The Alps

The Alpine range is Europe's greatest mountain chain. It stretches 950 km (1) _____ France, Italy, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia. Its many famous peaks include the Eiger (4,344 m), the Matterhorn (4,477 m), the Jungfrau (4,419 m) and Mont Blanc (2) _____ 4, 807 metres. Transport (3) _____ the mountains is difficult and most routes follow the valleys or must pass (4) _____ high viaducts or (5) _____ deep tunnels.

The Alps were formed (6) _____ the folding (7) _____ sediments (8) _____ the ancient Tethys Sea, which lay (9) _____ Africa and Europe. Africa is drifting northward and it is this continental movement which raised the mountain chain.

Ice and water have carved the folded strata (10) _____ the jagged landscape peaks, ridges and valleys that we see today. Much (11) _____ the landscape was shaped (12) _____ the ice age but today there are still (13) _____ 1,200 alpine glaciers. Above about 2,500 metres the mountains are permanently covered (14) _____ snow.

Rare alpine plants, such as the famous edelweiss, can still be found (15) _____ the meadows (16) _____ 2,000 metres. The meadows are full (17) _____ flowers (18) _____ the warm summers, but the plants, animals and people who live (19) _____ the mountains must also cope (20) _____ the harsh winter climate. Traditional alpine houses have steep pitched roofs designed to shed the snow.

Ex. 13. Do you remember? The number of minerals that are important constituents of ordinary rocks is surprisingly small. Complete the following paragraph using the words in brackets.

Clay is an (especial) _____ (interesting) _____ material because of its ability to absorb (large) _____ amounts of water. This ability can be traced to the layered structures of the clay minerals. In many of these minerals, each layer is (electrical) _____ polarised, with one side exhibiting a (slight) _____ (positive) _____ charge and the other a (slight) _____ (negative) _____ charge. (Adjacent) _____ layers are held together, by the attractions of the (opposite) _____ charges that face each other; since the layers are only (weak) _____ polarised, the bonds between the layers are (feeble) _____, and (dry) _____ clay crumbles (easy) _____.

Ex. 14. Spend a few minutes thinking about how you would translate the following sentences.

1. The Earth’s surface may be considered a huge chemical laboratory, in which a quantitative rock analysis is being made.

2. The structure of the underlying rock is of course indicated by that at the surface.

3. One of the causes of stratification is a change in the kind of material that is being fed into the basin of deposition.

4. It is observed that many important ore deposits occur at the contact between formations of different character.

5. On sloping ground the products of weathering are constantly being transported away by rain wash, rills, and streams.

6. Great numbers of islands consist of coral limestone, which still is being built up by the remains of algae and corals.

7. Each element is assigned a definite symbol, such as H for hydrogen and Pb for lead.

8. Certain features of ancient glaciation have been explained by some scientists on the basis of changes in the position of the poles.

9. In some of the young mountain systems much of the local relief was caused directly by localized crustal movements.

10. The Nile is lowest in May, when it is fed almost entirely by the equatorial lakes.

Ex. 15. Translate the following into Russian.

Relatively little area of the total area of the earth is occupied by either the high mountains or the greatest oceanic depths. By far the greatest portion of the continents is within a few thousand feet of sea level; and most of the wide area of ocean bottom is between 10,000 and 20,000 ft below sea level, thus the oceans are deeper than the continents are high. Mount Everest, the loftiest in the world, is 29,028 ft high. From its top to the bottom of the deepest ocean is a distance of just over twelve miles. This is a small amount compared with the world's diameter. Land features on the continents themselves maybe divided into mountains, plateaus, and plains. Mountains are high lands of small summit area, prominent (rising) above their surroundings. Plateaus are high lands with considerable summit areas, rising abruptly (steeply) above their surroundings on at least one side. Plains are low lands with little relief. In addition there are the smaller relief features such as hills and valleys, familiar to all.

Ex. 16. Give the English equivalents.

Северное полушарие; отделяться; влиять (действовать) на; создавать; пространства ровной земли; подниматься; возвышенности; полуостров; узкий перешеек; присоединяться; пересеченный рельеф; простираться (протягиваться); полностью окруженный водой; существовать, вершина; крутой склон; характерная черта; расположенный внутри страны; неравномерно.