Unit 2 Biosphere

“Every creature is better alive than dead,

men and moose and pine trees,

and he who understands it aright

will rather preserve its life than destroy it.”

~ Henry David Thoreau

Warm up

Earth is truly a remarkable planet. It is the only planet in our solar system that has the components necessary to support life. The planet is only a tiny part of the universe, but it is the home of human beings and many other organisms.

The biosphere is all about life. Scientists use the term biosphere to describe our living world. This is where all of the trees, bugs, and animals live. The biosphere extends to the upper areas of the atmosphere where birds and insects can be found. It also reaches deep into the ground at a dark cave or to the bottom of the ocean. The biosphere extends to any place where life (of any kind) can exist on Earth.

These organisms can live on Earth because it has an atmosphere. The atmosphere moderates daytime and nighttime temperature swings. The atmosphere filters radiant energy during the day, preventing the surface from overheating. At night the atmosphere prevents most of the radiant heat from escaping back into space, keeping the surface warm.

• What other spheres of the physical environment do you know?

Vocabulary

1. shell оболочка

2. occur случаться; встречаться

3. existence существование

4. to date к настоящему времени

5. estimate оценивать

6. flux постоянное движение

7. cease переставать, прекращаться

8. decline падение, снижение

9. fragile хрупкий

10. run on работать (за счёт чего-л.)

11. flow течь, поступать; поток

12. originate возникать, появляться

13. casual случайный

14. poorly плохо

15. substantially в значительной степени

16. possess владеть, обладать

17. trait характерная черта, особенность

18. inherit наследовать, унаследовать

19. replication репродукция

20. diverse разнообразный

21. competition конкуренция

22. extinct вымерший

23. harmful вредный

Word Study

1.Give the Russian equivalents to the following words:

lithosphere, hydrosphere, energetics, tundra, transform, integrate, biomass, total, identify, constantly, concentration, vary, tropical, biota, idea, concept, selection, incorporation, colony, absorb, colonize, geophysiological

2.Guess the meaning of the underlined words. Translate the sentences.

1) The activitiesof living organisms influence the biosphere. 2) The atmosphere is the envelope ofgasthat surrounds the Earth. 3) Nitrogen and oxygencompose99% of themodernatmosphere. 4) The biosphere consists of a great variety ofaquaticandterrestrialenvironments. 5) The Earth isunique among all theplanetswe know. 6) The lithosphere is composed oftectonicplates that are inconstantmotion relative to each other. 7) Tectonicprocesseshaveformednewcontinents, mountain ranges, and moved existing continents across the surface of the Earth. 8) Precipitation (rainfall or snow) is the movement of water from the atmosphere to the land orocean.

3.Translate the following word combinations:

rather casually; scientific thought; the part of Earth's outer shell; the system integrating all living beings; the entire Earth; within various environments; over nine-tenths of the total biomass; existing species; some degree of flux; rapid decline; relatively thin; the fragile “film of life”; in deserts and tundra; tropical forest regions; to run on energy; fauna and flora

4.Match the word from list A with its definition in list B.

A	B
originate extinct casual cell occur cycling harmful environment decline	happening by chance series of events taking place in a regularly repeated order surroundings, circumstances, influences to make happen microscopic unit of living matter enclosing a nucleus with self-producing genes have as a cause or beginning causing damage, injury no longer in existence gradual and continued loss of strength