / excellent / bumper / record / ample / abundant / bountiful / bounteous / rich crop / harvest a very large amount of grain, fruit or vegetable produced in a season хороший / большой / богатый / щедрый / небывалый / невиданный / обильный урожай: We had a good harvest this year. | An excellent rice harvest caused prices to plummet by 40 %. | Last year we had a bumper crop of strawberries. | Farmers have reported a bumper crop this year. | Plum growers are expecting a bumper harvest this year. | Wheat farmers have had a record crop this year.
poor / bad / scanty crop / harvest плохой / бедный / скудный урожай: Poor harvests increased food prices. | The unfairness lay in the fact that these very poor harvests were mainly the result of natural causes. | Then there was a long drought which produced a very poor harvest. | Millions of people are threatened with starvation as a result of drought and poor harvests. | But a succession of bad harvests has sent the price of this most popular bubbly soaring.
to produce a crop выращивать; заниматься производством сельскохозяйственной культуры: In autumn 1995, each produced a small crop of their designated variety. | Each year it produces a fine crop of fruit.
crop production производство сельскохозяйственной продукции: How can it benefit crop production? | Such measures inevitably incur substantial costs which in turn increases the cost of crop production. | The amount of new land available for crop production is extremely limited in almost every part of the world. | The higher concentration boosted crop production by 40 percent in cotton and by 10 percent in wheat.
to bear / yield a crop / harvest приносить / давать урожай
to gather in / get in / harvest / reap a crop | to bring in / reap a harvest to collect crops from the field when they are ready собирать / убирать / снимать урожай, жать: Fruit growers are gathering in a bumper crop. | Be ready to harvest crops from April. | A good solution is to harvest the crop early in September, storing the tubers out of harms way.
to lose a crop / harvest: The rain was so bad this year that he lost the whole crop of barley. | And if the rain continues, some farmers may lose their entire crop. | It was during the floods in 1984 when lots of people lost their crops and there was no work for them.
crop yield урожайность: He pored over geography books in the Richmond library, searching for information on climate, soil conditions, and crop yields. | In 1922 it was not so easy to predict crop yields as it is today. | Plantations had an excellent year with increased crop yields and improved prices for its produce. | The project has enabled farmers to reduce environmental pollution whilst raising crop yields. | With cross-breeding, they improve crop yields and increase resistance to pests and disease.
crop failure неурожай, недород: The famine was caused by drought, which led to widespread crop failure. | That year, crop failure led to widespread famine. | In the Middle Ages, years of crop failure were always followed by terrible disease.
a crop fails случается неурожай: The maize crops have almost completely failed for several years running.
14. genetically modified / engineered | GM (adjective) a genetically modified substance or crop has had its genetic structure changed in order to make it more suitable for a particular purpose, for example, so that they are not affected by particular diseases or harmful insects генетически модифицированный / измененный: genetically modified food / crops | Top supermarkets are to ban many genetically modified foods. | Many of us may be eating food containing GM ingredients without realizing it.
15. soil [uncountable; countable] the top layer of the earth in which plants grow почва, земля, грунт: sandy / chalky / clay / dry / soggy / swampy / waterlogged soil(s) | The bush grows well in a sandy soil. | Most herbs grow well in dry soil. | The dry rocky soil is suitable for planting vines.
to enrich the soil: This can be promoted by burning which removes woody tissue and locally enriches the soil.
fertile soil плодородная почва: We have the most fertile soil in Europe. | Agriculture flourished on the fertile soils of Kosovo and Metohija. | They do best in a deep, fertile soil that is well drained, but does not seriously dry out.
barren / poor soil бедная / бесплодная почва: The soil here is very poor.
virgin soil целинная почва, целина, новь
soil loss: Such studies may yield exaggerated estimates of total soil lo