Ecological condition of the black sea

The main polluting (1)…….. of the sea environment are petroleum products. A constant level of the petroleum content in the sea water is (2) …….. by the operations of industrial enterprises, ports, discharges of waste during bunkering, and by sewage discharged by municipal services into the rivers (3) …….. into the sea. Many ports of Ukraine experience a slightly increased concentration of petroleum products. Thus, water samples taken in many points around the ports show a content of petroleum products (4) …….. the permissible pollution level or even exceeding it.

In the last few years the most ecologically (5) …….. zone of Ukraine in terms of sea pollution with petroleum products has been the Sevastopol bays. In many cities the municipal (6) …….. systems are in critical condition which causes the release of large amounts of unpurified sewage into the coastal waters. (7) …….. recent years no beaches have been closed due to excessive sea water pollution by chemical agents, however, in several instances beaches have been closed in Odessa, Eupatoria because of (8) …….. contamination. In some areas the petroleum product concentration (9)…….. the maximum by two to three times, namely in the Danube estuary. The level of contamination of the sea water with cadmium, lead, zinc, brass, nickel chromium and mercury is four times as high as the maximum permissible (10) ……. .

1. A) parts B) components C) ingredients

2. A) caused B) polluted C) contaminated

3. A) going B) moving C) flowing

4. A) reaching B) cleaning C) consuming

5. A) safe B) high C) dangerous

6. A) litter B) sewage C) garbage

7. A) For B) During C) In

8. A) sanitary B) epidemiological C) healthy

9. A) shows B) rises C) exceeds

10. A) level B) surface C) value

Model: 1 – b (components)

7.17. Match the two parts of the sentences.

1. The Volga-Caspian Basin ecosystem cannot resist giant industry enterprises	a) may lead to a water shortage in the nearest future.
2. Resources of river, lake and underground fresh waters	b) therefore, their rational use helps to compensate for moisture shortages.
3. A sharp increase in water consumption on the planet	c) without treating it at all.
4. Supplies of underground wastes are considerable,	d) is the greatest in Asia and South America.
5. The oceans of the world form one vast ecosystem	e) which are scattered about the river and its tributaries.
6. The underwater landscape is just as varied as that on land,	f) are distributed very unevenly on the continents.
7. The annual fresh water discharge into the ocean	g) and the most beautiful is the tropical coral reefs.
8. Many cities discharge their sewage into the sea	h) covering 70% of the planet surface.

7.18. Read the text and answer the questions after it.

During last centuries mankind has been developing very aggressively and has reached tremendous achievements in all fields. Unfortunately it has achieved great success in polluting its environment too. Currently, humanity has plenty of global environmental problems: deforestation, freshwater contamination, destruction of the ozone layer, pollution of space, etc. Desiccation of the Aral Sea is one of the items on the list. The Aral Sea is still considered to be the fourth largest lake in the world but it has been shrinking for decades. In comparison with the size of the sea in the 1960s, it has declined in size by 76%. The initial reason for the Aral’s decline is the fact that Soviet planners diverted water from the Aral’s two big feeding rivers (the Amu Darya and the Syr Darya) into cotton fields on the territory of Uzbekistan. Because of this irrigation, the sea is now seventy miles away from its former bank (in some places even more). Ninety percent of the Syr Darya’s water is diverted into canals and reservoirs.

Along the former shoreline salt has accumulated due to evaporation and solonchaks have developed. As a result of the strong NE winds in this area, the salt is picked up and transported by aeolic processes and through deflation lands on the irrigated fields in the south. In addition the north of the Amu Darya delta used to be an important ecosystem with a large variety of flora and fauna. The increasing salinity and the water shortage have led to a vast degradation of these areas.

The discharge of salt is also decreasing the agriculturally useable area, destroying pastures and creating a consequent shortage of forage for domestic animals. Deserted and sandy areas are being extended by the impact of wind. Further desertification is taking place, increasing the dust and toxicity content in the air.

► 1. How do you pronounce: useable, fauna, reservoir, desiccation, salinity?

2. What does desiccation mean?

3. Match the synonyms: tremendous empty

currently very big

deserted nowadays

4. What syllable is stressed in canal?

5. What is the opposite to shrink?

6. What is the difference between sea, lake, reservoir?

7. How many years does decade cover?

8. Explain the difference and similarity between bank, shore and coast.

9. Does salinity mean much salt or little salt?

7.19. Read the text again and give a three sentence summary of it.

7.20. Read the text below and do the exercises after it.

The ocean itself plays a vital role in the earth’s water cycle. Its huge surface area allows vast quantities of water to evaporate into the atmosphere. The water then condenses to form clouds.

For thousands of years, man has harvested fish from the seas as a valuable food source. Today the global catch plays a vital part in feeding the world’s growing population.

Over-fishing by large modern fishing fleets now threatens the livelihoods of traditional fishermen throughout the world. This has caused stocks of many fish species to become dangerously low. It is now vital that we have more international cooperation to sustain fish harvests.

Some of the largest creatures of the oceans actually feed on the smallest. Baleen whales, like the Blue whale which grows up to 30m long, exist solely on a diet of zooplankton.

Dead matter sinks to the ocean floor where it is either eaten by bottom dwellers (in shallower areas), like crabs and sea anemones, or it decays, producing minerals. Some form new rock, the rest are circulated by currents and taken in by plants.

The average depth of the ocean is 3,700 m, though parts are much deeper. Even the darkest depths are not devoid of life, however – thousands of weird and wonderful creatures have adapted to life in near total darkness.

► 1. What paragraph gives the information about:

a) fishing? b) water cycles? c) ocean depths? d) the largest ocean fish?

2. Look at the first paragraph and say whether evaporate and condense are synonyms or antonyms.

3. Look at the second paragraph and say which words have the same meaning as: important, increasing.

4. Look at the third paragraph and explain the word over-fishing.

5. Look at paragraphs 4 and 5 and say whether these statements true (T) or false (F). a) Whales eat fish.

b) Whales are the largest creatures of the ocean.

c) Crabs eat everything including dead matters.

d) Sea anemones produce minerals.

6. Look at paragraph 6 and answer the question: What weird (strange) and wonderful species live in the darkest depth?

7. How often do you eat fish? They are very good for you: high in protein and low in fat. Find out what sorts are available in your area, and where they come from. Have any become rarer or more expensive?

7.21. The Ganges, in India, is a sacred river to the Hindus, but it is severely polluted. Why? Read the text and answer the question.