Causes of pollution

Vocabulary

invention винахід

advance прогрес, поліпшення

exhaust вихлопні гази

combustion згоряння

nitrogen азот

oxide окис

gasoline бензин

converter перетворювач

lead свинець

cancel зводити нанівець

sewage treatment завод для очистки стічних

plant вод

troublesome який спричиняє тривогу

Reading Read the text and say about the main sources of air pollution.

New inventions and processes have been continuously developed to improve our way of life. Such developments are called technological ad­vances. Technological advances help us, but many of them also bring about harm to the environment. In addition, there are economic and so­cial causes of pollution.

Technological causes. Many environmental pollution problems are a result of the rapid advances in technology that have been made since about the end of World War II (1945). Technological advances in agri­culture, industry, and transportation have greatly improved our way of life. But most of the advances were made without consideration of the effects they would have on the environment.

The automobile engine is an example of a very useful technological development that harms the environment. Through the years, automo­biles have been made more and more powerful. Many cars being built today have two to three times as much power as most cars built during the 1940s. Because of this, the new cars produce much more polluting exhaust than the older ones did. In order to make engines more powerful, automobile manufacturers increased the pressure and—as a result—the temperature at which combustion takes place in the engines' cylinders. The higher temperatures during combustion cause chemical reactions that put large amounts of nitrogen oxide gases into the engines' exhausts. In addition, high compression engines require special gasolines that burn evenly to prevent "knocking" noises. Mechanisms called catalytic con­verters now remove some of the polluting materials produced by auto­mobile engines. Also, the gradual elimination of the lead from gasoline has helped make automobiles less polluting. However, there is still much to do to eliminate pollution from automobiles. An increase in their num­ber may cancel gains from using catalytic converters and unleaded gaso­line.

The sewage treatment plant is an example of a technological develop­ment that was designed to protect the environment, but which can cause pollution nevertheless. Most treatment plants prevent dangerous organic wastes (wastes from animal and plant matter) from upsetting the natural cycles in water. The treatment plants use bacteria and oxygen to break down the organic wastes and turn them into inorganic nutrients. But when the nutrients are put into the water, they upset natural cycles by increas­ing the growth of algae. Scientists and engineers are working to develop sewage treatment plants that will also remove inorganic nutrients from sewage.

Some products of advanced technology contribute to environmental pollution in more than one way. For example, plastics are a troublesome solid waste because they will not break down and cannot be absorbed b the soil. Plastics also indirectly cause pollution when they are produced. Large amounts of electricity are required in order to produce plastics. As a result of this need for electricity, the production of plastics helps create a demand for more electric power plants. Electric power plants that bur fuel, such as coal, are a major source of air pollution.

Exercise 1. Read and translate.

Economic, social, result, technology, transportation, automobile, special, mechanisms, catalyc, organic, plastics, absorb.

Exercise 2. Match a word in A with a word in B.

	A		B
1	inorganic	a	noise
2	knocking	b	advances
3	sewage treatment	c	exhausts
4	combustion	d	solid wastes
5	engines	e	plant
6	troublesome	f	nutrients
7	technological	g	engine

Exercise 3. Complete the gaps with the propositions from the box:

1. The result … the rapid advance … technology.

2. An increase … their number.

3. They upset natural cycle … increasing the growth… algae.

4. They contribute … environmental pollution … more than one way.

5. … a result … this need … electricity.

6. To improve our way … life.

7. An example … very useful development.

of  5, in  3, to, by, as, for

Exercise 4. Complete the chart.

Adjective	Comparative	Superlative
High ……… powerful ……… ……… dangerous polluting	……… larger ……… ……… less ……… ………	……… ……… ……… most ……… ……… ………

Exercise 5. Translate.

1. The more plastics are produced,

the more pollution they cause.

2. The more plastics are produced,

the more electricity is required.

3. The more electricity is required,

the more fuel is burnt.

4. The more fuel is burnt,

the more pollution they cause.

Exercise 6. Complete the gaps with the words from the box.

1. There are technological economic and … causes of pollution.

2. Technological advances have greatly improved …

3. Combustion process takes place in …

4. The treatment plants turn the organic wastes into …

5. Large amounts of … are required in order to produce plastics.

6. High compression engines require special …

gasoline, way of life, the engines cylinders,

inorganic nutrients, social, electricity

Exercise 7. Change the following sentences

Active to Passive

Passive to Active.

1. They have made the rapid advances in technology.	The rapid advances …
2. Technological advances …	Our way of life has been improved by technological advances
3. They have developed new inventions and processes	New inventions and processes …
4. They have made automobiles more powerful	Automobiles

Exercise 8. Match a word on the left with its definition on the right.

1	petroleum	a	the process of burning
2	knocking noise	b	the gas or steam produced when the engine is working.
3	converter	c	a soft heavy easily melted grayish-blue metal
4	gasoline	d	a machine that changes the form of things
5	combustion	e	oil that is obtained from below the surface of the earth and is used to make gasoline.
6	lead	f	a liquid obtained from petroleum
7	exhaust	g	the sound of something hard hitting a hard surface

Exercise 9. Find out information about

• the technological development in transportation that harms the environment.

• the mechanisms which help make automobiles less polluting.

• the development for protecting the environment, but which can cause pollution nevertheless.

• a troublesome solid waste.

• a major source of air pollution.

Exercise 10. Put the questions in the correct order and use the answers to get summary of the text.

1. Are plastics a troublesome solid waste? Why?

2. Are environmental pollution problems a result of the rapid advances in technology?

3. What is a major source of air pollution?

4. What developments do we call technological advances?

5. What do high compression engines require to prevent "knocking" noises?

6. How does the automobile engine harm the environment?

7. What do the treatment plants use to break down the organic wastes?

Lesson 6