To befall
(befell, befallen) - траплятися, ставатися
to take measures - вживати заходів
2. Read and translate the text:
The protection of environment has become one of the most burning problems of our century.
Large cities with thousands of smoky industrial enterprises appear all over the world today. The by-products of their activity pollutethe air we breathe, the water we drink, the soil we grow grain and vegetables. Every year the world industry pollutes the atmosphere with about 1000 million tons of dust and other harmful substances.Many cities suffer from smog. Vast forests are cut. Their disappearanceupsetsthe oxygen balance. As a result some rare species of animals, birds, fish and plants disappear forever, a number of rivers and lakes dry up.
The pollution of air and the world’s ocean, destructionof the ozone layer is the result of man’s careless interactionwith nature, a sign of ecological crisis.
The most horrible ecological disaster befell Ukraine and its people in the result of the accident at the Chernobyl nuclear power station in April 1986. A great damage has been done to Ukraine’s agriculture, forests and people’s health.
Environmental protection is a global problem. That is why the most serious measuresto createa universal system of ecological security should be taken.
The activity of various environmental organisations helps to improve the situation. Among them are the Greenpeace and The Green Party.
If we are unable to learn to use the environment carefully and to protect it from destructive man’s activities, very soon we’ll have no world to live in.
3. Answer the questions to the text:
1. What kind of problem has become one of the most burning nowadays?
2. What do the by-products of human activity pollute?
3. What do many cities suffer from?
4. What is the sign of ecological crisis?
5. What was the most horrible ecological disaster in Ukraine?When did it happen?
6. What environmental organisations do you know?
4. Read, translate and dramatize the dialoque.Use a dictionary if necessary:
Kai:Vadim, did you hear about the earthquakes in Baja Mexico? That's too bad.....that used to be a really pretty place to visit, but now it's in ruins.
Vadim: Yeah, that's a shame. I had wanted to visit that region of Mexico, but not anymore....I'm not into extreme tourism.
Kai: You do realize that earthquakes happen in many parts of the world, and are pretty much unpredictable, right?
Vadim: Whatever, Kai – I've never heard about earthquakes in Bermuda, Barbados, or St. Lucia......
Kai: Perhaps not, but those are islands which are often plagued by hurricanes.
Vadim: Well, at least that's better than the tornadoes which often strike the Midwest!
Kai: That's true, but why would you visit the Midwestern United States anyway? It's probably the least interesting part of the country, unless you're a farmer!
Vadim: I love wheat fields.
Kai: Okay......
Viktor: Vadim, you can travel to Spain. They never have natural disasters. It's always sunny, the people are friendly, and there are plenty of interesting sites to see.
Kai: Ummm...except for in 2007 when there was the earthquake on the Iberian Peninsula.
Vadim: No place is safe from natural disasters. They're part of our life, and there's nothing we can do to prevent them.
Viktor:You are quite right, but the most important thing we should realize is that of doing all the necessary things in the most difficult situations in order to help each other.
5. Translate into English:
ü захист навколишнього середовища
ü побічний продукт
ü повітря, яким ми дихаємо
ü вода, яку ми п’ємо
ü шкідливі речовини
ü баланс кисню
ü рідкісні види тварин
ü руйнування озонового шару
ü всесвітня система екологічної безпеки
ü покращувати ситуацію