Биология в современном мире. Учебное пособие

2)to contribute – contribution – contributor – contributory – contributed - contributing;

3)to mix – mixed forests – mixer – mixture – mixing;

4)to conserve – conservation – conservancy area - forest conservancy; conservative, conservator – conserving – conserved;

5)art – artist – artificial measures, artful, artfulness – artless – artlessly – arty

–artificially planting trees.

4.5 Exercise 5

Choose the proper equivalents to the following verb groups.

c) are to blame d) was to blame

4.6 Exercise 6

Read and translate the following word phrases. Pay attention to the attributes. universal material of tremendous economic importance; telegraph posts;

various sawed products; soil and water resources; clear forest streams; thickly forested areas; country’s needs for timber; the total amount of timber; taken from the country’s resources; forest resource use; the difficulty of forestry management; timber processing techniques; nonwaste technology of timber processing; people’s carelessness; matches thrown; camp fires not put out; people gathering mushrooms; fire safety rules; windfallen trees; forestry agencies (officials); top grade ripe pine forest.

4.7 Exercise 7

Translate the sentences paying attention to the non-finite forms of the verbs.

1)The forests are known to be an important geographical and ecological

factor.

2)The fact that forests regulate the flow of rivers, prevent their being clogged by silt makes them very valuable.

3)Thick forests are considered to be used mostly to satisfy the country’s

needs for timber.

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4)Forest resource use seems to be good enough.

5)Population distribution proves to be in inverse proportion.

6)Industrial methods of exploiting the forest has made it necessary to cut trees on large areas.

7)Industrial methods of lumbering will continue to be used in the future.

8)Measures should be taken to renew valuable tree species.

9)Many people are to blame for forest fires when they fail to follow fire safety rules.

10)To make camp fires in places with dry reeds is not permitted.

11)A peat fire may take a long time to be put out.

4.8 Exercise 8

Translate the sentences into English using non-finite forms of the verbs.

1)Леса регулируют течение рек, препятствуют их заливанию.

2)Считается, что леса – это важный географический и экологический

фактор.

3)Чтобы обновлять ценные породы деревьев, нужно принять определенные меры.

4)За пожары в лесу виноваты люди, которые не соблюдают правила противопожарной безопасности.

5)Разводить костры на торфяниках запрещено.

6)Тушение пожара на торфяниках потребует много времени.

4.9 Exercise 9

Put 4 types of questions to the sentences.

1)About 28 per cent of land on the earth is covered by forest.

2)Forests in remote areas of Siberia remain out of reach.

3)There is an abundance of forests in the north of the European part of the

country.

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4) Large areas of forests have been felled.

4.10 Exercise 10

Read the following text. Translate it.

Conservation and rational use of forest resources.

The rapid development of science and technology, the appearance of new varied materials including polymers didn’t appear to reduce the industrial use of timber. Timber, the most widespread construction material, is known to have become a universal material of tremendous economic importance. Large quantities of timber are still used for telegraph posts, railway sleepers, various sawed products and props for mines. Wood is widely used in finishing the interiors of homes, vessels, railway carriages, furniture and musical instruments. Timber is the raw material for pulp out of which paper, cardboard, spirits, synthetic fabric and yeast are made.

The significance of forests is not restricted to timber use. They are know to be an important geographical and ecological factor. They protect the soil and water resources better than the most excellent artificial measures. Forests prevent soil erosion, retain surface waters making them clean and still and contribute to an increase in ground waters. In this respect watershed forests are a kind of reservoir for useful moisture. Just the fact that forest regulate the flow of rivers, prevent their pollution and their being clogged by silt, prevent floods or reduce them in size, makes them extremely valuable.

Many birds and animals live in forests. Fish and water fowl populate the clear forest streams and lakes. Forests are the best place for recreation, a source of health and visual pleasure.

Forest animals increase forest productivity by 20 to 30 per cent and often the cost of timber is less than the cost of the furred animals, hoofed animals and fowl. The gathering of various mushrooms and berries – strawberries, red bilberry, whortleberry and cranberry – yields large profits. The forest swamps yield up to 1000 kg. of cranberries per hectare every year, and their value is 50 to 100 per cent higher than the value of one hectare of top grade ripe pine forest.

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Forests are divided into three groups according to their use. Forests of the first group – preserve, resort, suburban and protective (anti-erosion, roadside, forest belts along river banks, etc.) are fully protected and trees or shrubs may be felled only as part of upkeep work. The second group of forests is those in densely populated areas, they are protective and exploited to a limited extent; timber is obtained without considerable disruptions of their ecological role. Forests of the third group are in thickly forested areas and they are considered to be used mostly to satisfy the country’s needs for timber.

Forest resources are estimated by the area they occupy and the timber they contain. About 28 per cent of land on the earth is covered by forests. The area of Russia under forests is about 760 million hectares or 33 per cent of the total area. The annual production of timber for nationwide needs is about 400 million cubic meters and in addition another 50 million are provided for the local needs. Thus the total amount of timber taken from the country’s resources is about 450 million cubic meters a year. As there are 82000 million cubic meters of timber growing in the country, while the annual increment of timber is about 800 million cubic meters, forest resource use seems to be good enough. This, however, is only the overall picture. The difficulty of forestry management is that forests are distributed unevenly in the country, and of the total area of 700 million hectares covered by forests only half is exploited, while the other half (in remote areas of Siberia for example) remains out of reach.

The natural distribution of forests in Russia is such that 25 per cent of them are in the European part and the Urals, while 75 per cent are in the Asian part.

Population distribution proves to be in inverse proportion. 80 per cent of the population lives in the European part and 20 per cent in the Asian. It is obvious from this that there is a shortage of forest resources is some places in the European part in view of which we must conserve and make rational use of forests in the country as a whole.

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4.11 Exercise 11

Answer the following questions.

1)Why are forests extremely important for us? Where is timber used?

2)Why are forests ecologically important for our planet?

3)What groups are forests divided into?

4)What are forest resources estimated by?

5)Why does forest resources use seem to be good enough?

6)Why is it so difficult to manage forestry?

7)Why is there a shortage of forest resources in some places of our country?

4.12 Exercise 12

Write down from the text all names of forest, trees, animals, birds, etc. Mind

them.

4.13 Exercise 13

Read again the part of the text where numerals are used. Comment on the figures.

4.14 Exercise 14

Make up a scheme on the classification of forests according to their use. Discuss your scheme with your partner.

4.15 Exercise 15

Read and title the following text.

At the present time the main lumbering operations have been transferred to the areas where there is an abundance of forests in the north of the European part and the Asian part. Lumber operations are almost completely mechanized. But the

development of industrial methods of exploiting the forests has made it necessary to

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cut trees on large areas of 100 to 200 hectares. On such large clearings valuable coniferous trees (fir and pine) are succeeded by birch, aspen, willow undergrowth and with other less variable kinds. This is how the dark coniferous forest naturally develops. The primary kinds of trees and shrubs spread by birds (mountain ash, raspberry and others) or by the wind (aspen, willow, birch) appear first on clearings. The fir grows only under their protection. Subsequently the fir trees grow higher than these deciduous species using the humus they have formed and force them out. The secondary species becomes the prevailing one and the forest becomes coniferous or mixed. This process can be speeded up only by artificially planting coniferous trees.

Industrial methods of lumbering will continue to be used in the future. But measures should be elaborated to renew valuable tree species where large areas have been felled.

Prevention of timber loss includes: eliminating of instances of timber not fully cut down; rationalizing of timber processing techniques; introduction of non-waste technology in timber processing.

Particular attention should be given to the use of forest biomass as animal feed.

4.16 Exercise 16

Summarize the information of the text given above. Arrange the sentences in due order.

1)Valuable coniferous trees are succeeded by less valuable kinds.

2)Lumbering operations are mechanized and trees are felled where there is an abundance of forests.

3)It is necessary to work out measures to renew valuable tree species.

4)The aim is to introduce non-waste technology in timber processing.

5)This is how the dark coniferous forest naturally develops.

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4.17 Exercise 17

Speak on how the dark coniferous forest naturally develops. Use the following clue words and phrases.

The primary kinds of trees, clearings, fir, to use the humus, to force out, the secondary species, to prevail, mixed forest.

4.18 Exercise 18

Read the text, discuss it with your partner: ask questions, share your opinions, make up your schemes.

Fire safety rules in the forest

Forest fires destroy large areas of forests. The main cause of forest fires is people’s carelessness with fire in the forest. Nearly half the forest fires are due to matches thrown, camp fires not put out by hikers, hunters, anglers, people gathering mushrooms and berries in the forest. These people are to blame for forest fires when they fail to follow fire safety rules.

Fire safety rules in the forest are as follows: First of all smokers in the forest must carefully put out matches and stubs (stub-окурок). A camp fire is many times more dangerous than matches and stubs and therefore the fire safety rules contain a detailed list of all the places in the forest where camp fires are not allowed. Camp fires must not be kindled among coniferous saplings (sapline-молодое дерево) because this would inevitably cause a crown fire destroying them. It is equally dangerous to kindle camp fires on areas with windfallen trees or where trees have been cut down and waste remains. It is prohibited to make camp fires on peatland (peathland-торфяник), where the fire may penetrate deep into the peat and cause a peat (underground) fire which may take a long time to put out.

Dry reeds (reed-камыш) are very dangerous as regards fire because they are extremely combustible. That is why it is not permitted to make camp fires in places with dry reeds. Camp fires must not be kindled under trees with low branches which may catch fire and cause a crown fire.

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After the site for the fire has been chosen, a two by two metres square must be cleared of anything that burns and surrounded by a one metre wide stone strip and only then should the fire be kindled. When the fire is no longer needed it should be carefully extinguished with water or earth until all smouldering (тлеющий огонь) ceases. Only then you can be certain that the fire will not cause a forest fire.

Fire safety rules make it binding (обязательный) on everyone in the forest not only to observe the rules of dealing with fire but also, if a forest fire has been discovered, to immediately take measures to put it out and report it to forestry officials.

Forest will be reliably protected from fires by forestry agencies only if educational work is conducted widely among the population.

4.19 Exercise 19

Summarise the information about the conservation and rational use of forest resources and speak on it according to the plan.

1)The importance of forests.

2)The significance of forests.

3)Classification of forests.

4)Forest resources.

5)Conservation of forests.

6)Fire safety rules in the forest.

5 Lesson 5. Conservation of the animal kingdom (Сохранение

животного мира)

5.1 Exercise 1

Mind the following words and set expressions.

1)landscape – ландшафт;

2)the number of – количество;

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3)as well – также;

4)to provide with an opportunity – давать возможность;

5)to bring smb. to the verge of extinction – привести к-л на грань вымирания;

6)game resource – охотничьи ресурсы;

7)to make reference (to) – ссылаться;

8)abrupt reduction (decrease) – резкое сокращение;

9)domestic needs – домашние нужды;

10)widespread slaughter of animals – значительный убой животных;

11)to share the fate – разделить судьбу;

12)to value as a medicine – ценить как лекарство;

13)domestic cattle – домашний скот;

14)to come into existence – появиться.

5.2 Exercise 2

Mind the following regular verbs.

to alter – изменяться; to threaten – угрожать; to discuss – обсуждать; to wipe out – уничтожать; to survive – выживать; to value – ценить; to annihilate -

уничтожать; to restore – восстанавливать; to publish – публиковать; to die –

умирать; to reach – достигать; to suffer – страдать; to weigh – весить; to disappear - исчезать; to save – спасать; to vanish – исчезать; to roam – бродить, скитаться.

5.3 Exercise 3

Give three principle forms of the irregular verbs. Mind them.

to let, to bring, to begin, to lead, to sell, to become, to lose, to breed.

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