polunina_ln_bobrovskaia_im_priroda_nauka_tekhnologii

11. Work with a partner. Student A will read the five sentences beginning below. Student B will read the best completion for each statement.

Student A’s prompts

1.The environment is …

2.The ozone layer is …

3.Fluorocarbons are …

4.The stratosphere is …

5.Ozone is …

Student B’s completions

a.the part of the atmosphere that normally has high ozone content and that blocks ultraviolet radiation from entering the lower atmosphere.

b.the collection of physical, biological, and climatic surroundings in which earth organisms live.

c.a form of oxygen with a distinctive odor.

d.the upper portion of the atmosphere above 11 kilometers.

e.compounds of fluorine carbon used industrially to lubricate and refrigerate.

WRITING

12. Here are some measures for restoration of ecological balance. Which of the following do you consider the most important? Why? Give reasons to support your point of view. What else has to be done to restore some ecological balance?

-agricultural practices have to include the return of organic material to the soil after each harvest, instead of adding only inorganic fertilizers;

-many substances (e.g., garbage, paper products, glass, metal cans) have to be recycled on a much larger scale;

-water and energy conservation has to be universally practiced;

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-rare plant and animal species must be saved from extinction by preservation of their habitats and by other means.

13. Rate how dangerous each of the following environmental problems is to you personally, using a one-to-five scale. Circle the numbers in the table below. Compare your results with a partner’s.

less important >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> → important

KEYWORDS

acid rain, atmosphere, balance, community, consume, damage, deplete, dump (n., v.), ecology, ecosystem, effect, environment, environmental, extinction, global climatic changes, greenhouse effect, human (n., adj.), impact, increase (n., v.), living organisms, natural resources, ozone shield/layer, poisonous substances, pollutant, pollution, population, protect, radiation, relationship, restore, species, stratosphere, threat, tropical rain forest, waste

SUPPLEMENTARY READING

Will There Be Enough Water in the Next Century?

(1) Water shortages on planet Earth seem impossible. Images of our planet from outer space show vast oceans, lakes as big as small countries, and wide rivers flowing with incredible volume. How can there not be enough water? Earth has enormous water resources, approximately 1.35 billion cu km (about 326 million cu mi) of it,

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enough to submerge the United States (including Alaska and Hawaii) under 147 km (92 mi) of water. But more than 97 percent of it is salt water, lethal to crops and unfit for human consumption. Earth’s freshwater resources are much smaller, about 38 million cu km (about 9 million cu mi), and in some regions they are coming under stress. For example, the Colorado River waters so many towns and fields in the United States that often it does not reach the sea.

(2)The world is facing the prospect of water shortages caused by population growth, uneven supplies of water, pollution, and other factors. The United Nations (UN) predicts that water shortages could retard the economic growth of some countries and lead to food shortages and, possibly, to international conflicts. Water shortages will not come all at once in every part of the world. Just as the world’s population is unevenly distributed by region, so is the annual supply of renewable water. Rainfall and snowfall are determined by uneven weather patterns and landscape, and as a result, some areas of the world get more precipitation than others.

(3)For example, Canada is one of the largest countries in the world, with a total land area of about 10 million sq km (4 million sq mi). In the late 1990s Canada’s population was about 29 million people. In India, by contrast, about 984 million people live in a total land area of 3 million sq km (1 million sq mi). Clearly India has a higher demand for water than Canada. But Canada has more water. According to the World Resources Institute, Canada’s annually renewable water resources total 2,901 cu km per year (696 cu mi per year), compared with India’s 2,085 cu km per year (500 cu mi per year).

(4)This uneven distribution of water resources means that supplies in some parts of the world are already stretched thin. According to the UN, about one-third of the world’s population lived in countries with moderate to high water stress in the late 1990s. Moderate water stress means that the country is currently using 20 percent or more of its annual renewable resources. Countries in this category included Germany, India, South Africa, Spain, and the United States. High water stress means the country is using 40 percent or more. Countries in this category included Egypt, Iran, and Saudi Arabia. By 2025 the UN expects that two-thirds of the world’s population will live in countries with moderate to high water stress.

(Adapted from Turner, S. Will There Be Enough Water in the Next Century)

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1. Read the text and decide whether the following statements are TRUE, FALSE or there is NO such INFORMATION in the text.

2.More than 97 percent of all water resources is salt water. ______

3.Canada, the largest country in the world, has more water

2. Decide which part of the text contains the following information.

1.Earth’s freshwater resources are coming under stress in some regions.

2.The United Nations (UN) predicts that water shortages could lead to food shortages and, possibly, to international conflicts.

3.Give the answer to the following question.

Will water shortages come all at once in every part of the world?

1.Water shortages will inevitably come all at once in every part of the world.

2.Water shortages will sooner or later come all at once in every part of the world.

3.Water shortages won’t come all at once in every part of the world.

4.Water shortages will never come.

4. What is the main idea of the text?

1.Earth has enormous water resources.

2.The world is facing the prospect of water shortages caused by population growth, uneven supplies of water, pollution, and other factors.

3.Just as the world’s population is unevenly distributed by region, so is the annual supply of renewable water.

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4.According to the UN, about one-third of the world’s population lived in countries with moderate to high water stress in the late 1990s.

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UNIT 5

BIOLOGY

WARMING UP

1.What does Biology study?

2.What are the attributes of living organisms? Name as many living organisms as you can. Is a virus a living organism?

3.What distinguishes a living organism from a nonliving object?

4.What are the main structural units which are unique to living things?

READING

Some biologists contend that there is no such thing as life – only living organisms – and that life is a concept based on the collective attributes of living organisms. These include growth, reproduction, response to stimuli, metabolism, movement, complexity of organization, and adaptation to the environment.

Composition. The activities of living organisms emanate from protoplasm, the physical basis, or the ‘stuff of life’.

Structure. The protoplasm is contained in tiny structural units called cells, which are unique to living things.

Growth. The complex phenomenon of growth has been described simply as an increase in mass, which is usually also correlated with an increase in volume. Growth, which results primarily from the production of new protoplasm, includes variations in form – some the result of inheritance, some the result of environmental response. As an example of environmental response, consider what might happen if you were to plant two apple seeds of the same variety in poor soil and subsequently give them unequal treatment.

Reproduction. Dinosaurs were abundant 160 million years ago, but none exist today. Numerous mammals, birds, reptiles, plants, and other organisms are now on lists of endangered or threatened species. All these once-living or living things have one feature in common: it

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became impossible or it has become difficult for them to reproduce. Reproduction is such an obvious feature of living organisms that we take it for granted – until it is lost.

When reproduction occurs, the offspring are always similar to the parents: guppies never have puppies – just more guppies, and a petunia seed, when planted, will not develop into a polyanthus. In addition, offspring of one kind tend to resemble their parents more than they do other individuals of the same kind.

Response to Stimuli. If you stick a pin into a pillow, you certainly do not expect any reaction from the pillow, but if you were to stick the same pin into a friend, you know the reaction would be instantaneous (assuming the friend was conscious) because response to stimuli is a major characteristic of all living things. You might argue, however, that when you stuck a pin into your geranium nothing happened, even though you were fairly certain the plant was alive. The geranium did respond, but in a manner very different from that of a human. Plant responses to stimuli are generally much slower than those of animals and usually are of a different nature.

Metabolism. Metabolism has been defined as the “sum total of all the biochemical reactions taking place within an organism”. All living organisms undergo various metabolic activities, which include the production of new protoplasm, the repair of damage, and normal maintenance. The most important activities include respiration, an energy-releasing process that takes place in all living things; photosynthesis, an energy-harnessing process in green cells that is associated with energy storage; digestion, the conversion of large or insoluble food molecules to smaller soluble ones; and assimilation, the conversion of raw materials into protoplasm and other cell substances.

Movement is a universal characteristic of living things. Of course, plants generally do not move from one place to another (although their reproductive cells may do so). This does not mean, however, that plants do not exhibit movement. The leaves of sensitive plants (Mimosa pudica) fold within a few seconds after being disturbed. But most plant movements are slow and imperceptible, when compared with those of animals, and are primarily related to growth phenomena.

Complexity of Organization. The cells of living organisms are composed of large numbers of molecules (the smallest unit of an

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element or compound retaining its own identity). There are typically more than 1 trillion molecules in a single cell. The molecules are not simply mixed, like the ingredients of a cake, but are organized into “compartments”, membranes, and other structures within cells and tissues.

Adaptation to the Environment. Living organisms respond to the air, light, water, and soil of their environment. They are in many ways genetically adapted to their environment after countless generations of natural selection.

(Adapted from Stern, K.R. Introductory Plant Biology)

Expand your vocabulary

to contend – утверждать, заявлять to emanate (from) – происходить inheritance – наследственность

to be abundant – иметь(ся) в изобилии offspring – потомок

maintenance – поддержание soluble – растворимый tissue – ткань

POST-READING ACTIVITY

1. Discuss the following questions.

1.How has the complex phenomenon of growth been described? What is the difference between inherited form and form resulting from response to the environment?

2.What happens to species when it becomes impossible for them to reproduce?

3.What are the most important metabolic activities?

4.What are the cells of living organisms composed of?

5.What do living organisms respond to?

2. Write the words given below in the correct column according to the stress pattern.

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3. Match the words with their meanings.

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4. Match the words to complete word combinations. Use them to form the sentences.

5. Find the noun that is usually uncountable in each line.

6. Put questions to the words or word expressions in the bold type.

1.The protoplasm is contained in tiny structural units called cells, which are unique to living things.

2.Growth, which results primarily from the production of new protoplasm, includes variations in form – some the result of inheritance, some the result of environmental response.

3.The cells of living organisms are composed of large numbers of molecules (the smallest unit of an element or compound retaining its own identity).

4.There are typically more than 1 trillion molecules in a single cell.

5.Living organisms respond to the air, light, water, and soil of their environment.

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