WOULD A TEMPERATURE RISE OF A COUPLE DEGREES REALLY CHANGE THE GLOBAL CLIMATE?

In the last 10, 000 years the Earth's average temperature hasn't varied by more than 1.0°C. An increase of a few degrees won't simply make for pleasantly warmer temperatures around the globe. Even a modest rise of 1.5 °C could have dramatic effects. As a result the ice at the North and South Poles is going to melt, and sea levels and sea temperatures are going to rise. Both processes

* How much warmer is the Earth likely to become?; Would a temperature rise of a couple degrees really change the global climate? // http: //www.wikipedia.org/

Unit five

lead to serious flooding and violent storms in many parts of the world. In other places there is going to be less rain, and the land may be turned into desert.

Scientists predict that continued global warming over the next 100 years will have a severe impact on many forests and other natural ecosystems and result in greater threats to human health.

(to be continued)

New Words

amazing [s'meizin] adj поразительный, удивительный universe ['ju: niv3: s] л вселенная, мироздание beyond [bi'JDnd] adv, prep за пределами habitability [, hsbita'bibti] n пригодность к обитанию galaxy f'gaebksi] n галактика restrict [n'stnkt] (/ограничивать inhabit [m'haebit] у жить, обитать, заселять simplify ['simplifai] v упростить property ['propgti] n 1) собственность

2) отличительная черта, особенность, свойство paradise ['pasradais] n рай, райское место greenhouse ['gri: nhaus] л оранжерея, теплица

greenhouse effect парниковый эффект prevent [pn'vent] v предотвращать, не допускать predict [pn'dikt] v предсказывать, предсказать

major ['meidjs] adj значительный, главный, первостепенной важности reduce [n'dju: s] v уменьшать, понижать, сокращать emission n выделение, выброс emit [I'mit] v выделять (свет, тепло, запах и т. п.), выбрасывать, извергать

(пепел, дым, лаву)

stabilize ['steibalaiz] у стабилизироваться) make for (phrasal verb) способствовать, содействовать melt v таять

severe [si'vig] adj строгий, суровый, зд. крупный, ощутимый impact ['impaekt] л сильное воздействие, влияние result in [п'глк] приводить (к чему-либо), вызывать

syn. cause, bring about threat [6ret] л угроза

Questions for discussion.

1. Why, according to the text, aren't there any inhabited planets except the Earth in the solar system?

Parti

2. What are the properties of a place (a planet, etc.) that are necessary
for life to emerge and evolve?

3. What is global warming?

4. What is causing harmful greenhouse gases to build up in the Earth's
atmosphere?

5. What will happen if nothing is done to reduce greenhouse gas
emissions?

6. Would the climate stabilize if we stopped the emission of heat-trapping
gases immediately? How long would it take to stabilize the climate?

7. What are the effects of global warming? Why are they called dramatic?

8. Why can global warming result in greater threats to human health?

EXERCISES

Find English equivalents in the text for the following (you may think of better Russian translations).

1.. ..в других галактиках не только должна существовать жизнь, но
даже и живые существа, подобные людям...

2. Но если мы ограничимся нашей Солнечной системой...

3....мы будем разочарованы, узнав...

4....среди других планет, вращающихся вокруг солнца.

5. Почему на них нет, по крайней мере, примитивных форм жизни?

6. Едва ли было бы преувеличением утверждать, что в пределах Сол­
нечной системы...

7. Упростив язык науки, было бы достаточно сказать...

8. Ни на одной из них нет ни воды, ни атмосферы.

9....и даже сложные формы жизни могут возникать и развиваться?

 

10....нашим современным образом жизни...

11. Загрязнение окружающей среды от автомашин, заводов и элек­
тростанций приводит к тому, что в земной атмосфере скаплива­
ются вредные парниковые газы.

12....если не будут предприняты значительные усилия по сокраще­
нию...

13. Даже если бы мы немедленно перестали выбрасывать в атмосфе­
ру газы, задерживающие тепло, климат бы не стабилизировался
в течение десятилетий...

14. Увеличение температуры на несколько градусов не будет просто
способствовать приятному потеплению на всей планете.

15....продолжающееся глобальное потепление в течение последую­
щих 100 лет приведет к жестокому воздействию на многие леса,
естественные экосистемы и увеличит угрозу здоровью человека.

Unit five

Read and translate these sentences into Russian so as to have a better idea of how these words can be used.

loan n, v

1. A loan is a sum of money you borrow, for example, from a bank. You
usually have to pay interest (процент) on a loan.

2. The government had to make a further loan of $3.3 m to improve the
country's economic situation.

3. The money which has been loaned to city councils by the central
government can be repaid at a low rate of interest.

Don't mix up!

percent (also per cent (%) - процент, одна сотая часть

percentage - процентное отношение

interest - процент, начисление на вклад (в банке)

I agree with you a hundred percent.

A high percentage of married women have part-time jobs.

The interest on the loan is 16.5 % per year.

amaze v, amazement л, amazing adj, amazingly adv

1. If something amazes you, it surprises you so much that you find it
almost impossible to believe it.

2. If you describe something as amazing, you mean that it causes you to
feel (makes you feel) great surprise or wonder and admiration.

3. I was amazed to hear that Bill was appointed the top manager.

4. London is an amazing city, isn't it?

5. When you are in Italy, don't fail to visit Venice. You will, no doubt, be
amazed by its unique beauty.

6. Our holiday was amazingly cheap.

beyond prep

1. My friends are going to move to a new house far beyond the boundaries
of the city.

2. I was amazed by the beauty of the forest beyond the river.

3. Do you realize that your new responsibilities will go beyond computers
and visitors?

4. The situation has changed beyond recognition (our expectations).

5. How she manages to combine her numerous routine duties with sports
and entertainment is beyond me.

6. The recent success of our local Greenpeace organization was beyond
our wildest dreams.

Parti

restrict v, restricted adj, restriction n

1. The number of students joining these faculties is going to be
restricted.

2. The sale of alcohol is going to be restricted by law to people under the
age of eighteen.

3. I'm going to restrict myself to one cigarette a day.

4. A restricted document or place is one that the authorities wish to keep
secret. Only people with special permission are allowed to read a
restricted document or visit a restricted place.

5. Can press freedom be restricted?

6. The speaker restricted her remarks to (only talked about) the problems
of health care.

7. The 1986 law imposed new financial restrictions on private com­
panies.

8. Some of those restrictions were lifted a few years later.

9. Speed restrictions were lifted once the road works were completed.

simplify v, simplification n

1. The government is going to simplify the tax laws. This simplification is
of major importance to tax payers.

2. I'm going to simplify my stories for very young children.

3. Textbooks can't be simplified at the expense of their educational and
scientific value.

property n

1. As an uncountable noun 'property' means the thing or things people
own, including land and buildings, (e.g. private property, personal
property, lost property)

2. Property prices have gone up recently.

3. The word property meaning a building, a piece of land or both is often
used as a countable noun. (i.e. with an indefinite article and in plural,
especially by lawyers or estate agents (Br.) or realtors (Am.).

e.g. Several properties in this street are going to be sold.

4. In its other meaning the word 'property' is countable and means a
quality that belongs naturally to something.

e.g. Some new properties of this metal have recently been discovered by scientists.

prevent v, preventive adj

1. My only idea was to prevent you from making that serious mistake.

2. Some of these measures were necessary to prevent a destructive
explosion.

3. The diplomatic measures were not enough to prevent the war.

Unit five

4. The word 'preventive' has been borrowed by the Russian language. We can speak of preventive measures, actions, etc.

predict v, prediction n, predictable adj, unpredictable adj

1. Nobody could predict all the dramatic changes that have occurred
recently.

2. All the teachers predicted a brilliant future for the child.

3. Predictions hardly ever come true.

4. Predictions about the future of Earth vary.

5.1 used to be interested in politics, but now it's all getting very predictable.

6. In my opinion the result of their experiments is absolutely unpre­dictable.

major adj, n

1. There are two major political parties in the US.

2. The dramatic increase of cars on the roads is going to create major
traffic problems.

3. As a noun 'major' (майор) means a middle military rank.

Don't mix up!

major ['meicfea] - майор, mayor ['теэ] - мэр

reduce v, reduction n

1. During the sale, prices of many things in shops are reduced and we
expect further reductions.

" We do not expect any significant reduction in the work force, " the per­sonnel [, p3: s3'n3l] manager said.

2. A reduction in industrial investment isn't expected in the near future.

threat n, threaten v, threatening adj

1. They firmly decided not to give in to threats.

2. The government considered this a possible threat to peace and order
in the country.

3. The factory is still under threat of closure.

4. The situation threatened to get out of control.

5. Some scientists predict that the world will face dangers greater and
more threatening than any known in the past.

6. " I saw him threatening the girl with a knife, " the witness said in court.

severe adj, severely adv

1. He would have enjoyed military service if discipline hadn't been so severe.

Parti

2. I have read your report with great interest but you must realize that
there's going to be severe criticism of it during the discussions.

3. Taking photos in that particular area was severely restricted.

4. I've always wondered how people can adapt themselves to those severe
weather conditions.

5. Parents don't punish their children so severely these days.

impact ['impaskt] n, impact [im'paskt] v

1. The increasing road traffic has a most undesirable environmental
impact.

2. Warnings about the danger of smoking seem to have little impact on
heavy smokers.

3. At the moment of impact the driver lost control of his car.

4. Though his book was severely criticized by specialists, it turned out to
be a success and had a great impact on the reading public.

5. 'To impact' (especially Am.) means to have an impact (on).

GRAMMAR

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