Vocabulary
to founder |
пойти ко дну |
to remove |
убирать, уносить |
noxious |
вредный; ядовитый |
barren |
бесплодный |
in the wake of |
в кильватере, по следам (событий) |
to phase out |
постепенно выводить из эксплуатации |
to bring forward |
перенести на более ранний срок |
to wash up |
прибивать к берегу, выносить на берег |
II. Vocabulary Practice
1. Match the words in column A with those in column B to form a phrase. Use them in the sentences of your own.
-
A
B
fishing
a) winds
noxious
b) operation
clean up
c) disaster
environmental
d) effect
catastrophic
e) cargo
prevalent
f) ground
2. Find the words from the text which mean the following:
to gradually stop using or providing something;
someone who does a job willingly without being paid;
unproductive, unprofitable.
Read and translate the sentences in which they are used.
III. Speech Practice
1. Explain the underlined parts in your own words.
It was six months until the fishing fleets dropped their nets again.
Locals still claim that old fishing spots are now completely barren.
In the wake of the incident many have called for the ban of single-hulled tankers.
2. Answer the questions to the text.
What new information have you acquired from the text?
What might be a critical decision to the problem of sea pollution by oil from tankers?
3. Summarise the information from the three stories and describe the disaster.
IV. Written Practice
Write a brief summary of the accident (12–15 sentences).
Text 7. Stricken cargo ship runs aground
I. Read the text.
Make sure you understand the word below:
firmly |
securely |
Sunday, 21 January, 2007
Coastguards and anti-pollution teams are on alert after a ship carrying potentially dangerous chemicals was beached off the Devon coast.
The MSC Napoli, holed in storms on Thursday, was run aground following "serious structural failure".
The ship is carrying almost 2,400 containers, about 150 of which are said to hold hazardous chemical substances.
Fifty containers were thrown into the sea on Saturday, but it is not thought they contained hazardous goods.
The ship's 26-man crew was rescued by helicopter on Thursday after it developed two long gashes on each side just above the water line in stormy weather.
The Maritime and Coastguard Agency decided to beach it in Lyme Bay instead, following the structural failure.
It is now firmly aground but rolling in storms. Two French coastguard tugs are holding the ship in place.
Chris Lawson of the Environment Agency said containers holding the most hazardous substances, such as pesticides, were in the cargo hold of the boat, and there was "very little risk" of them leaking.
50 coastguards are out looking for the missing containers, which include one containing hundreds of thousands of pounds worth of BMW motorbikes.
The rescue team has been using the high tide to move the Napoli closer to shelter whilst weighing it down by pumping in sea water as ballast.
The ship has been surrounded by a 1 km oil-containment boom to protect the sea from any possible pollution.
The 275 m, 62,000-tonne Napoli is registered in London and owned by the Swiss Mediterranean Shipping Company.
It was last inspected by the MCA in May 2005 when officials said it met safety standards.