In the estuary of the lena
The delta of the Lena, a major Siberian river, is a labyrinth of channels and islands whose territory totals 32,000 sq km. Since 1985, a part of it has been declared a wildlife preserve. Together with the neighbouring Kharaulakh Ridge the preserve’s area amounts to 14,330 sq km.
The Yakutian coast of the Arctic Ocean, where the preserve is located, is known for its severe climate; people rarely settle there. Yet, few as they are, hunters’ and fishermen’s communities have done much to ruin the environment for the indigenous delta inhabitants. As a result, not only food-fish, game-birds and fur animals but other species, too, have dramatically decreased in number. The total of swans and geese in the past two decades has been cut down by 600 and 300 per cent respectively; at present the Lena can boast 156-fold less whitefish than half a century ago. Small wonder that experts in tundra studies insisted upon making the delta of the Lena a wildlife preserve, and the authorities responded to their reasoning.
Almost half of the preserve’s territory is covered by plain and mountainous tundra – shrubby, grassy and rocky. There are many swamps, some of them typical of coastal areas of northern Asia – from a helicopter they look like enamel polygons separated from each other by rollers of clay and peat; they owe their existence to the ground ice.
The preserve is criss-crossed with channels and branches of the river; in summer, together with numerous lakes on the islands, they attract diverse water-fowl.
Winters are as cold and long, as everywhere else north of the Arctic Circle; only a hundred days a year there is no snow. By average indications the weather in the delta of the Lena is even more unwelcoming than in the “freezers” of the Northern Hemisphere – Yakutia’s Verkhoyansk and Oimyakon. Summers are cool and short, yet sufficient for the green and vibrant celebration of life: yellow polar poppies, carpets of pinkish-lilac carnations…The strength of life is indomitable: the stems of the blossoming pasque-flower struggle their way even through the snow.
Few people know that the tundra is home for some trees, too. There are even groves of one of the larch species in some places. The maximum height for such trees is three metres. Nearly 400 species of higher plants (86 among them are rare ones) grow in the preserve.
As for fauna, the preserve is inhabited by 94 species of birds and 29 – of mammals (five of them live in the sea). The preserve has given shelter to such rare animals as the polar bear, Laptev’s walrus, unicorn fish, sea hare, beluga, and in the mountainous part of it – to the polar ram and black marmot.
Nesting in the preserve are pink sea-gulls, black brants and smaller swans – birds which have been taken under special protection. To restore the former number of fish, birds and animals entered in the Red Books of all ranks is one of the major objectives of the preserve.
Experts are studying the valuable whitefish, nelma and other fishes of the same species, the biology of frostfish and the Pacific herring all the year round. The preserve is a vintage treasure-trove for ornithologists and botanists.
UNIT 7 WATER
INTRODUCTION
7.1 Study the information and answer the following questions after.
Water is a very important part of our environment. But how important is it? How many ways of using water do you know? Here are some of them.
DOMESTIC
Drinking People need to drink clean water every day. Over 1.5 billion people do not have clean drinking water.
WashingTaking a regular shower or bath is part of our lives. We also use water to wash the dishes, our clothes, and the house. The problem is, this fresh water then becomes waste water.
Cooking Do you want to cook some pasta or rice? You need water! Preparing salad? You wash it in water. Boiling potatoes? Water again!
The WHO (World Health Organization) says that a person needs 19litres of water a day. One in three Asians do not have safe drinking water, and one in two has no sanitation. Over 1.5billion people do not have clean drinking water.
AGRICULTURE
Animals Like humans, animals need to drink water to survive.
Irrigation Plants need water, too. So farmers use it to help their crops to grow. With water, dry land can produce crops. When there is no rain, irrigation is necessary for agriculture.
Fish Fish live in fresh water, in lakes and rivers. Many fish live in salt water, in the ocean. These fish are wild, but in many countries there are now also fish farms.
INDUSTRY
Machinery Machines use water.
Transport We transport things by water. Ships travel on the seas, rivers and canals.
Energy Countries where it rains a lot, or with high mountains, use water to produce electricity.
The WHO says that the largest water users are: Agriculture 70%, Industry 20% and Domestic Use 10%.
► 1 How many ways do we use water?
2 How many ways do you use water?
3 What is WHO?
4 What is the difference / similarity between drinkingwater, clean water, fresh water and waste water? Use a dictionary to help you.
5 What is irrigation? Where and why is it used?
7.2 Can we live without water? Of course not. Read the text below to support this idea and answer the questions after it.
The human body is about 65 per cent water. If you stopped drinking water (or drinks and food containing water) you would die within three or four days. But the water you drink must be clean.
Each day an average person uses the following amounts of water:
Toilet flushing 35 litres Bathing 30 litres
Cooking and drinking 30 litres Using a shower 12-20 litres
The average daily total per person is 140 litres. The average family uses 480 litres of water a day.
Water can carry diseases. According to a recent report published by the United Nations, every day throughout the world about 25,000 people die from diseases related to dirty water.
It takes 31,600 litres of water to make one car and 4,124 litres to make one tonne of steel. It takes 53 litres of water to make one pair of leather shoes and 9 litres of water to make every paper that you read.
● How much of the human body is water?
● How much water does an average person use for bathing?
● How many people die per day from disease related to dirty water?
● How many litres of water does it take to make one pair of leather shoes?
● How long can a person live without water?
7.3 Here are some words and phrases relating to water. Match them with their definitions.
| 1 running water | a) an amount of wetness caused by the presence of water |
| 2 water shortage | b) how much water there is in something |
| 3 moisture | c) water that is flowing |
| 4 water content | d) a continuous movement of water |
| 5 contamination | e) an animal or plant lives or grows in water |
| 6 flood | f) animals that are able to live both in water and on land |
| 7 current | g) things that does not let water pass through |
| 8 torrent | h) pollution |
| 9 aquatic species | i) when there is not much water available |
| 10 amphibious | j) a very large amount of water that moves quickly and strongly |
| 11 waterproof | k) very large amount of water covering land and causing serious damage |
7.4 Fill in the appropriate words from the list.