Environmental Protection

2. Answer the questions:

· What do you think are the main ecological problems?

· What measures should be taken to protect the Nature? Discuss your ideas with the class.

3. Read and translate the text:

The poisoning of the world’s land, air, and water is the fastest-spreading disease of civilization. It probably produces fewer headlines than wars, earthquakes and floods, but it is potentially one of history’s greatest dangers to human life on earth. If present trends continue for the next several decades, our planet will become uninhabitable.

Overpopulation, pollution and energy consumption have created such planet- wide problems as massive deforestation, ozone depletion, acid rains and the global warming that is believed to be caused by the greenhouse effect.

The seas are in danger. They are filled with poison: industrial and nuclear waste, chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The Mediterranean is already nearly dead; the North Sea is following. The Aral Sea is on the brink of extinction. If nothing is done about it, one day nothing will be able to live in the seas.

Every ten minutes one kind of animal, plant or insect dies out for ever. If nothing is done about it, one million species that are alive today will have become extinct twenty years from now.

Air pollution is a very serious problem. In Cairo just breathing the air is life threatening – equivalent to smoking two packs of cigarettes a day. The same holds true for Mexico City and 600 cities of the former Soviet Union. For example, Moscow is covered by a smoggy cloud that can be easily seen in sunrise even without any special gadgets. This smog is permanent and doesn’t disappear even in rainy days.

Industrial enterprises emit tons of harmful substances. These emissions have disastrous consequences for our planet. They are the main reasons for the greenhouse effect and acid rains.

An even greater environmental threat is nuclear power stations. We all know how tragic the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster are. An awful explosion of a nuclear reactor happened in1986. Since that time the nearest to the Chernobyl nuclear power station towns and settlements were left by the native residents and the “Dead zone” was announced.

The list of serious environmental problems could be continued.

People are beginning to realize that environmental problems are not somebody else’s. They join and support various international organizations and green parties.

In 1987 a «Green Peace» public commission combined the people’s efforts for peace with the huge and ever mounting movement for nature conservation. Another area of its work is to set up and strengthen cooperation among environmentalists from many similar organizations abroad.

Russia is cooperating in the field of environmental protection with the United States, Canada, Norway, Finland and other countries.

4. Scan the text and answer the questions:

1/What is the fastest-spreading disease of civilization? 2/ What planet-wide problems have overpopulation, pollution and energy consumption created? 3/ What will happen to our planet if present trends continue? 4/ What is happening to the seas and rivers? 5/ The Aral Sea is on the brink of extinction. Do you think it’s possible to save it? 6/ A lot of animals are dying out. But people wear fur coats, crocodile handbags, leather shoes, etc. Are you for or against hunting? 7/ Is air pollution a serious problem? Why? 8/ What were the tragic consequences of the Chernobyl disaster? 9/ Are nuclear power stations dangerous? 10/ What do people of different countries do to save our planet?

5. Find out, whether these words are synonyms or not:

1. Damage/benefit;

2. Extinction/deforestation;

3. To halt/to sacrifice;

4. Prudent/efficient;

5. Inheritance/future;

6. Input/disposal;

7. To sustain/to pollute;

8. To annoy/to like;

9. Gains/achievements;

10. To halt/to stop.