Angliyskiy

2.The largest of all the Asian big cats, tigers rely primarily on sight and sound rather than smell. They typically hunt alone and stalk prey. A tiger can consume up to 88 pounds of meat at one time. On average, tigers give birth to 2-3 cubs every 2-2.5 years. If all the cubs in one litter die, a second litter may be produced within 5 months.

3.Tigers generally gain independence at two years of age and attain sexual maturity at 3-4 years for females and at 4-5 years for males. Juvenile mortality is high however − about half of all cubs do not survive more than two years. Tigers have been known to reach the age of 26 years in the wild.

4.Males of the largest subspecies, the Amur (Siberian) tiger, may weigh up to 660 pounds. For males of the smallest subspecies − the Sumatran tiger − upper range is at around 310 pounds. Within each subspecies, males are heavier than females. Tigers are mostly solitary, apart from associations between mother and offspring. Individual tigers have a large territory and the size is determined mostly by the availability of prey. Although individuals do not patrol their territories, they visit over a period of days or weeks and mark their territory with urine and feces.

5.Across their range, tigers face unrelenting pressure from poaching, retaliatory killings and habitat loss. They are forced to compete for space with dense and often growing human populations.

10.Read the text and match the topics a-e with the paragraphs 1-5.

a.age

b.weight

c.killing

d.eating

e.revered animal

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11. Are these sentences true or false?

1.Wild tiger numbers are at an all-time constant.

2.Tigers are one of the most revered animals.

3.The Asian tigers rely primarily on sight, sound and smell.

4.They are carnivorous animals.

5.Tigers give birth to 2-3 cubs every year.

6.Juvenile mortality is high.

7.Tigers can reach the age of 26 years in the wild.

8.The largest subspecies are the Asian and the Amur (Siberian) tigers.

9.Tigers face unrelenting pressure from poaching, retaliatory killings and habitat loss.

10.They are forced to compete for space with dense and often growing human populations.

Environmental Protection

Many centuries ago people lived in harmony with nature because industry was not much developed. There was no ecological problem until people built lots of plants and factories which sent wastes into the air, water and land where they didn't disappear but lasted forever in one form or another. Nowadays people live only according to their wants and requirements, they ignore the laws of nature. That's why today the contradictions between man and nature are dramatic.

People are slowly destroying the nature environment around them. Today we are anxious about the state of the air we breathe because every year world industry throws out into atmosphere about 1 000 million tons of dust, smoke and other harmful substances and people of many cities suffer from smog.

Another reason why there is such high level of air pollution in large cities is because of car exhaust fumes from very intensive

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transport. A great number of plants get used to dump poisonous chemical wastes in rivers, lakes and seas that has led to polluting water and killing fish life.

At present time pollution from sinking ships and tankers with oil is increasing and there is a strong destruction of sea life.

We face the fresh water supply problem today because of the depletion of water resources and the disruption of water cycle.

Speaking about atmosphere we should mention ozone holes which are result of air pollution and their increase can lead to the destruction of the whole great chain of life of our planet. The pollution of the air, oceans, seas, rivers and lakes and the destruction of the ozone layer could lead our planet to a global catastrophe. But the most terrible catastrophe of our age is the Chernobyl disaster which has resulted not only in atomic explosion but has brought death to 300 thousands hectares of farm lands and has affected the lives of millions of people. The radiation doses have affected and will continue to affect the health of people living in contaminated areas.

The Earth is our home that's why we must take measures to fight land pollution and keep our environment clean; we must plant trees and flowers and take care of animals, we must not throw our wastes into the rivers.

In many countries environmental protection organizations such as "Green Peace", "Friend of the Earth", "World Wild Life Fund" are set up which try to put pressure upon the governments that don't care for ecology in their countries. The humankind will be able to survive only if we all realize that environmental protection is our universal concern.

Vocabulary

−pollution [pə'luːʃ(ə)n] - загрязнение

−smog - смог (густой туман с дымом и копотью)

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−industrial waste [weɪst] - промышленные отходы

−chemical ['kemɪk(ə)l] - химикат

−fertilizer ['fɜːtɪlaɪzə] - удобрение

−fumes [fjuːmz] - пары - gas/petrol fumes - пары газа / бензина

−emissions [ɪ'mɪʃ(ə)n] - распространение (тепла, света, запаха), выброс gas emissions - выбросы газа

−acid rain - кислотный дождь

11. Match the verbs with the nouns.

12. Choose the correct answer.

1.Many centuries ago people lived in harmony with nature because industry was not much organized / developed

2.Nowadays people ignore / respect the laws of nature.

3.People destroy / rebuild the nature environment.

4.People of many cities suffer from noise / smog.

5.There is a high level of air pollution in large cities because of car exhaust smog / fumes from very intensive transport

6.Pollution from sinking ships / aircrafts with oil is increasing and there is a strong destruction of sea life.

7.The pollution of the air and the destruction / depletion of the ozone layer could lead our planet to a global catastrophe.

8.The Earth is our home that's why we must take measures to survey / fight land pollution and keep our environment clean.

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GRAMMAR

Passive Voice 13. Choose the correct form of the verb.

1.Most surfaces cover / are covered with water.

2.The remaining made up / is made up of the six continental landmasses.

3.The Earth‘s surface layer made / is made of rock.

4.This crust breaks / is broken into many large tectonic plates.

5.Two plates collided / were collided .

6.About 250 million years ago most of the land connected / was connected together.

7.The rocky layer calls/ is called the crust.

8.The crust composes / is composed mainly of aluminosilicates.

9.The entire crust occupies / is occupied just 1% of the Earth‘s volume.

10.The tectonic plates are floated / are floating .

11.Earthquakes, volcanoes, mountains, and oceanic trench formation occur / are occurred along plate boundaries.

SELF-STUDY

14. Read the text and match the topics a-h with the paragraphs 1-9.

a.Air Quality and Composition

b.Carbon and Nutrient Cycling

c.Ecosystem Services

d.Habitat

e.Measuring soil temperature

f.Soils Role in the Water Cycle

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g."Waste" decomposition

h.Water Cycling and Quality

Soil and the Environment

1.Soils have a large function in the health of ecosystem functions in the world. Soil is the link between the air, water, rocks, and organisms, and is responsible for many different functions in the natural world that we call ecosystem services. These soil functions include: air quality and composition, temperature regulation, carbon and nutrient cycling, water cycling and quality, natural "waste" (decomposition) treatment and recycling, and habitat for most living things and their food. We could not survive without these soil functions.

2.Soils are the environment in which seeds grow. They provide heat, nutrients, and water that are available for use to nuture plants to maturity. These plants form together with other plants and organisms to create ecosystems. Ecosystems depend on the soil, and soils can help determine where ecosystems are located. The plants then provide valuable habitat and food sources for animals, bacteria, and other things.

3.A well covered soil prevents erosion. During times like the great Dust Bowl, wind blows across soils, and suspended them in the air. These are easily inhaled and accumulate in lung tissues causing major respiratory problems. These particles can contain fungi and bacteria, which can cause infection and diseases.

4.Soil temperature plays an important role in many processes, which take place in the soil such as chemical reactions and biological interactions. This includes important processes like seed germination, bugs and microbes that live in the environment, and how quickly plant and animals break down. In colder soils, there is less biological and chemical reactions compared to warmer ones, therefore, there may be more carbon stored in the soils.

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5.Soil contains large amounts of stored carbon, nearly 5 times more than the plants that grow in it. Natural processes are all cyclical. On a global level, the total carbon cycle is more complex, and involves carbon stored in fossil fuels, soils, oceans, and rocks. Physical, biological, and chemical processes in the soil affect the balance in organic carbon compounds, and if they are released to the atmosphere as CO2, or stored in the soil. This same process occurs with Nitrogen, Phosphorus, and all other materials.

6.Without soil and soil particles, water would be running on bare rocks! When it rains, the soil acts as a sponge, soaking water into the ground. From there a few things can happen to the water. The water can be taken up by plants, microbes, and other living things, or the water moves into the underground aquifers and lakes, and flows into streams before eventually making it to the ocean. If rainfall contains harmful pollutants, the soil acts as a filter; contaminants are captured by the soil particles, and the water comes out cleaner in the aquifers and rivers.

7.Soil filters water as it moves from the land surface into the groundwater. This occurs through physical, chemical and biological process. For example, septic systems rely on these processes to protect groundwater quality as well as maintain the quantity of our water supply. When soils are not protected, soils and nutrients can pollute water, washing away into streams and oceans.

8.Application of excess fertilizers, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus, can result in runoff to streams and rivers or contamination of groundwater. In most freshwater systems, phosphorus is the major limiting nutrient for the growth of photosynthetic organisms (e.g., plants, algae, and some microorganisms like phytoplankton). If a lake or pond receives excess phosphate, it can stimulate these organisms, especially if nitrates are present with it. These organisms block out the light and consume oxygen in the water to the detriment of other

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organisms (e.g., other plants and fish). Other symptoms include cloudy water that is typically green or yellow. Dead plants and fish and cloudy green water make these water bodies uninviting for recreational activities.

9. Soil is being used to recycle animal waste, which also fertilizes it for crop growth. Soils are the stomach that converts these "waste" products into newer, better things that can be reused by other creatures. Everything that is living eats, and because of this, everything needs to expel waste products out of their bodies. Humans and other organisms use the soil to decompose these waste materials into new materials. These new materials are used by other living things. Once a living thing dies, it falls into the soil and the biological and chemical processes convert these dead materials into new materials and food for living things. This is natures way of recycling.

15. Complete the sentences with the words from the text.

1)Soils have a large function in the ___ of ecosystem functions.

2)Soil is the ___ between the air, water, rocks, and organisms.

3)The soil ___ include: air quality and composition, temperature regulation, carbon and nutrient cycling, water cycling and ___ for most living things and their food.

4)Ecosystems depend on the soil, and soils can help determine where ___ are located.

5)The plants then provide valuable habitat and food ___ for animals, bacteria, and other things.

6)A well covered soil prevents ___.

7)Soil ___ plays an important role in many processes, which take place in the soil such as chemical reactions and biological interactions.

8)Soil contains large amounts of stored ___, nearly 5 times more than the plants that grow in it.

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9)Physical, biological, and chemical processes in the soil affect the ___ in organic carbon compounds.

10)Soil filters water as it moves from the land ___ into the groundwater.

11)When soils are not protected, soils and ___ can pollute water, washing away into streams and oceans.

12)Application of excess ___ can result in runoff to streams and rivers or contamination of groundwater.

13)Soils are the ___ that converts these "waste" products into newer, better things that can be reused by other creatures.

16. Read the text “Pollution and its Negative Effects‟‟.

Pollution is the degradation of natural environment by external substances introduced directly or indirectly. Human health, ecosystem quality and aquatic and terrestrial biodiversity may be affected and altered permanently by pollution.

Pollution occurs when ecosystems cannot get rid of substances introduced into the environment. The critical threshold of its ability to naturally eliminate substances is compromised and the balance of the ecosystem is broken.

The sources of pollution are numerous. The identification of these different pollutants and their effects on ecosystems is complex. They can come from natural disasters or the result of human activity, such as oil spills, chemical spills, nuclear accidents. These can have terrible consequences on people and the planet where they live: destruction of the biodiversity, increased mortality of the human and animal species, destruction of natural habitat, damage caused to the quality of soil, water and air.

Preventing pollution and protecting the environment necessitate the application of the principles of sustainable development. we have to consider to satisfy the needs of today without compromising the ability of future generations to meet

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their needs. This means that we should remedy existing pollution, but also anticipate and prevent future pollution sources in order to protect the environment and public health. Any environmental damage must be punishable by law, and polluters should pay compensation for the damage caused to the environment.

17. Choose the correct answer.

a.can always cope with pollutants

b.may not always be able to cope with pollution.

3. Pollution

a.is always caused by humans.

b.may sometimes be caused by natural disasters.

4. An ideal solution to prevent pollution would be to

a.refrain the development of some countries.

b.continue developmental projects.

c.take into consideration the future generations need to live in a healthy environment.

QUICK CHECK

Life in Color: Green

Green may be the most common color found in nature—it's everywhere from leaves, grass, and moss to snakes, butterflies, and even the northern lights. Green represents life, vitality, nature, and, of course, environmentalism.

Performing Swimmers

Photograph by J. Baylor Roberts, National Geographic

In Wakulla Springs, Florida, performing swimmers apply lipstick underwater. The photo was originally published in the

January 1944 issue of National Geographic magazine.

Cedar Trees

Photograph by Michael S. Yamashita, National Geographic

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