Text 2 The Environment

It was in Britain that the word 'smog' (a mixture of smoke and fog) was first used. As the world's first industrialized country, its cities were the first to suffer this atmospheric condition. In the nineteenth century, London's 'pea-soupers' (thick fogs) became famous through descriptions of them in the works of Charles Dickens and in the Sherlock Holmes stories. The situation in London reached its worst point in 1952. At the end of that year a particularly bad smog, which lasted for several days, was estimated to have caused between 4,000 and 8,000 deaths.

Water pollution was also a problem. In the nineteenth century it was once suggested that the Houses of Parliament should be wrapped in enormous wet sheets to protect those inside from the awful smell of the River Thames. Until the 1960s, the first thing that happened to people who fell into the Thames in London was that they were rushed to hospital to have their stomachs pumped!

Then, during the 1960s and 1970s, laws were passed which forbade the heating of homes with open coal fires and which stopped much of the pollution from factories. At one time, a scene of fog in a Hollywood film was all that was necessary to symbolize London. This image is now out of date, and by the end of the 1970s it was said to be possible to catch fish in the Thames outside Parliament.

However, as in the rest of Europe, the great increase in the use of the motor car in the last quarter of the twentieth century caused an increase in a different kind of air pollution. This problem is serious enough for weather forecasts to have an 'air quality' section and on some occasions for official advice to be given that certain people (such as asthma sufferers) should not even leave their houses, and that nobody should take any vigorous exercise.

Now that the reduction of greenhouse gases has become a pressing global need, how to provide for Britain's energy needs and/ or reduce its energy consumption has become a national issue, especially as the country's oil reserves in the North Sea will not last much longer. There is a possibility that new nuclear power stations will be built because they do not emit greenhouse gases. But they are politically unpopular and there is doubt about their environmental friendliness (they do cause some greenhouse gases to be emitted, both in their construction and in the disposal of the waste they create). Various attempts at using 'green' energy sources are being made. One of these is solar power, but for obvious reasons there is a limit to its possibilities in Britain. Others are tidal power and even wave power. The one which has really developed is wind power. Wind farms are now quite a common feature of the British landscape. But they are not universally popular either, Some local people and nature lovers feel strongly that they ruin the countryside - and so local tourist boards are often opposed to them too. One way around this problem is to construct them offshore in the sea, and this too has been done.

/Britain for Learners of English/

Exercise 5. Find Russian equivalents for the following words or word combinations from the text.

smog industrialized country to suffer pea-souper description to reach the worst point to last for several days to estimate water pollution to protect to pass a law heating of homes open coal fires to symbolize image to be out of date to cause an increase air pollution air quality reduction

greenhouse gas pressing global need to reduce the energy consumption a national issue oil reserves nuclear power station environmental friendliness to emit construction disposal waste ‘green’ energy sources solar power tidal power wave power wind power common feature to ruin the countryside to be opposed to offshore

Exercise 6. Correct the following statements. When expressing disagreement make sure you begin your answers with such commonly accepted phrases. Do not repeat them.

I do not agree that …, I disagree that…, in my opinion, to my mind, as far as I remember, as far as I know, the text reads the opposite; it’s not true, it’s not right, vice versa, it’s quite the opposite, according to …

1. It was in Britain that the word ‘smog’ was first used.

2. The situation in London reached its worst point in the middle of the last century.

3. There was a particularly thick fog that lasted for several days at the end of last year.

4. Water pollution wasn’t a problem.

5. The image created by Hollywood to symbolize London is out of date.

6. In 1970s it was still impossible to catch fish in the Thames.

7. The reduction of greenhouse gases has become a pressing global need.

8. The new nuclear power stations can help but they are extremely unpopular.

9. Solar power is very popular in Great Britain.

10. Local tourist boards oppose to the construction of wind farms though they perfectly fit the landscape.

11. Wind farms are built offshore.

Exercise 7. Complete the sentences using the information from the text

1. The world’s first industrialized country was… .

2. Great Britain suffers from … .

3. During the 1960s and 1970s laws … .

4. The image of London used to be … .

5. The great increase in the use of the motor car in the last quarter of the 20^th century caused… .

6. The reduction of greenhouse gases has become… .

7. The idea to build nuclear power stations is very unpopular because …

8. Various attempts to use ‘green’ energy sources such as … .

9. Wind farms have become popular though… .

Exercise 8. Look for more information in additional sources. Answer the questions.

1. What marked the epoch of industrialization?

2. What problems existed in Great Britain at the end of the XIX and the beginning of the XX centuries?

3. What measures were taken to change the situation? Provide a few examples of legal acts?

4. Did the environmental laws change the situation? Are there environmental problems now in Great Britain? Of what kind?

5. How do the British try to solve the problem of lack of energy consumption? Why are there limits to the possibilities of solar power?

6. What is the opinion about constructing wind farms?