Английский язык (стр. 10 )

The influence of the man on wild animals appears in two ways: direct influence (destruction or, on the contrary, protection, saving) and indirect influence through changes of their existence conditions. The man on the Earth creates a new landscape. It is the irreversible and natural process. And it is not only irreversible, but it is also inevitable, because it is consequence of a human society development. Some changes of a landscape are rough and obvious. They are ploughing up of steppes, cutting of woods, irrigation and other modifications of an earth surface changing its shape in a radical way. As a result the whole complexes of animals begin to disappear because they have no place to live. But it is only one side of a question.

Direct influence of the man is a terrible scourge for the animals. The pioneers of the largest modifications of the earth surface become the main butchers of the animals. The poachers armed with long-range guns, high-speed motor boats, searchlights and automobiles exterminate hundreds of thousands of birds and animals. Careless business managers pollute seas, lakes and rivers by petroleum or by sewage. Laws declaring outside of the law any predatory bird, regulating even the prize for their murder cause irreparable damage. Recently birds, which live on fish such as seagull and herons, were persecuted. It is nothing but barbarity! For struggle with insects-wreckers one has begun to apply various poison chemicals, which can accumulate in organisms of animals in fatal dozes. This can cause mass destruction. Many animals perish on highways. Unreasonable planning of hunting of fur-bearing animals without registration of their number, unreasoned acclimatization, and fashion whims stimulating sudden increase of demand on some animals - all these reasons have a common consequence - destruction of animals and of biological diversity.

Text 9

Global Warming

"Global warming" has been introduced by the scientific community and the media as the term that encompasses all potential changes in climate that result from higher average global temperatures. Hundreds of scientists from many different countries are working to understand global warming and have come to a consensus on several important aspects. In general, Global warming will produce far more profound climatic changes than simply a rise in global temperature.

An analysis of temperature records shows that the Earth has warmed an average of 0.5°C over the past 100 years. This is consistent with predictions of global warming due to an enhanced greenhouse effect and increased aerosols. Part of the current global warmth is associated with the tropical El Nino, without which a record global temperature would probably not have occurred.

The Earth's climate is the result of extremely complex interactions among the atmosphere, the oceans, the land masses, and living organisms, which are all warmed daily by the sun's energy. This heat would radiate back into space if not for the atmosphere, which relies on a delicate balance of heat-trapping gases - including water vapour, carbon dioxide, nitrous oxide, and methane - to act as a natural "greenhouse," keeping in just the right amount of the sun's energy to support life.

For the past 150 years, though, the atmospheric concentrations of these gases, particularly carbon dioxide, have been rising. As a result, more heat is being trapped than previously, which in turn is causing the global temperature to rise. Climate scientists have linked the increased levels of heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere to human activities, in particular the burning of fossil fuels (coal, oil, and natural gas for heating and electricity; gasoline for transportation), deforestation, cattle ranching, and rice farming.

As the Earth's climate is the result of extremely complex interactions, scientists still cannot predict the exact impact on the earth's climate of these rising levels of heat-trapping gases over the next century. The current best estimate is that if carbon dioxide concentrations double over preindustrial levels, according to the scientific possible scenarios, an atmospheric doubling of carbon dioxide could occur as early as 2050.

In 1995, scientists with the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change - the authoritative international body charged with studying this issue-reached a conclusion in the Second Assessment Report, which summarizes the current state of scientific knowledge on global warming, also called climate change.

For the first time ever, the Panel concluded that the observed increase in global average temperature over the last century "is unlikely to be entirely natural in origin" and that "the balance of evidence suggests that there is a discernible human influence on global climate."

English-Russian Vocabulary

A

absorb – поглощать

accident – случай, случайность

acid rain – кислотный дождь

according to – согласно

adapt – приспосабливаться

adopt – зд.: выбирать

affect – влиять, воздействовать

arise (from) – возникать вследствие чего-либо

atmosphere – атмосфера

atmospheric – атмосферный

average – средний

B

bird – птица

blade – крыло, лопасть

boundless – безграничный, беспредельный

breed – разводить, культивировать

C

cancer – раковое заболевание

carbon dioxide – углекислый газ

cell – элемент, клетка

chemicals – химикаты

coal – уголь

constant – постоянный

corresponding demand – соответствующее требование

D

dam – дамба, плотина, запруда

delicate – хрупкий

destroy – разрушать

destruction – разрушение

disastrous – разрушительный, гибельный

drain – стекать

drought – засуха

dump – сбрасывать, сваливать

E

efficient – эффективный

emission – выделение, распространение

endless – бесконечный

energy – энергия

engine – двигатель

enrich – обогатить

environment – окружающая среда

escape – исчезать

essential oils – эфирные масла

explosion – взрыв

extinction – исчезновение, вымирание

extract – получать экстракт, экстрагировать

F

fertilizer – удобрение

fossil fuel – ископаемое топливо

fragrance – аромат

G

geothermal – геотермальный

get rid of – избавиться от

glacier – ледник

global – глобальный

greenhouse effect – парниковый эффект

H

habitat – естественная среда

heal – излечивать

huge – огромный

I

immense – огромный, безмерный

impact – влияние, воздействие

interaction – взаимодействие

irrigation – орошение

K

keep – держать, хранить

L

layer – слой

level – уровень

life-threatening – опасный для жизни

M

mankind – человечество

marine – морской

marsh – болото, топь

moisture – влага

N

natural – природный

nuclear – ядерный

nucleus – ядро

O

outer – внешний

ozone – озон

oxygen – кислород

P

peat – торф

penetrate – проникать

persecute – преследовать

pipe – труба

plant – растение

poacher – браконьер

poisonous – отравляющий, ядовитый

pollution – загрязнение

protect – охранять, защищать

R

rapid – быстрый

raw materials – сырьё

rear – выращивать

reduce – уменьшать, сокращать

reflect – отражать

release – выделять, высвобождать

rely (on) – полагаться (на)

reservoir – водохранилище

rival – конкурент, соперник

rod – стержень

S

sand – песок

silt – ил, осадок, наносы

shift – двигать, перемещать

soil – почва

solar – солнечный

source – источник

split – расщеплять

species – вид, разновидность

spin – вращаться

spray – распылять

steam – пар

steel – сталь

substance – вещество

suffer – страдать

suitable – подходящий, удобный

supply – запас

survival – выживание

swamp – болото, топь

T

tame – приручать

tide – прилив

turbine – турбина

U

unlike – в отличие от

unpredictable – непредсказуемый

use up – истратить, израсходовать

V

vapour – пар

version – вариант

W

waste – отходы

waterfall – водопад

weed – сорняк

wildlife – живая природа

wire – провод

СОДЕРЖАНИЕ

Введение............................................................................................................................	3
Unit 1 …………………………………………………………………………………….	4
Unit 2 …………………………………………………………………………………….	10
Unit 3 …………………………………………………………………………………….	18
Unit 4 …………………………………………………………………………………….	25
Unit 5 …………………………………………………………………………………….	35
Supplementary reading………………………………………………………………….	41
English-Russian vocabulary …………………………………………………………...	50

Учебное издание

Осипова Ирина Владимировна

Прокопова Ольга Владимировна

The Earth is our home

Методические указания

Подписано в печать 10.01.2013 Формат 60х 84 1/16. Бумага офсетная

Ризография. Гарнитура «Таймс». Усл. печ. л. 3,25 Уч.-изд. л. 3,12.

Тираж 50 экз. Заказ

Отпечатано в УО «Белорусская государственная сельскохозяйственная академия».

Ул. Мичурина, 5, 213407, г. Горки