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Архитектура Аудит Военная наука Иностранные языки Медицина Металлургия Метрология Образование Политология Производство Психология Стандартизация Технологии |
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Архитектура Аудит Военная наука Иностранные языки Медицина Металлургия Метрология Образование Политология Производство Психология Стандартизация Технологии |
The text below throws light on different kinds of environmental pollution. Read the text and sum up the consequences of each type of environmental pollution.
Kinds of Pollution
All parts of the environment are closely related to one another. Ecologists, who study the relationships among living things and other parts of the environment, say that because of the close relationships, a kind of pollution that chiefly harms one part of the environment may also affect others. Air pollution harms the air, but rain washes pollutants out of the air and deposits them on the land and in bodies of water. Wind, on the other hand, blows pollutants off the land and into the air. There are several kinds of environmental pollution: air pollution, water pollution, soil pollution, and pollution caused by solid wastes, noise, and radiation. Air pollution turns clear odourless air into hazy, smelly air that harms health, kills plants, and damages property. People cause air pollution both outdoors and indoors. Outdoor air pollution results from pouring hundreds of millions of tons of gases and particulates – tiny particles of liquid or solid matter – into the atmosphere each year. One of the most common forms of outdoor air pollution is smog. Outdoor air pollutants range from small amounts of colourless poison gas to clouds of thick grey smoke. Indoor air pollution results from many of the same substances found outdoors. But indoor pollutants can present a more serious problem because they tend to build up in a small area from which they cannot easily escape. Cigarette smoke is a familiar indoor pollutant. Most of air pollution results from combustion processes. The burning of petrol to power motor vehicles and the burning of coal to heat buildings and help manufacture products are examples of such processes. Weather conditions can help reduce the amount of pollutants in the air. Wind scatters pollutants, and rain and snow wash them into the ground. But in many areas pollutants are put into the air faster than the weather conditions can One serious result of air pollution is its harmful effect on human health. Both gases and particulates burn people's eyes and irritate their lungs. Particulates can settle in the lungs and worsen such respiratory diseases as bronchitis and pneumonia. They may even help cause such diseases as cancer and emphysema. In cities throughout the world long periods of heavy air pollution have caused illness and death rates to increase dramatically. Air pollutants can also damage the earth's upper atmosphere. Scientists predict that unless air pollution is stopped, further damage to the ozone layer will allow more of the sun's radiation to reach the earth's surface. Air pollutants may also affect the climate. Both gases and particulates can cause changes in the average temperatures of an area. Particulates scatter the sun's rays and reduce the amount of sunlight that reaches the ground. Some gases, including carbon dioxide, allow sunlight to reach the ground, but prevent the sunlight's heat from rising out from the atmosphere and flowing back into space. The warming of the earth's surface that results is called the greenhouse effect. The burning of fuel and other polluting activities increase the amount of heat-trapping gases in the atmosphere intensifying the greenhouse effect, and causing average temperatures to rise. Air pollution also harms plants. Poisonous gases in the air can restrict the growth of, and eventually kill, nearly all kinds of plants. Polluted air even harms such hard and strong materials as concrete and steel. Water pollution reduces the amount of pure, fresh water that is available for such necessities as drinking and cleaning, and for such activities as swimming and fishing. The pollutants that affect water come mainly from industries, farms and sewerage systems. Industries dump huge amounts of wastes into the bodies of water each year. These wastes include chemicals, wastes from animal and plant matter, and hundreds of other substances. Industries dispose of much hazardous waste in disposal sites on land. But improperly managed sites may leak the wastes into underground water supplies that people use. Sewerage systems carry wastes from homes, offices, and industries into water. Natural cycles work to absorb small amount of natural wastes in bodies of water. Though nearly all cities have waste treatment plants that remove some of the most harmful wastes from sewage, even the treated sewage contains material that harms water. If too much waste matter is poured into the water, the natural cycles that work to absorb some of the waste matter can break down, and the water will become dirtier and dirtier. The addition of heated water to a body of water – thermal pollution coming mostly from industries and power plants – also upsets cycles. Heated water can kill animals and plants that are accustomed to living at lower temperatures. It Another major pollutant, which ruins beaches and kills birds and marine life, is fuel oil, which enters oceans primarily from oil tankers and offshore oil wells. Soil pollution damages the thin layer of fertile soil that covers much of the earth's land and is essential for growing food. Natural processes took thousands of years to form the soil that supports crops. But, through careless treatment, people can destroy soil in a few years. In nature, cycles similar to those that keep water clean work to keep soil fertile. People use fertilizers and pesticides to grow more and better crops. Fertilizers add extra nutrients to the soil and increase the amount of the crop that can be grown on an area of land. But the use of large amounts of fertilizers may decrease the ability of bacteria to decay wastes and produce nutrients naturally. Pesticides destroy weeds and pests. But pesticides may also harm helpful insects, worms and bacteria, and other helpful organisms in the soil. Solid wastes are probably the most visible form of pollution. People throw away billions of tons of solid material each year. Much of this waste ends up littering roadsides, floating in lakes and streams, and collecting in ugly dumps. Examples of solid wastes include abandoned cars, tyres, refrigerators, cookers, cans and other packaging materials, scraps of metal, paper and plastic. Such solid pollutants are most common in the heavily populated areas in and near cities. In addition to household wastes, solid wastes include mining, industrial and agricultural wastes. Solid wastes present a serious problem because most of the methods used to dispose of them result in some type of damage to the environment. Some solid wastes can be destroyed by burning them. But burning produces smoke that causes air pollution. When wastes are dumped in water, they contribute to various forms of water pollution. When the wastes are put into open dumps, they ruin the attractiveness of the surrounding areas. Dumps also provide homes for disease-carrying animals, such as cockroaches and rats. Some of the solid wastes are buried in large open areas called landfills. But in many places especially near large cities, the land available for dumping is running out. In the meantime the production of solid wastes is increasing rapidly as more and more wastes that are difficult to dispose of are being produced. Tin and steel cans that can be absorbed by the soil have been replaced by aluminium cans that stay in their original state for many years. Paper and cardboard packaging that can decay and burn easily is being replaced by plastics that will not decay and that give off harmful gases when they are burned. Some things that pollute the environment cannot be classified as air, water or soil pollutants, or as solid wastes. They travel through and affect various parts of the environment. These pollutants include noise, radiation, acid rain, pesticides, and such metals as mercury and lead. Noise is an especially troublesome pollutant in urban areas. People in and near large cities are exposed to loud noise much of the time. The noise causes discomfort in human beings. Some scientists even link prolonged exposure to loud noises with the development of high blood pressure and ulcers. Radiation is an invisible pollutant that can be highly dangerous. Nuclear radiation comes from radioactive substances, including waste from nuclear weapons testing and from nuclear power plants. Small amounts of electromagnetic radiation are produced by a variety of electronic devices, including computers, lasers, microwave ovens, televisions and X-ray machines. Scientists have not determined exactly what effects small amounts of radiation have on people. But exposure to large amounts can cause cancer and harmful changes in reproductive cells. International agreements ban most testing of nuclear weapons in the atmosphere. Such regulations have helped eliminate the major sources of radiation. However, the amount of radioactive waste is steadily increasing. Scientists, in turn, are studying ways to dispose of these wastes safely and permanently. World Book Functional vocabulary
Language focus
1. Explain the meaning of the following words and phrases.
– an ecologist; – a heat-trapping gas; – a disposal site; – a landfill; – nutrient enrichment; – thermal pollution; – to upset natural cycles.
2. Insert the right preposition or particle where necessary. Translate the sentences into Russian / Belarusian.
1. Humanity is facing many ecological problems resulting … the past errors of man's activities. 2. Scientists have linked the illness … the use of pesticides. 3. The statistics show a clear link … the growth of skin cancer cases and the holes in the ozone layer. 4. Plastic packaging material and aluminium cans are difficult to dispose … and when burned they give … harmful gases. 5. Bacteria break … some of natural waste dumped into the water. 6. The report revealed that the town-dwellers had been exposed … unacceptably high levels of radiation … the nearby nuclear power plant. 7. Poorly treated sewage is a major leak … the city's budget. 8. If too much poisonous substance is dumped on the land or in the water the natural cycles can break … .
3. Match the verbs with the nouns they collocate with.
4. Suggest synonyms of the words printed in italics.
pure water; odourless air; to eliminate the effects of the pollution; hazardous waste; harmful effect.
5. Underline the most appropriate word to complete the sentences.
1. Everyone agrees that the environment/nature/ecology must be protected. 2. The act of protecting animals, or parts of the environment is called ecology/conservation environmentalism. 3. The amount of gases/pollution/exhaust from cars is exceeding. 4. Our country has many natural resources/sources/deposits. 5. In this part of the country, the earth/the land/the soil is quite expensive.
Speech activities
1. What kind of pollution is the most widely spread? 2. What kind of pollution is the most dangerous for people? 3. What kind of pollution harms the environment most of all? 4. What pollutant is the most troublesome one in urban areas? 5. What kind of pollution is the most visible?
1. Different pollutants harm the environment insolently. 2. Cigarette smoke isn't an air pollutant. 3. Weather can reduce the level of air pollution. 4. The natural cycle that keeps water clean can be upset by pollution. 5. Small amounts of radiation do not affect people's health.
· Environmental protection is everyone’s concern. · Each of us harms the environment but we all can reduce pollution.
Work with the video programme "Canaries of the Sea"
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