2.4. The Exxon Valdez disaster (Катастрофа)

Alaska is a land of clear sea and skies, and great 1)_____ (nature) beauty in the north-west of Ame­rica. Alaska is also a land of great wealth. It has four great

2)________(industry) :fishing, forests, tourism and oil. On the south coast of Alaska is the port of Valdez, аnd from here most of Alaska's oil is taken to other parts of the USA.

The sea off the coast of Alaska is always 3)_______ (danger) because it's full of small islands and rocks, some of which are under the water. In winter and spring there is another danger: ice.

The Exxon Valdez started its journey in the evening of 24th March 1989.

At 4) (one), the captain was controlling the ship. Later he went to his cabin to do some paperwork.

Just after the midnight, the Exxon Valdez hit a group of rocks and had several holes in its side. Fifty million litres of oil started to flow out of the ship and into the sea.

The oil from the Valdez disas­ter polluted 5)_____(near) 1,700 kilometres of Alaska's coast, and it covered 4,800 square kilometers of water. It was the 6)_______(bad)

oilspill in American history. Milli­ons of fish, 300,000 sea birds and thousands sea-otters (каланы) died.

It's easy to try to blame one per­son for the Exxon Valdez disaster. In fact, the disaster 7)______(be) the result of mistakes of many different people who said, "There has never been a disaster, so a disaster will never happen."

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2.5. A wise judge

It happened many years ago in India.

Somebody 1) (steal)one hundred rupees (рупий — монета в Ин­дии) from the house of one man. The man went to the judge. The judge called all the people who lived in the house and gave 2)_____ (they) each a stick.

All the sticks 3) ____(be) twenty centimeters long.

The judge said, "These sticks are magic. They will help me to find the man who 4)______ (take) the money. Tomorrow his stick will grow five centimeters 5)______(long) than it is today."

When the thief came home he cut off one end of 6)_____(he) stick. Next morning the judge looked at the sticks and saw that one of the 7) ______ (stick) was five centimeters shorter. In this way he found the thief.

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2.6. A sporting nation

The British are a sporting nation. They like football — in fact, they 1) ________(invent) it many years ago. Most British towns and cities have a football team. Every year, each team plays in the Football Association competition. The two 2)______(good) teams play in the Cup Final at Wembley Stadium in London. It is one of the biggest sporting 3)_________ (event) of the year.

Cricket is a typically British game. It 4)______(look) slow, but it can be exciting if you understand what's going on. There are eleven

5)_____(man) in each team. Cricket is a very long game. Big international matches go on for five years.

Tennis is another popular game in Britain. Every summer, in June, the biggest international tennis tournament (турнир) takes place at Wimbledon. There 6)_____ (be) strawberries and cream for sale, and everybody hopes it won't rain.

Many British people who live near the sea, a lake or a river enjoy 7)_____ (sail). If you are rich enough to buy your own boat, you can take part in one of the annual sailing races.

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