8. Choose the correct answer.

1. Vladimir Vernadsky taught at

A St Petersburg University.

В Moscow University.

С the Russian Academy of Sciences.

D both St Petersburg and Moscow University.

2. Vernadsky's work in mineralogy led to

A. his work in publishing.

В discovery of the Earth's hydrosphere.

С his interest in geochemistry.

D a new field of geochemistry.

3. He was one of the first to suggest using

A atomic energy.

В minerals.

С the biosphere.

D various elements.

4. The biosphere is the layer of Earth where

A only minerals are found.

В living things are found.

С only the troposphere is.

D its history began.

5. According to Vernadsky,

A the noosphere is in the atmosphere.

В the biosphere developed from the noosphere.

С the biosphere creates a negative environment.

D the noosphere would create a better world.

9. Listen to the class discussion about uranium. Then decide if the following statements are true or false.

1. Uranium has been-in the Earth's crust for a very long time.

2. Uranium entered a star that had exploded.

3. Uranium is lighter than oxygen.

4. Uranium is a source of energy.

5. A small amount of uranium can produce a great deal of oil.

6. Less carbon dioxide enters the atmosphere when we use nuclear power.

10. Say it in English:

1. Современная концепция биосферы была разработана великим русским ученым В.И.Вернадским.

2. Биосфера – это тонкий слой воздуха, почвы, воды, который способствует жизни на Земле.

3. Биосфера – это сложная система, где жизнь зависит от солнечной энергии.

4. Жизнь на Земле возникла около 3,8-4 миллиардов лет назад.

5. Биосферу делят на две части: живую или биоту и неживую или абиоту.

6. Человеческая деятельность влияет на биосферу и преобразовывает ее.

7. Толщина слоя биосферы с наивысшей концентрацией живого вещества варьируется от нескольких метров до сотен метров.

8. В настоящее время окружающая среда коренным образом radically преобразована в результате деятельности человека.

Unit 2. Ecology

1. Answer the following questions.

1. What are the major environmental problems confronting humanity today?

2. Why are so many people concerned about ecology today?

3. Why do we say that every man should be environment-conscious and environment-educated?

4. Comment on the statement: 'Everybody's talking about pollution. Pollution is what happens when things we eat, the place we live in and the air around us are made dirty and unhealthy by machines and factories'.

2. Read the text about the science of ecology and give the definitions to the following: ecology, environment, animal behavior, environmental biology, natural selection, ecosystem,

Ecology is the study of the relationship of plants and animals to their physical and biological environment. The physical environment includes light and heat or solar radiation, moisture, wind, oxygen, carbon dioxide, nutrients in soil, water, and atmosphere. The biological environment includes organisms of the same kind as well as other plants and animals.

Because of the diverse approaches required to study organisms in their environment, ecology draws upon such fields as climatology, hydrology, oceanography, physics, chemistry, geology, and soil analysis. To study the relationships between organisms, ecology also involves such disparate sciences as animal behavior, taxonomy, physiology, and mathematics.

An increased public awareness of environmental problems has made ecology a common but often misused word. It is confused with environmental programs and environmental science. Although the field is a distinct scientific discipline, ecology does indeed contribute to the study and understanding of environmental problems.

The term ecology was introduced by the German biologist Ernst Heinrich Haeckel in 1866; it is derived from the Greek oikos (“household”), sharing the same root word as economics. Thus, the term implies the study of the economy of nature. The emergence of this science was caused by an urgent need of environmental protection against unreasonable human activity. Originally ecology was treated as environmental biology. Modern ecology, in part, began with Charles Darwin. In developing his theory of evolution, Darwin stressed the adaptation of organisms to their environment through natural selection. Also making important contributions were plant geographers, such as Alexander von Humboldt, who were deeply interested in the “how” and “why” of vegetational distribution around the world.

Modern ecology has to deal with environmental problems caused by man. People have always affected the nature and environment. But the population growth along with the appearance of industrial world economy in the last 400(four hundred) years has been responsible for the loss of most of the animals and plants, for acid rains, for air pollution, for ozone holes and so on. Strictly speaking today environment is not only modified by human action but it is radically transformed. At present about 60 per cent of land surface are damaged to some extent and only 40 per cent of land remains intact.

Ecology is a multidisciplinary science. Facts about ecological systems are drawn from biology, geology, chemistry, physics.

Now humankind is entering a new era of its evolution which is characterized by a new relationship with nature. So the understanding of how the biosphere woks and how it responds to the global environmental change is a matter of fundamental importance. As a rule, the more complex the ecosystem is, the more successfully it can resist the outer stress. An ecosystem is a natural organic whole of a biologic community and its nonliving environment. Constant interactions between living organisms and their physical environment in any ecosystem are the pathways by which matter and energy are distributed. These interactions bind the living and non-living components together into a stable system. Many opposing forces operate within the ecosystem which may cause imbalances or disruptions but normally the ecosystem is stabilized due to its self-compensating properties if such damages can be corrected before they become irreparable and fatal.

3. Complete the sentences below with words from the box.

mammal threatened species adapt cell environment diseases crops composition building blocks

1. Unfortunately, the growth of cities often means wildlife is….. with extinction.

2. A is an animal that feeds its babies milk.

3. Farmers that grow……. like cereals and vegetables normally have to work very hard.

4. The smallest, basic structural and functional unit of life is a……

5. Serious illnesses are known as ….

6. What something is made of is its

7. It's amazing how animals can….. to changes in their living conditions.

8. There are many different ……..of butterfly.

9. Humankind's actions have often had a negative effect on the………

10. The most basic parts of something can be called………