V. Write an essay “How can we make our city a better place to live?”

VI. Translate into Russian:

Preservation of nature has become a serious issue by the end of the 20th century. Government officials and politicians speak a lot of this problem. For them it is a good chance to attract public attention and get scores in their political campaigns. In fact very little is done to make our lives healthier by preserving nature. Big industrial corpora­tions keep polluting water in rivers, lakes, and seas. Oil tankers dump oil into seas and oceans. Many countries use cheap electricity from nuclear power plants, which beside being unsafe and dangerous, also account for polluting nature. Forests are felled, including rain forests. As a result, animals, birds, and fish are killed. Life in big cities is also affected by big industries and transport. Many people are anxious to leave cities for suburban areas in search of a better ecology. But ecolo­gy is threatened there also.

Let's take for example acid rains. What do a forest in Germany, a lake in Sweden and the Great Lakes on the borders of Canada and the United States have in common? They are all threatened by acid rain. All over Europe, particularly in Russia, and in North America, there are lakes and forests which are dead or dying and the cause is acid rain. All fossil fuels, that is oil, coal, and gas, contain sulphur. When these are burnt, for example, in motor vehicles, they form sulphuric acid. This acid goes up into the air, and soon it falls back to earth, into lakes and onto trees in forests. As a result, lakes become acidic, fish disap­pears and trees are killed.

There is a very good example of nature preservation. The river Rhine in Germany was known to have been seriously polluted some years ago by industrial plants and sewage water. The government of Germany took very decisive and serious steps punishing those respon­sible for the pollution. The result is striking: fishermen can be seen catching fish in the Reine. But such results can only be achieved if there is a government which seriously thinks of its people and its country.

VII. Act as interpreters. Act out dialogue 1: Dialogue 1 Environmental protection

A: Is the problem of защиты окружающей среды urgent today?

B: Yes, the problem of protecting the nature is первостепенной значимости. Through their daily activities people pollute and contaminate land, water and air. If it continues ущерб may become irreversible. It is known far and wide that pollution has accompanied mankind ever since groups of people first assembled and remained for a long time in one place. But загрязнение was not a serious problem as long as there was enough space available for each individual or group. With the establishment of permanent human settlements pollution became a problem and has remained one ever since. With the rise of advanced technology, увеличение населения планеты has become a universal problem. The price for rapid industrial development is very high: природные ресурсы истощаются, нарушается экологический баланс планеты.

A: How is the environmental protection problem решается today?

B: In recent years the pollution problems have received огромную общественную огласку. The environmental movement associated with no political party has gained widespread trust and support. Защитники окружающей среды stress that the problem is caused by industrial pollution and the automobile. The media's begun to campaign against the ugliness of billboards, tin cans and trash. The protection of natural resources and дикой природы is becoming a political programme in every country. Многочисленные anti-pollution acts passed in different countries led to значительные улучшения in environment. In many countries purifying systems for treatment of industrial waters были установлены, были приняты меры to protect rivers and seas from oil waters.

A: Какие основные проблемы сегодня?

B: Cleaning up air pollution is one of the main problems of today. Urban air pollution continues расширяться as a result of the in creased number of motor vehicles. Выхлопные газы from the engines of automobiles contain a number of вредных веществ. Tokyo has such a serious air-pollution problem that oxygen is supplied to policemen who direct traffic at busy intersections. Milan, Ankara, Mexico City, and Buenos Aires сталкиваются с аналогичными проблемами.

A: Is кислотный дождь damaging to nature?

B: One of the climatic effects of air pollution is acid rain. It is damaging to water, forest, and soil resources. It is blamed for the исчезновение of fish from many lakes, for the widespread death of forests in European mountains, and for damaging tree growth in the United States and Canada. Acid rain has been reported in areas as far apart as Sweden and Canada, and in parts of the United States from

New England to Texas.

A: Does радиоактивное загрязнение of environment worry people?

B: People also concern over the dangers resulting from massive releases of radioactive materials from ядерного оружия, which, if used on a major scale, could seriously endanger all of человечество. Another concern is аварии at nuclear power plants. In 1978 a nuclear power plant in Pennsylvania suffered a severe accident leading to partial meltdown of its radioactive core. In 1986 the Chernobyl nuclear power plant near Kiev suffered a fire and partial meltdown, resulting in a major release of radioactive particles. Much of northern and eastern Europe experienced heavy nuclear fallout. The runoff from broken-down tanks is the source of organic pollutants. Industries located along waterways downstream contribute a number of chemical pollutants, some of which are toxic. One form of pollution that is characteristic of industrial societies is noise.