9. Answer the questions on the text of exercise 8.

1. Why Nature is the source of Man’s life?

2. Are natural riches unlimited?

3. How do industrial enterprises cause damage to the environment?

4. Why is disappearance of forests so dangerous?

5. What is the most horrible ecological disaster for the Belarusian nation?

6. What are the consequences of the atomic power station explosion?

7. Why are harmful dust and blow-outs so dangerous?

8. Do people understand that environmental protection should be our universal concern?

9. What measures are taken to protect the environment?

10. According to the text of ex. 8 speak on the points:

1. The Earth is our common green home.

2. The main ecological problems.

3. Chernobyl disaster.

4. Measures on environmental protection.

11. Read and translate the text. Analyze grammar forms underlined. This Fragile Planet

The word environment means simply what is around us. Nowadays people understand how important it is to solve the environment problems that endanger people’s lives. The most serious environment problems are:

- pollution in its many forms (water pollution, air pollution, nuclear pollution);

- noise from cars, buses, planes, etc.;

- destruction of wildlife and countryside beauty;

- shortage of natural resources (metals, different kinds of fuels);

- the growth of population.

The sea waters today are much more dangerous. There is no ocean or sea which is not used as dump. The Pacific Ocean, especially, has suffered from nuclear pollution because the French Government tests nuclear weapons there. Many seas are used for dumping industrial and nuclear waste. This poisons and kills fish and sea animals. Nuclear poisoned fish can be eaten by people.

Many rivers and lakes are poisoned too. Fish and reptiles can’t live in them. In such places all the birds leave their habitants and many plants die. If people drink this water they can die too. It happens so because factories and plants produce a lot of waste and pour it into rivers.

Air is also polluted nowadays. Most of the pollution in big cities comes from cars and buses. More and more often people are told not to be in direct sunlight, because ultraviolet radiation can get to the earth through the holes in the ozone layer. Many scientists think that these holes are the result of air pollution. Nuclear power stations can go wrong and cause nuclear pollution. Nuclear pollution cannot be seen but its effects can be terrible. To make air clean again we need good filters at nuclear power stations, at factories and plants and also in cars and buses.

Both clean air and clean water are necessary for our health. If people want to survive they must solve these problems quickly.

12. What are the most serious ecological problems? What dangers do they bring?

E c o l o g i c a l p r o b l e m s	T h e i r C o n s e q u e n c e s