Test yourself

Task 1. Tell whether the sentences are true or false. Correct the false ones.

1. Soil is referred to as a system.

2. Soil forms where the geosphere, the atmosphere, the hydrosphere, and the biosphere meet.

3. When environmental changes occur, in climate, vegetative cover, or animal (including human) activity, the soil does not change.

4. Earth’s land surface is covered by soil, the layer of rock and mineral fragments produced by weathering.

5. Soil is a combination of mineral and organic matter, water, and air.

6. Soil water contains many soluble nutrients.

7. Air in the pore spaces of soil is the source of necessary oxygen and carbon dioxide for most microorganisms and plants that live in the soil.

8. Parent material is a major factor influencing a newly forming soil.

9. Variations in temperature and precipitation determine whether chemical or mechanical weathering predominates.

10. Soils are the foundation of the human life-support system.

Task 2. Fill in the gaps with the suitable words and word combinations.

Sediment, type of vegetation, rock cycle, rate of soil, soil erosion

Soil erosion is a natural process. It is part of the constant recycling of Earth materials that we call the … . Once in a stream channel, soil particles, which can now be called …, are transported downstream and eventually deposited. Rates of … vary from one place to another and depend on the soil’s characteristics as well as on such factors as climate, slope, and …. Human activities have greatly accelerated the … erosion in many areas.

Unit 11 mineralogy Part 1

Task 1. Read and memorize the following words:

alloy - сплав	gravel - гравій, крупний пісок; галечник
chert - крем'янистий сланець	extol - звеличувати, розхвалювати
copper - мідь	iron ore - залізна руда
decline - занепад	tin - олово
employ by smb. – використовуватись кимось	advance – розвиватися, просуватися вперед
extract - видобувати	hematite - гематит
flint - кремінь	impetus - імпульс, стимул, поштовх

Task 2. Transcribe and translate the following words and proper names: Egyptians, BC, the Bronze Age, iron-working technology, the Middle Ages, vitamins.

Task 3. Read the following text, translate it into Ukrainian. Pay special attention to the pronunciation of the following words: mineral, gold, silver, copper, bronze, hematite.

Minerals are the building blocks of rocks. They have been employed by humans for both useful and decorative purposes for thousands of years. The first minerals mined were flint and chert, which people fashioned into weapons and cutting tools. As early as 3700 BC, Egyptians began mining gold, silver, and copper; and by 2200 BC humans discovered how to combine copper with tin to make bronze, a strong, hard alloy. Later, humans developed a process to extract iron from minerals such as hematite—a discovery that marked the decline of the Bronze Age.

By about 800 BC, iron-working technology had advanced to the point that weapons and many everyday objects were made of iron rather than copper, bronze, or wood. During the Middle Ages, mining of a variety of minerals was common throughout Europe, and the impetus for the formal study of minerals was in place. The term mineral is used in several different ways. For example, those concerned with health and fitness extol the benefits of vitamins and minerals. The mining industry typically uses the word when referring to anything taken out of the ground, such as coal, iron ore, or sand and gravel.

Task 4. Answer the following questions, using the vocabulary from Task 1.

1. What were the first minerals mined by people?

2. What were they used for?

3. When did humans begin mining gold, silver, and copper?

4. When did humans discover how to combine copper with tin to make bronze?

5. What discovery marked the decline of the Bronze Age?

6. When were weapons and many everyday objects made of iron rather than copper, bronze, or wood?

7. What process was common throughout Europe during the Middle Ages?

8. In what ways is the term mineral used?

9. How does the mining industry typically use the word mineral?

Task 5. Complete the following sentences from the text in Task 3.

1. The first minerals mined were … and …, which people fashioned into weapons and cutting tools.

2. As early as 3700 BC, … began mining gold, silver, and copper.

3. By … BC humans discovered how to combine copper with tin to make bronze, a strong, hard alloy.

4. By about 800 BC, … technology had advanced to the point that weapons and many everyday objects were made of iron.

5. During the Middle Ages, … was common throughout Europe.

6. … uses the word when referring to anything taken out of the ground.

Task 6. Find English equivalents for the following (see the text).

Використовуватись людьми; перші мінерали, які видобували люди; зброя та різальні інструменти; поєднувати мідь з оловом; удосконалити процес видобування заліза з мінералів; відкриття, яке позначило занепад Епохи бронзи (Бронзового віку); зброя та інші предмети побуту; бути поширеним (широко розповсюдженим) у Європі; офіційне вивчення мінералів; що стосується здоров’я та натренованості (витривалості) людини; видобувна промисловість.

Task 7. Give a short summary of the text from Task 3.