Text 7. Protection of the Environment in Russia

There are many big and small rivers, green forests, high mountains, lakes and seas in Russia. There are a lot of industrial enterprises in our country, that’s why we can’t ignore the problem of the protection of our environment. In Russia and former Soviet republics there are some areas where the environment is in poor state. It is the Aral Sea, Lake Baikal and Chernobyl. We have to control atmospheric and water pollution, to study man’s influence on the climate.

The pollution of the environment influences the life of animals, plants and human life. If we don’t use chemicals in a proper way we’ll pollute our environment. Our plants and factories put their waste materials into water and atmosphere and pollute the environment. There are many kinds of transport in our big cities, that ‘s why we must pay attention to the protection of our nature and the health of the people.

Now radiation has become one of the main problems. It is not good for health of people. Many people died from radiation some years ago in Chernobyl. It was a tragedy.

Another problem is earthquakes. We know some terrible earthquakes in the world. Our scientists try to forecast earthquakes, then we can protect ourselves from them.

The people all over the world do everything to protect nature, to make their country richer, to make their life happier. We need to haves laws and decisions on this important subject.

Text 8. Environmental problems (for upper-intermediate)

Words:

1. exceptionally – исключительно

2. interference – вмешательство

3. degree — степень

4. involve – вовлекать

5. industrial enterprises –промышленные предприятия

6. in addition to – в добавление к

7. present — представлять

8. a threat – угроза

9. a source – источник

The present environmental problems have become exceptionally urgent. If many years ago people lived in harmony with the environment, today their interference in the Nature has reached such a degree that it becomes dangerous for their lives. And if the same tendencies remain for the next years, our planet will soon become uninhabited. The ecological problems are not the problems of a single isolated country. They are global in character and involv e all countries in the world. The ecological problems have much in common. The main problem is pollution. It is not a secret that every year more and more industrial enterprises are built.

And they have a very bad effect on the environment. They pollute the air we breathe, the water we drink and the land that grain and vegetables grow on.

In addition to air pollution people upset the oxygen balance of our planet because people cut down forests and woods. One of the most dangerous things is radiation. There is a greаt number of nuclear power stations. They have many advantages for the industry, but they present a threat for the life.

Nature is a source of our life and destroying it we destroy ourselves. People forget that natural resources are not endless even though they seem unlimited. Nature has enough resources for the present generation. But their amount becomes less with every year. To protect nature is a duty of all people.

 

Summary (Выводы:)

I. The main environmental problems are the source of the Man’s activity. They are water pollution, air pollution, land pollution and atmospheric change.

• Water pollution, which is caused by plants & factories, by testing nuclear weapons, dumping industrial waste.

ПРИМЕР. Thousands of fish die every year as a result of the illegal dumping of waste.

• Air pollution, which is caused both by buses and cars and also by plants and factories.

ПРИМЕР. One of the effects of air pollution is acid rain. It is damaging to water, forests and soil resources. It is blamed for disappearance of fish from many lakes, for the wide-spread death of forests in European mountains.

• Land pollution, which is caused by nuclear waste, dumps (свалки), dirty water, fertilizers, pesticides.

ПРИМЕР It is interesting to know that the main source of pollution are children under two years old, because every second a “pampers” is dumped.

• Atmospheric change which leads to climatic changes (because of the greenhouse effect), the increasing radiation from the sun (because the ozone layer is thinning).

Груды памперсов, скопились на Британских островах. Они не разлагаются в земле (процесс занимает около 100 лет) Чтобы бороться с этой проблемой, правительство стало доплачивать женщинам, которые пользуются обычными пеленками или бумажными подгузниками. Уже накопившиеся памперсы решили сжигать на специальных предприятиях. Ученые заверяют, что смогут уменьшить выбросы в атмосферу с помощью специальных очистных фильтров. Но стоит ли верить, что можно будет избежать загрязнения воздуха?

 

II. Nowadays there is a great risk of ecological disasters. It is nuclear pollution and leak of radiation.

• Nuclear pollution (=radioactive contamination), which is caused by nuclear power stations if they go wrong. Such nuclear accident happened in Chernobyl. In 1986 the Chernobyl nuclear power station suffered a fire, which causes radioactive contamination of a lot of regions. As a result many people died, those who had survived suffered terrible deceases till the end of their life.
• Leak of radiation as a result of improper nuclear-waste disposal (утечка радиации из-за неправильного захоронения ядерных отходов)

III. Destruction of wildlife & countryside beauty also takes place. The key problems are:

· mass-tourism — массовый туризм

· cutting down forests — вырубка

· poaching — браконьерство

People need wood for building furniture. Every day they use paper and cardboard, which is also made from wood. But every day some species (kinds) of animals and plants disappear from the Earth. It’s the result of the pollution air, land and water. Also some animals are hunted for the sake of fur, ivory, horns or tusks. More than that, cutting down trees people have turned the areas of thick forest into deserts. The animals simply have no place to live as their habitats are destroyed.