33

Unit two. water bodies and waterways

Text for Studying

rivers

The Earth’s surface is crossed by a great number of rivers, streams and canals; there are also millions of lakes and man-made reservoirs on our planet. All the world’s rivers carry a little over 360 thousand cubic km of water. Some of them are mighty rivers; others are tiny streamlets.

The world’s greatest rivers are the Volga in Europe, the Amazon in South America, the Mississippi in North America, the Nile in Africa, the Yangtze in Asia and the Darling in Australia.

Rivers and their surrounding lands represent some of the most valuable natural, cultural and historical resources of any country. Flowing waterways provide people with transportation routes, fish and wildlife, recreational opportunities, drinking water, irrigation for agriculture, hydropower for communities and industry.

The resource values and uses of many rivers are defined by some categories. The main of them are agricultural lands, botanical, fish, wildlife and cultural resources, geologic features, water quality and recreational boating.

Rivers are important for domestic, municipal, industrial and agricultural uses, power generation, navigation and commerce. Rivers and streams often dictate the patterns of future growth. So the management of water resources becomes increasingly important as communities expand.

Comprehension Study

1. Answer by choosing a), b) or c):

1. All world’s rivers

a) are used for power generation

b) carry thousands of cubic km of water

c) are important for navigation

2. Flowing waterways

a) are always rivers, streams or canals

b) are usually good transportation routes

c) provide people with drinking water

3. The resource values and uses of many rivers are defined by

a) municipal authorities (власти)

b) the country’s geographical position

c) historical development of the surrounding lands

4. Rivers and streams

a) are usually surrounded by agricultural lands

b) often influence (влияют) on future growth of communities

c) sometimes flow through big cities into the seas

5. The management of water resources

a) becomes very important

b) must be effective

c) is one of the main branches (отраслей) of Russia’s national economy

2. Agree or disagree with the following statements. Use the formulas:

For agreement For disagreement

Just so.	Quite the opposite.
Undoubtedly.	Far from it (that).

Model: A. Baikal water is blue and pure.

B. Just so. Lake Baikal is famous for its blue and pure water.

1. Rivers represent one of the most valuable natural resources of any country.

2. There are mighty rivers on our planet.

3. The Ob is the greatest river in Asia.

4. There is little water in tiny streamlets.

5. Flowing waterways don’t always provide people with recreational opportunities.

6. The quality of drinking water in your place is not good, is it?

7. Rivers dictate agricultural and industrial development of any community.

3. Find in the text the information about the importance of waterways in our life and translate it.

4. Answer the questions:

1. How many rivers and lakes are there on our planet?

2. What kind of river is the Amazon?

3. What other world’s greatest rivers do you know?

4. What do flowing waters provide people with?

5. Do geologic features define the resource values of the rivers?

6. Rivers and streams often dictate the patterns of future growth, don’t they?

7. Why is the management of water resources so important nowadays?

Word Study

1. Pronounce and translate the following words:

1. million [′miljən] transportation [trænspo′ teiən]

irrigation [iri′ geiən] agriculture [′ægrikltə]

category [′kætigəri] navigation [nævi ′geiən]

commerce [′komз:s] management [′mænidჳmənt]

canal [kə′ næl]

2. to dictate [dik′ teit]

3. cubic [′kjubik] cultural [′kltrəl]

historical [his ′torikəl] botanical [bə′ tænikəl]

geologic [dჳiə′ lodჳik] recreational [rekri ′eiənəl]

2. Be careful to pronounce the following geographical names correctly

the Volga [′volgə] Europe [′juərəp]

the Amazon [′æməzən] South America [′sauə ′merikə]

the Mississippi [misi′ sipi] North America [′no:ə ′merikə]

the Nile [nail] Africa [′æfrikə]

the Yangtze [′jæntsi] Asia [′eiə]

the Darling [′da:lin] Australia [os′ treiljə]

3. Match the following phrases:

   1) is crossed by a great number of …	a) рыбные ресурсы
   2) tiny	b) навигация и коммерция
   3) geologic features	c) крошечный
   4) agricultural lands	d) с/х угодья
   5) recreational opportunities	e) пересекается большим количеством
   6) fish resources	f) поверхность земли
   7) navigation and commerce	g) возможности отдыха
   8) becomes increasingly important	h) становится все более важным
   9) the Earth’s surface	i) геологическая характеристика

4. Try to remember the new words:

Active Vocabulary

water body n	водоем
waterway n	водный путь; водоток; водовод
stream n	поток, река, ручей; струя
streamlet n	ручеек
reservoir n	водохранилище, бассейн, резервуар
man-made	искусственный, созданный руками человека
carry v	нести, переносить; везти, перевозить
mighty a	могущественный, мощный, полноводный (о реках)
surround v	окружать, обступать
represent v	представлять
value n	ценность, значение, стоимость, оценка
valuable a	ценный, полезный
flow n flow v	течение, поток, струя течь, литься, струиться
provide with v	снабжать, обеспечивать; доставлять, давать
route n	маршрут, путь, дорога
wildlife n	природа (дикая)
opportunity n	возможность
hydropower n	гидроэнергетика
community n	общество, населенный пункт
define v	определять
quality n	качество
use n	употребление, потребление
use v	употреблять, использовать
domestic a	домашний, семейный, внутренний
municipal a	муниципальный, городской
power generation	выработка энергии
pattern n	образец, модель
expand v	расширять(ся), увеличивать(ся) в объеме