Unit 4 From the History of Water Supply

Introduction

Notes:

surface – поверхность

in the olden days – в былые времена

dig wells – рыть колодцы

When the Earth was being formed, two hydrogen atoms combined with one oxygen atom to form H2O, or water.

Water is all around us. Nearly 80% of the surface of the Earth is water. The water we use today is the same water the dinosaurs used millions of years ago!

In the olden days, people did not have running water in their homes. Some had to walk miles every day to find clean water. That's why lots of our towns are built beside lakes and rivers, or where people could dig wells.

Vocabulary

1. devise придумывать, изобретать

2. convenient удобный

3. plumbing водопровод, водопроводная система

4. pipe труба

5. terminate завершать(ся)

6. well колодец

7. mediaeval средневековый

8. conduit трубопровод, акведук

9. treatment works очистные сооружения

10. in response (to) в ответ (на)

11. threat угроза

12. large scale крупно масштабный

13. tower башня

14. pump насос, помпа

15. steam пар

16. available доступный

17. purification очистка (воды)

18. liquefy превращать в жидкое состояние

19. thereafter впоследствии

20. solution раствор; решение

21. linen льняной

22. desalination опреснение (воды)

23. urban городской

24. sufficient достаточный

25. quantity количество

26. keep up (with) не отставать, держаться наравне

27. demand потребность

28. prevalent преобладающий

29. viable жизнеспособный

30. harvesting собирать, накапливать

31. eventually в конечном счёте, со временем

32. tend иметь тенденцию (к чему-л),клониться (к чему-л)

Exercises

1. Guess the meaning of the words.

history, system, aqueduct, public, fountain, infrastructure, cholera, modern, reservoir, electric, diesel, technique, compressed, chlorine gas, Army Major, professor, medical, calcium hypochlorite, method, standard, basis, municipal, limit, population, centre, traditional, centralized, option, technology, decentralization, extensively, rational, decade

2. Translate the following word combinations:

throughout history, getting and using water, indoor plumbing, public wells and fountains, water supply infrastructure, over many centuries, modern large scale reservoirs, water towers, rooftop water towers, electric and diesel-powered water pumps, the technique of purification, drinking water, compressed liquefied chlorine gas, a solution of calcium hypochlorite, municipal water purification, urban and suburban population centres, traditional centralized infrastructure, a more rational use of water

3. Match the word and its synonym.

devise convenient conduit threat available purification sufficient keep up demand prevalent harvesting eventually

suitable collecting clearing need enough finally think out large pipe at hand keep pace common danger

4. Translate the sentences into Russian.

1). Water supply is the provision of water by public utilities, commercial organizations or by individuals, usually by a system of pumps and pipes.

2). About 14% (884 million people) did not have access to an improved water source and had to use unprotected wells or springs, canals, lakes or rivers for their water needs.

3). A clean water supply is the single most important determinant of public health.

4). Destruction of water supply infrastructure after major catastrophes (earthquakes, floods, war, etc.) poses the immediate threat of severe epidemics diseases, several of which can be life-threatening.

5). Water supply systems get water from a variety of locations, including groundwater, surface water (lakes and rivers), and the sea through desalination.

6). Many of the 3.5 billion people receive a poor or very poor quality of service, especially in developing countries where about 80% of the world population lives.

7). Clean and reliable drinking water is essential for good health.