Environmental Pollution

People have always polluted their surroundings, But until now pollution was not such a serious problem. People lived in uncrowded rural areas and did not have pollution - causing machines. With the development of crowded industrial cities which put huge amounts of pollutants into small areas, the problem has become more important. Automobiles and other new inventions make pollution steadily worse. Since the late 1960'speople have become alarmed with the danger of pollution.

Air, water, and soil are necessary for existance of all living things. But polluted air can cause illness, and even death. Polluted water kills fish and other marine life. On polluted soil, food can not be grown. In addition environmental pollution spoils the natural beauty of our planet.

Pollution is as complicated as serious problem. Automobiles are polluting the air but they provide transportation for the people. Factories pollute the air and the water but they provide jobs for people and produce necessary goods. Fertilizers and pesticides are important for growing crops but they can ruin soil.

Thus, people would have to stop using many useful things if they wanted to end pollution immediately. Most people do not want that of course. But pollution can be reduced gradually. Scientists and engineers can find the ways to reduce pollution from automobiles and factories. Government can pass the laws that would make enterprises take measures for reducing of pollution. Individuals and groups of people can work together to persuade enterprises to stop polluting activities.

Questions • i. Why wasn't pollution such as a serious problem earlier? 2. When have people become alarmed with the danger of pollution?

3. What can environmental pollution cause?

4. Why is pollution a complicated problem?

5. Can pollution be stopped immediately?

6. What can government and individuals do to reduce pollution?

Vocabulary: environment pollution - - загрязнение окружающей среды

uncrowded - слабонаселенный

rural - сельскохозяйственный

pollution-causing - вызывающий загрязнение

crowded - густонаселенный

pollutants - отходы

invention - изображение

soil - грунт, земля

existahce - существование

goods - товары

fertilizer- удобрение

pesticide - пестицид

to grow - выращивать

crops - сельскохозяйственные культуры

to ruin - портить

immediately - сразу, немедленно

to reduce - уменьшить

gradually - постепенно

to pass a law - принять закон

enterprise - предприятие

to take measures - принять меры

to persuade - убедить

activity - деятельность

Загрязнение окружающей среды

Люди всегда загрязняли окружающую среду. Однако до последнего времени загрязнение не было такой серьез­ной проблемой. Люди жили в слабозаселенных сельско­хозяйственных областях, у них не было загрязняющих

природу машин. С развитием перенаселенных промыш­ленных городов, в которых огромные количества отходов выбрасывались на маленькой площади, эта проблема ста­ла гораздо серьезнее. Автомобили и другие новые изобре­тения делают загрязнение все интенсивнее. В конце 60-х годов люди начали ощущать тревогу в связи с опаснос­тью загрязнения окружающей среды.

Воздух, вода и почва необходимы для существования всех живых существ. Однако загрязненный воздух может послужить причиной болезни и даже смерти. Загрязнен­ная вода убивает рыб и других морских животных На загрязненной почве не могут выращиваться пищевые куль­туры. Кроме того, загрязнение окружающей среды портит природную красоту нашей планеты.

Проблема загрязнения окружающей среды так же слож­на, как и серьезна. Автомобили загрязняют воздух, но пре­доставляют людям возможность передвижения. Фабрики загрязняют воздух и воду, но они предоставляют работу людям и производят необходимые товары. Удобрения и пестициды важны для сельского хозяйства, но они могут разрушать почву.

Таким образом, людям пришлось бы прекратить пользо­ваться многими полезными вещами, если бы они захотели прекратить загрязнение окружающей среды сразу. Боль­шинство людей, конечно, этого не хочет. Однако загрязне­ние может быть сокращено постепенно. Ученые и инжене­ры могут найти пути сокращения вредных выбросов от автомобилей и фабрик. Правительство может издать зако­ны, которые бы заставили предприятия принять меры для уменьшения загрязнения. Отдельные лица и группы лю­дей могут сотрудничать, чтобы убедить предприятия пре­кратить виды деятельности, вызывающие загрязнение ок­ружающей среды.

Ecological Problems

Since ancient times Nature has served Man, being the source of his life. For thousands of years people lived in harmony

with environment and it seemed to them that natural riches were unlimited. But with the development of civilization man's interference in nature began to increase.

Large cities with thousands of smoky industrial enterprises appear all over the world today. The by-products of their activity pollute the air we breathe, the water we drink, the land we grow grain and vegetables on.

Every year world industry pollutes the ahmosphere with about 1000 million tons of dust and other harmful substances. Many cities suffer from smog. Vast forests are cut and burn in fire. Their disappearance upsets the 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, destruction of the ozone layer is the result of man's careless interaction with nature, a sign of the ecological crises.

The most horrible ecological disaster befell Ukraine and its people after the Chernobyl tragedy in April 1986. About 18 percent of the territory of Byelarus were also polluted with radioactive substances. A great damage has been done to the agriculture, forests and people's health. The consequences of this explosion at the atomic power-station are tragic for the Ukrainian, Byelarussian and other nations.

Environmental protection is of a universal concern. That is v/hy serious measures to create a system of ecological security should be taken.

Some progress has been already made in this direction. As many as 159 countries - members of the UNO - have set up environmental protection agencies. Numerous conferences have been held by these agencies to discuss problems facing ecologically poor regions including the Aral Sea, the South Urals, Kuzbass, Donbass, Semipalatinsk and Chernobyl. An international environmental research centre has been set up on Lake Baikal. The international organisation Greenpeace is also doing much to preserve the environment.

But these are omy the initialsteps and they must be carried onward to protect nature, to savelife on the planet not only for the sake of the present but also for the future generations.

Questions:

1. How did people live thousands of years?

2. What cities appear all over the world today?

3. What pollutes the air we breathe?

4. What is the result of the pollution the atmosphere?

5. Why is environmental protection of a universal
concern?

6. What are the initial steps in this direction?

Vocabulary: ancient - древний harmony - гармония environment'- окружающая среда riches - богатства unlimited - неограниченный to mtertere i- вмешиваться to increase - увеличиваться, возрастать smoky - дымный enterprises - предприятия by-product - побочный продукт activity - деятельность to pollute - загрязнять substances - вещества oxigen - кислород rare - редкий destruction - разрушение ozone - озон layer - слой

interaction - взаимодействие horrible - ужасный disaster - катастрофа to befall - пасть (на что-то)