1. The life of every living organism, from the simplest bacterium to the largest animal, is known to depend on the structure and physiology of the living organism and also on the kind of the environment it lives in.

2.Ecology is said to be a holistic science.

3. Many consider this classification to be quite decisive, and some propose these as stable borders for bioregional democracy initiatives.

4.The decline of ancient civilizations is believed to have been strongly influenced by natural resource degradation from non-sustainable farming and forestry practices.

5. This seems to have stopped the acidification of lakes but not yet reversed it.

6.Global warming is thought by many to be the most serious global environmental issue facing our society.

UNIT 14

PROBLEMS OF THE PLANET

We’ve spent thousands of years fighting for our survival. Yet now we have discovered that our planet is under threat and, to make matters worse, it’s all our fault.

The rainforests are dying, rare plant and animal species are disappearing, rivers and seas are being contaminated, crops are falling to grow, people are dying of hunger and the air is being polluted. It’s time we woke up to these problems and started repairing the damage.

One of the major problems is the destruction of the rainforests in South America. They are home to half the world’s species and to millions of people. Moreover, the rainforests clean the air by absorbing carbon dioxide and giving out oxygen.

But what is killing the trees? Nobody knows exactly, but it is probably air pollution or acid rain. Factories, power stations and cars emit tones of smoke into the air. The smoke contains sulphur dioxide and nitrogen. These substances mix with water vapour in the atmosphere and sulphuric acid and nitric acid. Sunlight turns these acids into poisonous oxidants, which fall in rain or snow onto the trees.

In other parts of the world trees are threatened by people, not by pollution. The great rain forests are being destroyed for firewood and building material. The trees are being cut down for paper or to make room for cattle farms. As a result, birds and animals loose their homes and die. The destruction is also bringing about changes in the climate, air pollution, flooding, drought & famine. If we continue to burn and cut down the rain forests as we are doing now, the earth will never be the same again. If the

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trees die, we will die, too.

Another big problem is water pollution. Do you like swimming in the sea or drinking a cool glass of water on a hot day? These simple pleasures may soon become a thing of the past. Imagine a world with no drinking water and no water to wash or cook with. It’s hard to imagine this, because we use water every day without even thinking about it. Yet there are terrible water shortages all over the world. In some parts of Africa and China, for example, many people don’t even have clean water to drink. In fact over half of the people in the world have to live with water shortages every day. We all need water – not just for our homes and factories, but also to survive. But are we living today? Factories are polluting our rivers and lakes with dangerous chemicals. Oil tankers are releasing thick, black oil into our oceans. Tones & tones of industrial & domestic waste are poured into our seas. Consequently, sea life is threatened with extinction.

Air pollution is another important issue. Most Americans are now familiar with air pollution alerts and most are aware of the causes of air pollution. Automobiles and airplanes burn fuel and discharge millions of tones of pollution into the air every year. Factories, while producing goods for household and businesses, also pour poisonous smoke into the air, power plants produce electricity, but the coal and oil they burn cause air pollution. We are able to buy more goods than ever before, but when we stop using them, we burn many of them and further pollute the air.

The air pollution settles on land and on buildings, making them dirty. It smells bad and stings our eyes. The health costs and damage to property are estimated in the billions of dollars every year. Scientists are convinced that air pollution is a very real contributing factor to the three major diseases, that cause sicknesses and death in our society – heart disease, lung disease and cancer.

Noise, a more subtle pollutant, usually leaves no visible evidence. An estimated 14.7 million Americans are exposed to an on-the-job noise that threatens their hearing. Another 13.5 million of us are exposed, without knowing it, to dangerous noise levels from trucks, airplanes, motorcycles, hi-fi’s, lawn mowers and kitchen appliances.

Noise can cause temporary stress reactions such as increasing heart rate, increasing in blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, digestive and respiratory ailments. As a result of persistent, unrelenting noise exposure, it is possible for the reactions to become chronic stress diseases like high blood pressure or ulcers. If we don’t do something now, our cities will become impossible to live in.

Fortunately, it is not too late to solve these problems. plant trees and adopt animals. We can create parks for endangered species. We can put pressure on those in power to take action. Together we can save our planet. All we need to do is to open our eyes and act immediately.

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Notes on the text

alert - насторожений, тривога

discharge - випускання, викид, скидання, злив pour –лить(ся)

settle - владнати sting - осідати

estimate - оцінка, оцінювати persistent - тривалість

еxpose - наражати на небезпеку ulcers - виразка

digestive - сприяючий травленню ailment - нездоров'я

Posttext exercises

1. Match the following English words with their Ukrainian equivalents.

to be threatened, carbon, to become, endangered, to give off, breathing, to take, industrial/domestic, oil, to develop

1.________waste

2.________dioxide

3.________a thing of the past

4.________tankers

5.________fumes

6.________with extinction

7.________allergies

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8.________problems

9.________species

10.________action

3.Choose wright word.

1.Rare plant and human / animal species are disappearing.

2.The trees are being cut / chopped down for paper or to make room for cattle farm.

3.Birds and animals lose / miss their homes.

4.Factories are polluting our rivers and lakes with dangerous oils / chemicals.

5.Sea life is threatened with extinction / loss.

cars and factories are giving off dangerous waste / fumes.

6.We can plant trees and adopt / adapt animals.

4.Translate word combinations into English in written form.

1.Виживання .

2.Бути під загрозою.

3.Зникати.

4.Забруднювати річки та озера.

5.Помирати з голоду.

6.Забруднювати повітря.

7.Знищувати ліси, види тварин та рослин.

8.Повінь, засуха, голод.

9.Небезпечні хімічні речовини.

10.Забруднювати море промисловими відходами .

11.Мати алергії та проблеми дихання .

12.Садити дерева.

13.Доглядати за тваринами.

14.Створювати парки для тварин, життя яких під загрозою.

5.Match the following problems h words with their explanations.

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6. Decide whether the following statements are true or false.

True False

1.We’ve discovered that our planet is under threat and, to make matters worse, it’s all our fault.

2.One of the major problems is the destruction of the rainforests in South Africa.

3.The rainforests clean the air by absorbing oxygen.

4.The destruction is also bringing about changes in the climate, air pollution, flooding, drought and famine.

5.Now we don’t have the time, the money, the technology to prepare the way for a better, cleaner and safer future.

6.Together we can save our planet.

7.Make up sentences.

1.large, reactors, Safety, problems, reactors, in, nuclear, will, complicated, become, more, as, are built.

2.If, expand, government, construction, power, of nuclear, reactors, clean, air, the problem, will, of, become, complicated, more.

3.they, If, we, use, regulators, in plant, pesticides, prevent, of fruit, dropping, premature.

4.for, people, If, we, can, be, don’t handle, dangerous, pesticides, properly, they.

5.death, even, If, or, pesticides, illness, they, serious, are spilled, the skin, on, cause, may.

6.If, inhale, swallow, wastes, people, or, hazardous, they, poison, can, burn, main, people, blind, and.

8.Rank the following problems facing the world‘s environment according to your understanding of their importance. Give reasons why

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