The environmental problems of the Western nations

Western Europe has the same basic environmental problems, but they take different forms in each country. If you catch a fish in the Seine near Paris it may be blind and without scales, a victim of pollution. In the Rhine you will catch no fish at all. The Mediterranean is actually dying from pollution.

It is fair to say, that a considerable effort has been made in Britain with regard to Thames. By 1949 it was being described as a stinking black mess with no fish and almost no oxygen. There was an outcry and something had to be done. Legislation stopped the flow of industrial waste into the river, and nearly all the sewage is treated before it gets to water. Fish have come back and one salmon has been caught.

One of Britain's environmental successes has been the control of air pollution especially in London. Thirty years ago hundreds of people died every year from the dreadful London smog. Since then London and many other cities have become smokeless zones, areas where no coal fires are allowed. But now the increase in traffic is threatening serious air pollution problems in cities once again.

The most common form of air pollution comes from cigarette smoke which pollutes many public places like cinemas, pubs, and restaurants. Traffic and aircraft can cause serious noise pollution. Friends of the Earth suggest that the bicycle is the best way to travel because it's cheap, quiet and a good form of exercise.

2. Find in the text English equivalents to the following words and word combinations:

забруднення, жертва, туман з димом, промислові відходи, стічні води, загроза, змінювати біосферу, законодавство, шум, загрозливий.

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