Read the text and translate. Be ready to discuss.

    Wetlands are important ecosystems that are part aquatic, part terrestrial. They are submerged, either partially or wholly, for at least part of the year. There are various types of wetland, described by their vegetation. Swamps are wetlands with trees, whereas a marsh is a wetland that does not have any trees. A bog contains areas of ground that are saturated with water and its ground is made of a material called peat, which is composed of accumulated and undecayed vegetation. Fens are like bogs, but their water is groundwater, whereas a bog is wet mainly by precipitation. Swamps and marshes are more nutrient-rich and productive than fens and bogs. Wetlands are often rich in biodiversity and are important for breeding and migrating birds and wild flowers. They play an important role by soaking up storm water, preventing flooding by slowing down the rate at which the water reaches river systems. They also act as a filter for agricultural waste, because wetland plants and microbes can detoxify otherwise harmful residues, thereby purifying this water.

    Humans use fresh water in many ways, but these activities threaten the health of freshwater ecosystems when we are not careful. For instance, overfishing, pollution, and disruption of the landscape through projects like dams and deforestation are just a few ways we can put these ecosystems—and ultimately, our own access to fresh water—at risk. Moreover acid rain created from sulfur (S) and nitrogen oxide (NO) emissions turns many lakes and streams acidic, leaving them unable to support various fish species. The building of dams to create hydro-electric power plants blocks the routes of migratory fish such as salmon. Deforestation adds silt to a stream or river and slows it down, which may increase flooding. When the changes we cause are too great or too sudden, then ecosystems struggle to bounce back.

 

Exercise 30. Read and translate the following words and word combinations from Russian into English.

Размножение, плотина, разрушение, обезвреживать, очищение, наводнение, отходы, биоразнообразие, заболоченная территория, осадок, вырубка леса, вредный, деятельность, угрожающая здоровью, проходная рыба, дождевая вода, вредный осадок, топь, трясина, торф, двуокись азота, выброс.

 

Exercise 31. Give special characteristics to each category of freshwater ecosystems according to the table below:

Rivers and streams	Wetlands	Lakes and ponds

Exercise 32. Translate the following sentences from Russian into English.

1. Водно-болотные области -это важные экосистемы, которые частично являются водными, частично наземными.
2. Водно-болотные среды часто богаты биологическим разнообразием и важны для размножения и миграции птиц и полевых цветов.
3. Они играют важную роль, впитывая ливневые воды, предотвращая наводнения, замедляя скорость, с которой вода достигает речных систем.
4. Люди используют пресную воду во многих сферах. Эта деятельность угрожает здоровью пресноводных экосистем, так как  мы не проявляем осторожности.

Exercise 33. Test yourself by answering these questions and summarize given information.

Which ecosystem can be considered aquatic and terrestrial?

What types of wetland do you know?

Which ground of wetlands is made of a material called peat?

What kind of wetlands are more nutrient-rich and productive?

What is the role of wetlands in aquatic ecosystems?

What human activities are harmful for aquatic ecosystems?

What is acid rain created from?

What are the problems usually caused by a dam?

What may increase flooding?

How wetlands can detoxify harmful residues?

Text B

The types of aquatique ecosystems

Marine Ecosystems Part 1

VOCABULARY LIST TO TEXT B part1

compound n	[ˈkɒmpaʊnd]	соединение
oceanic adj	[ˌəʊsɪˈanɪk]	океанический
intertidal adj	[ɪntəˈtʌɪd(ə)l]	находящийся в приливной зоне
estuary  n	[ˈɛstjʊ(ə)ri]	устье
shark n	[ʃɑːk]	акула
whale  n	[weɪl|]	кит
starfish n	[ˈstɑːfɪʃ]	морская звезда
sponge n	[spʌn(d)ʒ]	губка
shore n	[ʃɔː]	побережье
herbivore n	[ˈhəːbɪvɔː]	травоядное
tiny adj	[ˈtaɪni]	крошечный
retrieve v	[rɪˈtriːv]	доставать; изымать
specimen n	[ˈspɛsɪmɪn]	экземпляр
incompressible adj	[ɪnkəmˈprɛsɪb(ə)l]	несжимаемый
phylum      n	[ˈfʌɪləm]	тип