Dust storms / forest fires / power plants / car exhaust fumes / burning wood / volcanic eruption / oil refining / aerosol sprays / nuclear weapon

CONTENTS

UNIT 1	ECOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT………………..……
UNIT 2	POLLUTION……………………………………………..…….
UNIT 3	ACADEMIC WRITING……………………………………..…
UNIT 4	CLIMATE AND WEATHER………………………………......
UNIT 5	NATIONAL PARKS………..……………………………….....
UNIT 6	FLORA AND FAUNA……………………..………………......
UNIT 7	WATER………………………………………………………....
UNIT 8	LAKE BAIKAL………………………………………………...
UNIT 9	SUPPLEMENTARY READING……………………………....
	VOCABULARY……………………………………
	BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………………

UNIT 1 ECOLOGY AND THE ENVIRONMENT

1.1 INTRODUCTION TO ECOLOGY Study the information about ecology and the environment and answer the questions after.

Speaking of the natural environment, we use the term ‘ecology’. This word was introduced in 1869 by German biologist Ernst Haeckel (1834-1919) for the science studying the relationship of organisms with their environment. This word came from Greek ‘oikoş’ which means ‘home’. The idea of home includes our whole planet, its population, nature, animals, birds, fish, insects and all other living beings and even the atmosphere around our planet. For a long time ecological problems were considered only in the context of biology. But from the mid-20^th century the ecological approach invaded all disciplines.

When we study ecology we study the environment and the way plants, animals and humans live together and affect each other. We can say that the environment includes the air, water and land in which people, animals and plants live, but we can also say that it is everything around us. In our everyday life we live in various environments, e.g. in the countryside, in the streets, at home, in the cinema, on a beach, at a swimming pool etc. These different environments may not seem to be connected, but in fact they are.

Ecology is the study of living things in their natural surroundings, or environment. This is everything, living and non-living, that is around them. Its basic features stay very much the same, e.g. the air that you breathe, but the details are constantly changing.

Ecology investigates how plants and animals, including people, live with and affect each other and their environment. A good starting point is yourself. Notice how you affect your own environment. Anything you do to your environment will have an effect back on you, as well as on every other living thing sharing the environment with you. The connections between all living things stretch into a vast web.

If we compare ecology and environment we understand that these words are sometimes used in the same way although they have different meanings. What’s the difference? Ecology is the natural relationship, environment refers to the places or situations. But ‘ecological’ and ‘environmental’ are sometimes used with the same nouns, e.g. an ecological disaster = an environmental disaster. Eco-friendly and environmentally friendly are also used as synonyms for products and methods which do not damage the environment.

People who are concerned about the environment are called eco-warriors (environmental activists). They are often referred to as ‘greens’, e.g. “Greenpeace” and “Friends of the Earth”.

1 What does ecology study?

2 What is the environment?

3 Why will people’s activity have an effect back on them?

4 Whose aim is to protect natural things?

1.2 Fill in the chart with the family words and translate them into Russian. Use a dictionary to help you.

noun	verb	adjective	adverb
ecology
environment
		natural
science
		various
		different
	damage
relationship

1.3 Fill in the appropriate word from exercise 1.2.

1 Green peace is an international organization whose members work actively to protect the environment from ……...

2 The oil spill was an …….. disaster for thousands of birds.

3 A noisy smoke-filled room is not the best …….. to work in.

4 Man’s activities are changing and disturbing …….. cycles.

5 Ecology is a multidisciplinary ……...

6 The …….. between solar radiation and thermal radiation is enormous.

7 The seasonal …….. of temperature generally increase toward high latitudes.

8 A …….. is a friendship and strong emotional connection between two people.

1.4 Match the definitions.

1 environmentalist	a) a large global organization
2 ecologist	b) a person who tries to prevent the environment from being spoilt
3 eco-warrior	c) a person who protests against environmental damage
4 scientist	d) a scientist who studies the environment
5 naturalist	e) a person who doesn’t hurt the environment during his holiday
6 Greenpeace	f) someone who does scientific research
7 protester	g) someone who studies animals, plants, birds and other living things
8 eco-tourist	h) someone who fights against the things that are bad for the environment
9 conservationists	i) someone who works to protect the environment from damage or destruction

1.5 Today man’s pressure on the natural world is causing a worldwide environmental crisis. Here are the main ecological problems that we now face:

● pollution ● ozone depletion

● global warming ● deforestation

● greenhouse effect ● endangered species

● acid rain ● soil erosion

● climate change ● desertification

► Match the above problems with their definitions below.

1 The process of damaging the air, water or land with chemicals and other substances.

2 Type of animal or plant that might soon stop existing because of damage to the environment it lives in or because too many of them have been killed by humans.

3 General increase in the temperature of the world caused by harmful chemicals and gases from cars and factories.

4 Cutting down too many trees in an area.

5 Gases from cars, factories, machines that form a layer around the earth and keep the heat in. These are a cause of global warming.

6 A hole in the ozone layer around the earth that protects people, animals, plants from damage from the sun.

7 Changes in the weather across large areas of the world.

8 Rain containing a high level of acid that can damage the environment. It is caused by pollution in the air.

9 Removing the topsoil by the wind and rain.

10 The process by which useful land, especially farm land, changes into desert.

1.6 Make up the verbs from the nouns. Use the dictionary to help you.

pollution / warming / change / depletion / deforestation / erosion / danger / existence / damage / increase / cause / form / heat / protection / container / removement

1.7 Read the words in bold in exercise 1.5 again and say what environmental problems can be solved with the following actions:

1 reforestation (planting trees)

2 better irrigation

3 recycling

4 pollution filters on cars

5 organic farming

6 more and larger wildlife parks in towns and the countryside

7 a complete ban on aerosol cans with chemicals

8 a complete ban on smoke from the factories

9 eco-friendly tourism

10 preventing the killing and trading of wild animals

1.8 Which words are similar in meaning?

A B

fragile, adj litter, n conservation, n protect, v

harm, v drop, v delicate, adj reuse, v

protection, n global, adj increase, v surroundings, n

recycle, v awareness, n worldwide, adj dump, v

raise, v preserve, v damage, v worried, adj

environment, n concerned, adj rubbish, n understanding, n

1.9 Are these statements correct or incorrect?

1 Organic fruit and vegetables are grown naturally without the use of chemicals.

2 Green political groups are concerned with the protection of the environment.

3 Conservation area is a place where plants and wild animals are officially protected.

4 Sprays help to protect the ozone layer.

5 Cutting down tropical rainforests increases carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

6 Intensive farming (with artificial fertilizers and pesticides) doesn’t harm the soil.

7 Oil pollution seriously endangers the fragile ecosystem.

8 Global warming is an increase in world temperature caused by an increase in carbon dioxide.

1.10 Match each sentence beginning with an appropriate ending.

1 One of the aims of Greenpeace is to raise 2 I strongly believe that anyone caught dropping 3 The ship’s captain denied he had been dumping 4 Several species of birds and animals face 5 The local authorities talk of the need to recycle 6 Not enough is being done to preserve 7 In the natural world there is a fragile 8 In the UK Greenpeace protests against the damaging

a ) balance in plant and animal population. b) extinction in this country as a result of modern farming methods. c) effects of cars on the roads. d) paper, but they have not provided enough containers. e) awareness of the environmental problems facing our planet. f) litter should be ordered to pay heavy fine. g) wildlife in this country. h) wasteof any kind at sea.

1.11 Make up and translate the word-combinations.

1 controlled, external, global, hostile, natural, rural, safe, stable, urban (environment)

2 to affect, to damage, to destroy, to pollute, to preserve, to protect (environment)

3 to combat, to cut, to control, to monitor, to prevent, to reduce (pollution)

4 industrial, household, nuclear, toxic, radioactive (waste)

5 air, toxic, water, gaseous (pollutant)

6 soil, forest, groundwater (conservation)

1.12 Choose the correct word.

1 It’s a good idea to recycle gaseous / radioactive waste.

2 We need to create safe / hostile working environment for all employees.

3 Our aim is to preserve / destroy the environment.

4 Different measures must be taken to rise / control air pollution.

5 Controlling erosion may lead to surface / soil conservation.

6 Hundreds of factories release household / harmful pollutants into the atmosphere.

1.13 Read the factfile and say:

1 which facts are surprising for you;

2 which facts you have already known or heard;

3 if it is necessary to do something now.

According to US State Department description of state of the world’s environment:

Deforestation – Area 4 times the size of Switzerland lost every year.

Fisheries – 70% of world fish stocks over-exploited.

Climate change – Release of about 20 billion tons of CO2 into atmosphere every year.

Species loss – 70 species lost every day.

Toxic substances – Can last for decades in animal and human organisms.

Water resources – 1950–2000 amount of irrigated land increase from 20 mln to 60 mln acres. Enormous usage pressure on aquifers, river systems.

Air quality – Approximately 3 mln people per year contact or die from lung disease due to indoor air pollution.

1.14 Read the following short texts and answer the following questions. Which text:

● gives information about pesticides?

● predicts large-scale changes in agriculture?

● gives examples of poor and rich countries?

● suggests to control energy sources?

● speaks about charity?

● gives the reason of global warming?

● gives information about polluted water?

● warns about health damage?

PRACTICAL ACTION

All the suggested actions on the previous pages must happen worldwide if they are to be successful. This demands much more international cooperation, especially between rich and poor nations. The trouble is that politicians tend to be more concerned with gaining support in their own countries in the short-term, than with the long-term future of the world and its people.

Many people believe that even all these actions will not be enough, and that we must all make very great changes in the way we live. They are working towards this in what is known as the green movement. This used to be called the ecology movement.

At the moment it is mainly charity organizations, that are successfully helping the world’s poor to help themselves.

POPULATION AND RESOURCES

The human population is increasing at such a rate that both the environment and the balance of nature are threatened.

The earth has enough resources to support its population of 5 billion and more. But at present this is not happening. Millions of people in the poor world are living in hunger and poverty. The population problem is not so much “too many people” or “not enough land”, as not managing to properly feed and support the growing populations.

Population problems do not necessarily come from a shortage of land: Holland has a high population density but no problem, because it can afford to feed its population. India and Brazil have more land per person, but have a problem because they are poor.

CHEMICALS IN FARMING

In today’s intensive farming the natural nitrogen and mineral cycles are neglected. Very little natural organic waste is returned to the soil, resulting in reduced levels of minerals and humus, and lower productivity. To make up for this, farmers add chemical fertilizers to the soil. These often cause environmental and health damage, e.g. when washed into rivers and lakes, eventually ending up in drinking water.

Many powerful chemicals are also used to fight pests, weeds and diseases in order to keep productivity high. These pesticides, herbicides and fungicides have long-lasting and damaging effects on food webs wherever they are used. The chemicals often remain on the plants which have been sprayed, and can damage human health when these are eaten.

THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT

Carbon dioxide in the atmosphere plays an important role in warming the earth by trapping the sun’s heat, in what is called the greenhouse effect. Since industrialization, the burning of fossil fuels has greatly increased the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere.

The future effects of this build-up on global temperatures can only be guessed at. Some experts predict that temperatures will rise, melting the polar ice packs, raising sea levels to flood coastal areas, and resulting in large-scale changes in climate and agriculture around the world.

To keep the level of carbon dioxide from rising further we must increase our use of renewable energy-efficient.

1.15 Read the text “Conservation of the Land” carefully and answer the questions after it. Use a dictionary if necessary.

CONSERVATION OF THE LAND

Protection of the soil against erosion:

Soil erosion is the destruction and wearing away of the soil by water or wind. A layer of soil formed in the course of 100 or 200 years may be destroyed in a few days by heavy rain or dust storms. The soil is rapidly destroyed but forms only over a very lengthy period. That’s why it’s so vitally important to protect the soil.

Soil erosion by water is widespread and most destructive. It occurs on slopes and is due to improper working of the land.

Soil erosion by wind is characteristic mostly of open, dry, diffused soils. It may arise on any field with sparse vegetation.

Mud and stone streams in the mountains are a form of soil erosion which occurs at great speed due to steep slopes and narrow gorges. They inflict great damage on people and the economy in mountain areas.

Fighting any kind of soil erosion always requires a set of anti-erosion measures. No one measure alone is effective. These measures may include: retention of the moisture in the soil, planting forests in river valleys, prohibition of destruction of rocks by explosions and felling of trees on mountain slopes, creation of the forest belt system, etc.

Rational use of land resources:

The rational use of land resources includes actual use of the land. It’s very important that ploughland is protected against inefficient use for civil and industrial construction, against dumping with builders’ refuse, and urban and village dumps.

Efforts are being undertaken throughout the world to recultivate the lands spoiled by industry. Recultivation develops along the following lines depending on the subsequent use to be made of the land:

● Agriculture: ploughland, meadows, pastures, perennial crops;

● Forestry: reforestation for exploitation and special purposes;

● Water economy (reservoirs, fish and waterfowl ponds and so on);

● Recreation: parks, swimming pools, beaches and lake;

● Architecture and urban planning: planting trees and shrubs, and lawns, making ponds near housing.

In all cases, recultivation is carried out in two stages: the technical stage constitutes the process of constructing the land areas, and the biological stage aimed at putting the land to use.

1 How do you pronounce the following: erosion, occur, gorge, measure, plant, plough, meadow, pasture, lawn, mountain, damage, vegetation?

2 What does reforestation mean?

3 What measures can be undertaken to fight soil erosion?

4 What part of speech is steep in the text?

5 Explain the phrase urban and village dumps.

6 What does recultivation mean?

7 What is the opposite of sparse?

8 Give the synonyms of area, rational, purpose, recreation.

9 What is the difference between reservoir, pond, pool, and lake?

10 What syllable is stressed in effort?

1.16 Solving the environmental crisis.

We are now finding ourselves faced with choices about the sort of environment that we want to live in. The main choice is whether to start working with nature, by understanding and working with its natural cycles, or to carry on working against it. The future of all the people in the world, and of the world itself, depends on the choices that we make today.

Today, man’s pressure on the natural world is causing a worldwide environmental crisis. Below are some of the main problems that we now face, along with some actions that we could take to improve the situation.

► Sort these titles out according to the actions:

1 Soil Erosion 5 Rainforest Destruction

2 Acid Rain and Other Pollution 6 Desertification

3 Destruction of Habitats and Wildlife 7 The Greenhouse Effect

4 The Wasting of Our Natural Resources 8 Ozone Depletion

● Organic farming – organic matter retains water longer and binds the soil better, preventing it drying up and blowing away.

● Reforms in land ownership in rainforest countries – to take the pressure off rainforest land.

● Pollution filters on power stations and motor vehicles.

● Less dependency on export crops in the poor world (these are grown on the best land, forcing poor people onto the more sparse land which soon turns to desert).

● More and larger wildlife parks in towns and countryside.

● A complete ban on the production and use of chlorofluorocarbons (as soon as it is practically possible).

● Recycling of essential minerals.

1.17 Read the text “Acid Rains” and find the correct answer.

ACID RAINS

Every year more and more plants and animals disappear never to be seen again. Strangely, it is the most intelligent but most thoughtless animal that is causing most of the problems – man. Nature is very carefully balanced and if this balance is disturbed, animals can disappear alarmingly fast. Every day, thousands of species of animals draw closer to extinction. There are countless numbers of species which may become extinct before they are even discovered.

In many lakes the fish are dying. Fishermen are worried because every year there are fewer fish and some lakes have no fish at all. Scientists are beginning to get worried too. What is killing the fish?

The problem is acid rain. Acid rain is a kind of air pollution. It is caused by factories that burn coal or oil or gas. These factories send smoke high into the air. The wind often carries the smoke far from the factories. Some of the harmful substances in the smoke may come down with the rain hundreds of miles away.

The rain in many places isn’t natural and clean any more. It’s full of acid chemicals. When it falls in lakes, it changes them too. The lakes become more acidic. Acid water is like vinegar or lemon juice. It hurts when it gets in your eyes. It also kills the plants and animals that usually live in lake water. That is why the fish are dying in lakes.

But dead fish may be just the beginning of the problem. Scientists are finding other effects of acid rain. In some large areas trees are dying. Not just one tree here and there, but whole forests. At first scientists couldn’t understand why. There were no bugs or diseases in these trees. The weather was not dry. But now they think that the rain was the cause. Acid rain is making the earth more acidic in these areas. Some kinds of trees cannot live in the soil that is very acidic.

Now scientists are also beginning to study the effects of acid rain on larger animals. For example, they believe that some deer in Poland are less healthy because of acid rain. If deer are hurt by the rain, what about people? This is the question many people are beginning to ask. No one knows the answer yet. But it is an important question for us all.

1 This passage is about

a) fishing b) acid rain

c) air pollution d) destructive human activity

2 Every year thousands of species of animals

a) are hunted for their meat and skins b) migrate to other places

c) starve to death d) die out

3 Acid rain is caused by

a) natural gas b) the ozone layer depletion

c) acidic lake water d) emissions of industrial enterprises

4 Which of the following is true?

a) Dead fish in lakes is the only problem caused by acid rains.

b) Scientists are sure that acid rains are not harmful for mankind.

c) If we don’t make an attempt to stop acid rains we may never see some animals again.

d) There’s no reason to worry about several trees that died of some unknown disease.

5 What was not mentioned in the text?

a) Acid rain is capable of dissolving some rocks and stones.

b) Fish are unable to live in the water containing acid.

c) Coal, oil or gas form dangerous combinations after being burnt.

d) Scientists reckon that if some larger animals can be affected by acid rains, people may be in great danger.

6 Factory smoke

a) stays over the factories b) is usually clean now

c) turns into air d) can travel hundreds of miles

7 Scientists think acid rain

a) is killing people b) helps kill bugs

c) fertilizes the soil d) is killing trees

8 The word bug in this context means

a) an infectious disease b) a small insect

c) a dangerous bird d) a small animal

1.18 Match the words to form compound nouns.

Model: greenhouse effect

greenhouse fumes

oil station

exhaust slick

power life

nature friendly

eco- effect

wild reserve

1.19 Fill in the gaps with one of the compound nouns from exercise 1.18.

1 Global warming is caused by the …….., the result of an increase in the amount of carbon dioxide and other gases in the Earth’s atmosphere.

2 Environmentalists have been protesting at the construction of a new nuclear …….. on the outskirts of the city.

3 Wildlife enthusiasts have called for the area to be made a …….. in order to protect the rare species of the butterfly which live there.

4 …….. are responsible for a great deal of the pollution in our cities.

5 The huge …….. is moving slowly towards Ireland, and several miles of coastline are under threat.

6 Protection or conservation of …….. is now more important than ever.

7 Efforts are being undertaken throughout the world to make agriculture ……...

1.20 Read the text “Preserving the Environment” carefully and check your understanding in exercise 1.21.

PRESERVING THE ENVIRONMENT

Recently more and more attention has been focused on the problem of preserving the environment. Over the past 30 years or so the quality of many people’s lives has deteriorated in some respects because of technological progress. Those people living near airports are constantly attacked by the noise of increasingly larger and more powerful jet aircraft taking off and landing. We have ugly buildings which have appeared in towns and cities. Some of these are blocks of flats-high-rise buildings built because of the high price of land.

The motor car has been responsible for many changes in the environment. On the one hand it has brought mobility to millions of people but on the other it has led to the construction of more noisy and dangerous roads and has polluted the atmosphere with exhaust fumes.

While towns and cities become larger and uglier and more densely populated, the rural areas have lost most of their population owing to the need for fewer workers in agriculture. The countryside has also been affected the large-scale use of insecticides. For one thing the killing of insects resulted in a loss of balance in the ecology. Insects, although a nuisance to farmers, provide food for birds. Many people are afraid that fruit and vegetables sprayed with chemicals may have some poisonous effect upon people who eat them.

Recently, however, certain counter measures against the destruction of the environment have been introduced. One of the first acts of Parliament to counter pollution was the Clean Air Act, which opened the way to smokeless zones in large towns and cities. This followed a bad winter in which many people with bronchial complaints became very ill through the effect of a mixture of smoke, fog and fumes known as ‘smog’. Rivers which are fouled up with industrial chemical waste are now being cleaned, and fish which could not live there a few years ago can be caught again.

The sharp increase in water pollution is alarming. The pollutants come mainly from municipal and industrial wastes and from agricultural land’s run-off. It is common knowledge that water pollution contributes greatly to an increase in the sickness rate among the population. A large majority of these cases are caused by the lack of clean water. Synthetic detergents present a great pollution danger. Unlike organic wastes they cannot be destroyed by bacterial action. As a result in some areas there is hardly a river or a lake which does not have a dangerous amount of detergents.

One cannot deny that environmental pollution is the most dangerous side effect of human activity. It is causing global changes in the environment and deterioration of the biosphere. The nature of the processes is not clear and the amount of damage is still uncertain because of the lack of sufficient information. The scientists who are now tackling the problem of the environmental protection represent such areas of knowledge as biology, ecology, chemistry, geography, physics, economics and the law.

1.21 1) Look at the first paragraph and explain the words and phrases:

● deteriorate ● in some respect ● increasing larger ● ugly

2) Look at paragraph 2 and say which words have the opposite meaning to:

● quiet ● safe

3) Look at paragraph 3 and say which words have the same meanings as:

● relating to the countryside ● farmland ● meal ● contaminating

4) Look at paragraphs 4 and 5 and answer the following questions:

● What does a smokeless zone mean?

● Who suffers from smog?

● What is alarming?

● Do you know the synonym of sickness?

5) Look at paragraph 6 and say whether these statements are correct or incorrect.

● Environmental problems are the result of people’s activities.

● Ecological problems are global and can’t be solved nowadays.

● The deterioration of the biosphere is the subject of biology.

1.22 Complete the questions using the words in the box. Use each word only once. There is one extra word you do not need to use.

who / where / which / whose / what / whom / how / when / why

HELP US HELP THE ENVIRONMENT

(1) …….. responsibility is it to look after the environment? Yours! And (2) …….. should you start? Right now is the answer! But (3) …….. is going to help you? We are! We are GreenWarriors, the environmental protest group, and we know the answers to all your questions. We’ve put together this factsheets to get you started.

(4) …….. me? We all have a responsibility to the world around us. Ordinary people like you can make a big difference.

(5) …….. can I make a difference? By recycling your paper, glass and plastic and by taking part in GreenWarrior demonstrations and protests in your area.

(6) ……..’s the first step? The first step is to come along to the Green Warrior offices and speak to one of our officers. They will let you know about the next protest in your area.

(7) …….. other organizations are you connected to? GreenWarriors is a completely independent protest organization.

(8) …….. is GreenWarriors based? We are a national organization, with our headquarters in Northampton.

1.23 Study the information about International Green Organizations. Some are campaign groups (spreading information and influencing public, business and government actions), whilst others are involved in conservation work (like creating, maintaining and improving natural sites).

Friends of the Earth (FOE) – campaigns for protection of wildlife and habitats, and improvement of the environment at local, national and international levels.

World-Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) (formerly World Wildlife Fund) – campaigns to protect wildlife and habitats throughout the world. Uses education to show the importance of the world’s natural resources.

Intermediate Technology – works on long-term development in poor countries, using technology appropriate to the needs of the rural poor. Aims to help people to become more self-reliant.

Greenpeace – uses peaceful but direct action to defend the environment. Campaigns to: save the whales, oppose nuclear power and weapons, stop acid rain and protect Antarctica.

Oxfam – involved in practical, long-term improvement of agriculture, health-care and social conditions in poor countries, as well as giving vital short-term emergency aid where and when it is needed most.

Survival International – campaigns to protect surviving native peoples and the environments in which they live. Publicizes the risks to native peoples, and campaigns for their basic human rights around the world.

Green Politics. Many people believe that we must all make major changes in the way we live our lives if we are going to save the planet and ourselves from a harsh and difficult future. This view is put forward by ‘green’ political parties all over the world, many of which are represented in their national parliaments. The West German green party (die Grünen), for example, increased their number of seats from 27 to 42 (out of 520) in the 1997 elections.

The green parties claim to offer an alternative to the usual political choices of the left, the centre or the right. They propose such things as a fairer sharing of the world’s resources between rich and poor nations, and have far-sighted plans for the rebuilding of a new and better society. They believe that all governments should place people, the environment and the quality of life at the top of their list of priorities when making policy decisions.

► Read the text “Greenpeace – Saving the Whales”. Fill the gaps with the correct word from the list:

GREENPEACE – SAVING THE WHALES

Going / whales / film / survive / hunted / campaigns / ban / activists / preventing / extinction / whaling / believe / species

One of the most famous ……. by an environmental group was that of Greenpeace, when they attracted the attention of the world to the fate of ……. In the 1970s. Some ……., including the humpback, blue, fin and sperm whales, had been ……. to the edge of ……., and whaling was still ……. on unchecked. Greenpeace ……. confronted the whalers, ……. them from harpooning the whales. Their actions were captured on ……., and shown to millions around the world on television news or in the papers.

The media coverage given to these actions resulted in growing public pressure to …….whaling. This, in turn, led to the 1982 decision of the International Commission (IWC) to ban commercial ……. for five years from 1985. However some countries have continued whaling since then, though on a smaller scale. Greenpeace are continuing their campaign against these whaling nations. They ……. that after 50 million years of peaceful existence in the oceans, whales have earned the right to ……. in peace.

1.24 Work in a group and discuss these questions:

1 Are you ecologically aware?

2 What environmental problems exist in the place you live in?

3 Which of them do you personally come across?

4 Can you say that you have contributed to the conservation of nature or protection of the environment?

5 What is your opinion about green movement?

UNIT 2 POLLUTION

INTRODUCTION

When examining our effect upon our environment, we cannot ignore the problem of pollution. There are many varieties, including air and water pollution, noise pollution, soil contamination, solid waste pollution.

Sources and reasons of pollution may be different. For example, the principle sources of air pollution are divided into 2 categories: anthropogenic (human activity) and natural.

2.1 Look at the phrases below and decide which can be used to describe anthropogenic factors and which can be used to describe natural factors. Fill in the table.

dust storms / forest fires / power plants / car exhaust fumes / burning wood / volcanic eruption / oil refining / aerosol sprays / nuclear weapon

anthropogenic factors	natural factors
	dust storms

2.2 Match the definitions:

1 smog a) metal container for food and drink

2 waste b) relating to cities

3 urban c) rubbish

4 can d) throwing away wastes

5 garbage e) illness (n)

6 disease f) mixture of smoke and fog

7 flood g) useless materials

8 stock h) amount

9 breath i) take air in your lungs

10 dumping j) large amount of water

2.3 Make statements about environmental problems, choosing the correct information from the table.

Model: Acid rain is created by power stations and car exhausts. It kills life in rivers and lakes.

Environmental problems	Main causes	Most serious effects
water pollution	nuclear power stations	increases the risk of skin cancer
noise pollution	refrigerators, air-conditioning	leads to several forms of cancer
acid rain	forest fires	creates floods and soil erosion
ozone layer damage	car exhausts, power stations	threatens fish stocks
radiation	loud music, power tools, transport	results in breathing disorders
urban smog	oil, industrial waste, sewage	kills life in rivers and lakes
tree loss	solid wastes (used cans, bottles, plastic containers, paper)	damages people’s mental health
air pollution	smokes from factories	increases the risk of infection from garbage
land pollution	cutting down tropical rainforests	causes respiratory diseases

2.4 Fill in the gaps with the verbs given below. Mind the grammar tense.

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