Text “Ecological Situation In The Orenburg Region”.

Each region has its own ecological problems. Our region is known as ecologically unfavourable. According to the total volume of polluting substances the area takes the 8^th place among 77 provinces of Russia and the 3^d place in the Ural economic region. The most polluted area is the eastern part and Orenburg, Novotroitsk, Orsk and Mednogorsk in particular. Every inhabitant has about 3 tons of dangerous wastes to breath. These towns are included in the list of the most polluted towns of Russia. Factories and plants are the main pollutants of air, water and soil. The wastes and by-products are dispersed into the rivers. The index of air and water pollution with copper, sulphur, dust, nitrogen, ammonia is above the norm. Due to the Orenburg Gas Plant the air pollution index in Orenburg is also very high (196).

Atomic explosions are another problem. The first took place on September 14^th 1954. It greatly influenced nature and the health of the population. The rate of cancer is 4-5 times higher than in other regions.

The region also faces fresh water supply problems. There are not many rivers and lakes and people must take care of them. Nature has suffered greatly because of ploughing up the steppe, falling the trees, pollution of water and soil. 132 kinds of flowers and 30 kinds of animals need protection. There are 18 hunting reservations in the region and also reservations of lilies-of-the-valley and sweet-berries in Buguruslan and Ilek where wild animals and rare plants are protected. There are some monuments of historic, cultural and scientific significance: the Camel Rock, Sol-Iletsk Lake and some lakes in Svetly.

Recently the Regional Ecological and Nature Protection Committee has been established. It regulates the use of natural resources and provides ecological safety of the region. Laboratories and inspection services are submitted to this state committee which takes part in programme planning for preservation of nature.

Only half of the 305 enterprises got permission on disposing garbage. 40 plants throw their wastes into rivers and lakes. Some steps have been taken for saving the Ural River, but they proved to be insufficient.

What should be done to change the situation for the better?

• We must change people's attitude towards the environment.

• We should stop the pollution of air and water.

• We must save more energy and water and try to use other sources of energy (solar and tidal energy, the energy of the wind, subterranean hot water, etc.).

• We must protect the ozone layer from harmful industrial products.

• We should prevent animals from extinction.

These and many other steps should be taken already now to make our region a safer and better place to live in.

Words and word combinations:

unfavourable – неблагоприятный

to pollute – загрязнять

substance – вещество

inhabitant – житель

dangerous – опасный

wastes – отходы

to breath – дышать

toinclude– включать

pollutant– загрязняющее вещество

soil– почва, грунт

pollution– загрязнение

by-product– побочный продукт

todisperse– разбрасывать

index– показатель, индекс

copper– медь

sulphur– сера

dust– пыль

nitrogen – азот

ammonia – аммиак

explosion – взрыв

rate– доля, процент, степень

cancer– рак

supply – запасы

to suffer – страдать

plough up – взрывать (землю)

falling – падение

protection – защита

hunting – охота

reservation – заповедник

lilies-of-the-valley – ландыш

sweet berries – сладкие (душистые) ягоды

significance – значение

toestablish– создавать, основывать

tosubmit– подчинять

toprovide– обеспечивать

preservation– сохранение

permission– разрешение

disposing– удаление, устранение

garbage– отбросы

attitude– отношение

environment– окружающая среда

solar– солнечный

tidal– приливной

subterranean– подземный

harmful– вредный

preventfrom– не допускать

extinction– вымирание

safe– надежный, безопасный

insufficient– недостаточный

saving– спасение