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The biosphere to be or not to be

The scientific foundation for the optimum man-nature interaction is the integrated theory of the biosphere worked out in the first half of the XX century by academician Vladimir Vernadsky.

Academician Vernadsky interpreted the biosphere as the global envelope produced on the Earth with the development of life. The propor­tion of living matter, in terms of weight, is insignificant compared to the mass of the Earth. Taken separately, a living organism produces a seem­ingly negligible portion of the overall circulation of matter on the planet. Taken together, however, the living organisms during the three thousand million years of the biosphere's history have formed a planetary phenomenon of a truly cosmic scope.

With the present-day scientific and technical progress, man's influence is changing the biosphere and it is passing into a new state — a man-controlled sphere, where man's wisdom is becoming the main factor which changes the aspect of the world. In many instances, however, man's activity is known to violate natural processes and so unbalance the set pattern of the biosphere. These violations are manifold. The circulation of sub­stances and the flow of energy are accelerated and increased. Man creates new compounds, new substances, pure chemical elements which are un­known to the biosphere. For instance, man produces huge volumes of fertilizers, biocides, pure iron and pure aluminium which never existed in the world before.

These substances do not belong to the natural circulation of matter. Many of them were found to disrupt the established mechanisms of the bio­sphere, to have no part in it and to act as ballast. World science is faced with the all-important task of bringing them into the general circulation of natural processes, of finding effective means of protecting the biosphere from pollutants.

The task is feasible, beyond any doubt. Of great importance are the efforts of every nation, international cooperation and goodwill of the governments.

Grammar and lexical exrecises

I. Translate the following sentences into Ukrainian paying atten­tion to the functions of the Gerund and Verbal Noun.

1. Studying small structures is accomplished with the help of a microscope. 2. Scientists began working at the problem of magnifying the power of microscopes more than 200 years ago. They were greatly interested in improving the lenses. 3. The experiments of the physicists resulted in mak­ing much more powerful microscopes. 4. Doubling the power of the ordinary microscope became possible by means of an ultraviolet microscope. 5. Instead of using ultraviolet light, scientists turned their attention to studying elec­trons. 6. Using electron microscopes scientists succeeded in bringing to view the fine structure of every material. 7. Upon making a number of experiments atomic physicists solved the problem of building a very powerful microscope. 8. Scientists succeeded in building electron microscopes with a great magnifying power. 9. Building a microscope using an electron beam in place of the usual beam of light provided a means of studying the fine structure of every material. 10. By solving the problem of constructing the electron microscope scientists were able to bring to view the fine structure of every material. 11. By making use of the properties of electrons physicists succeeded in constructing an electron microscope.