Unit 2 Read the text and translate it in to Russian The planet strikes back

The US National Wildlife magazine pointed out 1988 as the year when “Planet Earth began to strike back through drought, heat waves, soil erosion and other human-induced natural hazards”.

The environmental awareness of human kind has become task number one for scientists.

Here are two publications dealing with human-induced natural hazards which threaten our ecosphere.

1. Greenhouse effect.

The atmosphere is a blanket of gases around the Earth. For thousand of years these gases have trapped some of the sun’s heat and kept the planet’s temperatures at a steady level. The present climate zones and other natural habitats have been formed under those temperatures. But now because pollutant gases accumulate in the atmosphere, they trap the heat from the Earth like the glass of a greenhouse stops the sun’s heat from leaving. So the Earth gets hotter. When the Earth’s temperature rises, the weather will change everywhere. The ice at the North and South poles will start to melt and as a result, the level of the sea will rise. There will be serious floods in many countries. When the climate changes, there will be less food in the world. Vast territories of America and Central Russia will become too hot for farming. Other areas may become wetter, but the soil there isn’t as rich. It won’t be possible to grow the same amount of food.

2. Acid rain.

A lot of dangerous gases enter the atmosphere from tall chimneys of factories and power stations. Then they mix with water in the air and form a cocktail of acidic chemicals. After that the wind carries them for hundreds or even thousands of kilometers away. And finally, this killing mixture falls back on Earth as acid rain. It causes damage or death of forests, lakes, wildlife, humans, buildings, works of art. The soil in parts of Scandinavia is now ten times more acid than fifty years ago. Leaves and roots of trees are damaged, and they dying all over Europe. When scientists in Britain tried to put new fish into one lake, all the fish died in less than two days. This liquid killer is also attacking many of Europe’s most famous sculptures and buildings: for example, Notre Dame in Paris and St.Paul’s in London. Medical statistics show more lung and kidney illness in countries with high levels of acid pollution.

Vocabulary list

Drought – засуха

Erosion– эрозия, разрушение, вымывание, выветривание

Hazard– риск, опасность, бедствие

Awareness– осознание

Greenhouse– теплица

Level– уровень

Flood– наводнение

Loss– потеря, утрата

Powerstation– электростанция

Illness– болезнь

Carbondioxide–углекислый газ

Threaten– грозить

Trap– ловушка

Accumulate– накапливать(ся)

Mix– смешивать(ся)

Cause– вызывать, служить причиной

Lose– терять, утрачивать

Human-induced– вызванный человеческой деятельностью

Steady– устойчивый, постоянный

Dangerous– опасный