Read the text and understand the main points of it.

The USA law on clean air - the "arcane" for pollution

In the USA the law "On clean air" was adopted for the first time in 1955 and was revised in 1963, 1965 and 1967. In theses early editions the role of the Federal government was kept in the shadow. The largest part of controlling functions and oversight of the law' s execution was left to the states, which largely ignore the law. The current law was adopted in 1970 and was significantly amended and expanded in 1977. Today the "Law on clean air" is а quite thick document including more than 100 pages. The Law is accompanied by а large number of other legislative acts. The foundation of the Law is comprised of the national air quality standards, which set the acceptable levels for various polluting substances. The law also sets various quality standards for the industrial plants, power plants, and other, so called, "stationary pollutants". Finally, the law has provisions covering the exhaust gases of the vehicles. This stimulated the officials to use of catalytic transformers and quality control of the work of the vehicles' engines. Three largest vehicle manufacturers started to conduct serious work to develop mass production of electric vehicles, which can effectively compete with the gasoline-powered ones. Officials in California made а decision to deploy zero-pollution vehicles by 1998. Accordingly, for the gasoline engines а provision was made to supply оnlу clean gasoline. The Law insisted in large companies stimulating their workers using one саr or public transportation to go to work. Within а short period of time the carbon monoxide wastes were reduced by 90% and nitrogen oxide - by 75%. The US Congress constantly makes amendments to the Law necessary to solve their problem of toxic air pollution.

Note:

To amend – вносить поправки

Text 3

Sources of air pollution

Vocabulary

1 emissions, n 2 sources, n 3 poisons, n 4 emit, v 5 harmful, a 6 utilities, n 7 clean up, v 8 stacks, n 9 undertaking, n 10 beneficial, a 11 be no consequence to 12 health hazards 13 air stagnation 14 hazardous, a 15 vaporized chemicals

выбросы, выделение, распространение источники (загрязнения) яды, ядовитые загрязнения выделять, излучать вредный, опасный коммунальные службы привести в порядок, очистить, вычистить промышленные выбросы дело, обязательство благоприятный, полезный не иметь последствий для ч/либо опасность для здоровья застоявшийся, неподвижный воздух опасный, вредный распыленные химические вещества

Read the text:

Only during the past 20 years or so have the people of the United States begun to understand that air is a resource that can be managed for health and environmental quality. Management of our air means gaining control over industrial emissions and the emissions from individual sources, such as cars, trucks, and temporary sources such as construction projects.

Pollution of the air by certain industrial processes, particularly by burning of coal, has been a concern for many years. However, it was not until thousands died because of air pollution, in such cities as London in the 1950s, that the first steps were taken to reduce the poisons that were routinely being emitted into the air we breathe.

Two major sources of harmful emissions became the targets for initial action: utilities and industries, and motor vehicles. Steps were first taken to clean up smokestack emissions around power plants and industrial complexes. Attention was then focused on the sulfur oxides emitted from utility, commercial, and industrial stacks. At the same time devices were developed to cut back on emissions from motor vehicles.

It took years and money, but progress was made during the 1960s and 1970s. The air is generally cleaner today than it was 20 years ago in much of the Nation.

Air quality management is a complex undertaking. It is complicated by the nature of air, and by the gases that are commonly considered its basic components. It is further complicated by the continual chemical changes that take place in the air as it moves from one location to another and by atmospheric forces. These changes can be beneficial, harmful, or of little or no consequence to the environment.

It is because of the potential health hazards associated with air pollution in large urban centers that special understanding of city air pollution is needed. This is especially true in the regions where large cities often occupy low-lying areas, and where long periods of air stagnation are common during the summer months. Sources of pollution are more abundant in major cities than in small towns or rural areas. Often there are coal-fired power plants nearby; schools, universities, hospitals, and other institutions often burn oil as their heat source; office buildings, shopping malls, etc. also use fossil fuels as their sources of heat; industries use fossil fuels as a vital part of industrial processes; each individual home, burning oil, gas, or wood, adds to the pollution entering the city’s air.

There are many other sources of pollution: motor vehicles, construction activities, dust generated in the city and from agricultural activities nearby, and thousands of vaporized chemicals, some of them toxic and hazardous.

COMPREHENSION

Read the text and study the vocabulary.
Find in the text and write down key words to speak about the problem of air pollution.
Read the text again and answer the following questions:

a) Can we consider air to be a resource? Why?

b) What does the management of our air mean?

c) What did happen in London in the 1950s?

d) What are the two major sources of air pollution?

e) Why is air quality management a complex undertaking?

f) What are the potential health hazards in large cities?

g) Can you tell what are the sources of pollution in major cities?

Complete the sentences and write the resume of the text:

a. The text deals with…

b. At the beginning it is said that management of our air…

c. Then the author…

d. Two major sources of harmful emissions…

e. Next the author passes on to…

f. We find out that sources of pollution…

g. In conclusion…

Text 3A.

Read the text to find answers to the given questions:

What institutions control the quality of urban air?
What is done to reduce the amount of air pollution?

Federal agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency and state and local regulatory agencies are concerned with the quality of urban air across the country. State and metropolitan air quality agencies also monitor air quality in some especially troublesome locations to measure the effectiveness of antipollution measures.

Each year millions of dollars are spent to reduce the amount of pollution emitted into the atmosphere. Such control devices as electrostatic precipitators, scrubbers, and catalytic converters are already used to reduce emissions from smokestacks and automobile exhausts. However, even tighter controls may be needed in the future. It is an endless battle, one that is essential to safeguard human health and the natural environment.

What do you think of the quality of air in Tyumen?

What would you like to suggest to solve the problem?

Text 4.

Acid Rain.

Vocabulary

1 acid precipitation (acid rain) 2 acidic, a 3 acidity, n 4 the earth’s weathering 5 threat, n 6 alkalinity, n 7 decay processes 8 pinpoint, v 9 reproduce, v 10 crop yields

кислотный дождь кислый кислотность процессы выветривания угроза, опасность щелочность процессы распада указывать, показывать воспроизводить(ся), размножаться урожаи зерновых

“Acid rain” has become an issue of serious concern and a real challenge to air resource managers.

Precipitation absorbs carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and falls to earth as an extremely weak solution of carbonic acid. This is a natural occurrence that functions as an integral part of the earth’s weathering and soil-forming processes and poses no threat to the environment. However, when sulfur and nitrogen oxides from industrial pollution chemically combine with the precipitation it becomes dangerously acidic and is termed ACID PRECIPITATION or, as it is more commonly called, ACID RAIN.

To understand acid rain, we first must understand what an acid is. Acidity or alkalinity is measured on a pH scale which ranges from 1 to 14. A substance with a pH of 7 is considered neutral. Low pH values indicate acidity while high values indicate alkaline conditions, the lower the number, the stronger the acid.

Unpolluted rain slightly acidic with a pH of 5.0 to 5.2. In areas of central and northern Europe, the eastern United States, and Russia the annual average pH of precipitation is now between 4 and 4.5 which is 5 to 8 times more acidic than unpolluted rain.

The acid-forming compounds come from natural as well as manmade sources. A volcanic eruption halfway around the world can cause acidic conditions covering half the globe. Decay processes involving both plant and animal materials, which occur in marshes, swamps, and oceans, can also produce chemicals that can increase acidic deposits. Many researches, however, believe that a major source of increased acid in rainfall is such industrial activity as the burning of fossil fuels like coal, gasoline, fuel oil, and natural gas.

The effects of acid rain are difficult to pinpoint. We know that when a stream or lake becomes too acidic, fish and their food sources are effected. Acid stress can cause fish to die. Small amounts of acid can also effect the ability of fish to reproduce. In addition, acid dissolves materials like aluminum in the soil, and the combination of aluminum and acid often proves fatal to fish and other organisms.

Acid rain is also believed to reduce crop yields and deteriorate buildings and roads. There are also indications that acid precipitation also may be causing a reduction in forest production. Different agencies, industry researches, and educational institutions are pursuing studies aimed at gaining greater understanding of acid rain; however, there is much to be done in the field.

Clearly this is a complex matter, but it is one that is viewed with increasing concern by many world leaders. Since air moves without restriction from region to region, from nation to nation, and from continent to continent, any solution to the problem will require international cooperation.

Read the text and study the vocabulary.
Complete the sentences and translate them:

a) It is termed acid precipitation or …

b) The acid-forming compounds come from natural as well as …

c) The effects of acid rain are difficult …

d) Small amounts of acid can also effect the ability of fish …

e) Acid rain is also believed to reduce …

f) There are also indications that acid precipitation also may be causing a reduction in …

g) Since air moves without restriction from region to region, any solution to the problem will require …

Find in the text the sentences describing the following problems, translate them and retell the text in English:

a) the major sources of acid rains

b) the effects of industrial activity on nature

c) some ways to solve the problem of acid rains.

4. Do you know anything about acid rains? Study the scheme:

Read the text and understand the main points of it. - student2.ru

Read the text below and look carefully at each line. In most of the lines there is one word too many, a word that does not fit grammatically. Write this unwanted word on the right. If the line is correct put “ - “. The first two are given as examples.