Words to Help You Understand the Passage

sources Sources are things or places from which something else comes or begins.

energy In science, energy is the ability to do work.

contributes To contribute means to give a part of something or to have a share in making something happen.

particles Particles are small pieces of things, such as specks of dust.

corrode To corrode means to eat away, as to turn to rust.

____________

 

People and the sources of air pollution are found in the same places. This means that cities that have large populations have the biggest problem of dirty air. Air pollution is caused by many different things. A major source of air pollution is the gas fumes from cars. Statistics show that 93 percent of all auto trips are within cities. Another major source of dirty air is the burning of coal and for energy. This energy is needed to make electricity. Of course, much more electricity is used in the city than in the country.

On the average, each American throws away more trash and garbage than he did the year before. Burning garbage contributes to air pollution. Many major industries are also responsible for the dirty air in and around cities. The fumes from iron, steel, chemical, and petroleum production add particles to the air.

The effect of air pollution range from mild headaches to death. The levels of pollution found in heavy traffic may cause headaches or loss of clear vision. Wherever coal and oil are used for fuel, fumes may kill trees and plants and cause metal to corrode. In some of the larger cities, these fumes endanger the lives of human beings by contributing to lung diseases and causing early deaths.

 

What is this passage about?

(1) cities (3) air pollution

(2) cars (4) industries

 

What is said about air pollution? (What is the main idea of the passage?)

(1) The cause of air pollution is people.

(2) The causes and the effects of air pollution are both found in cities.

(3) The effects of air pollution range from headaches to death.

(4) Air pollution is caused by dirty air.

 

What is the purpose of this passage?

(1) to persuade people to stop polluting the air

(2) to tell the causes and effects of air pollution

(3) to tell why cities are bad places to live

(4) to describe how people living in cities feel about polluted air

 

Which of these does not cause air pollution?

(1) trucks

(2) burning garbage

(3) headaches

(4) burning coal and oil as fuel

 

5. What does "endanger" mean in this passage?

(1) make easier

(2) cause danger to

(3) make less dangerous

(4) make faster

 

Апта

Грамматикалық материал: Complex Object. Лексикалық материал: Мамандық бойынша мәтін. Text 5. Other Kinds of pollution Idiom:5. get oneself together- regain control of one`s emotions; e.g. Pat`s been crying.Just give her a moment to get herself together. She`ll be all right. Phrasal verb: 5) Fill in/out – complete a form: e.g.I filled in/out the application form and mailed it.

 

I. Read and translate the following words and word- combinations:

Noise, acid, pesticides, mercury, lead, trouble, urban, rural, expose, loud, airplane, trucks, construction, cause, extreme, deafness, blood, pressure,

substance, weapons, nuclear, cell, eliminate, major, insects, pests, tissue,

 

II. Find the definition for the following words:

Noise, pesticide, blood, cell, tissue, insects, urban, rural.

1). Substance used to destroy pests

2). Mass of cells and cell products in an animal body

3). Loud and unpleasant sound, especially when confused and undesired.

4). Microscopic unit of living matter

5). Red liquid flowing throughout the body

6). Sorts of small animal, e.g. ant, fly, wasp, having six legs and no backbone and a body divided into three parts (head, thorax, abdomen).

7). Suitable for the countryside

8). Of or in a town.

 

III. Read and translate the text A:

Other Kinds of pollution

 

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 trouble some pollutant in urban areas. People in and near cities are exposed to loud noise much of the time. The noise comes from such things as airplanes, automobiles, buses, motorcycles, trains, trucks, construction projects, and industries. The noise causes discomfort in human beings. In extreme cases, loud noise can also damage hearing or even cause deafness.

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, television sets, and X- ray machines. Scientists have not determined exactly what effects small amounts of radiation have on humans. 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 to eliminate major sources of radiation.

Acid rain has become an increasingly serious problem. This pollutant forms when moisture in the air combines with nitrogen oxide and sulfur dioxide released by automobiles, by factories, and by power plants that burn coal or oil. The reaction between the moisture and the chemical compounds produces nitric and sulfuric acids, which fall to the earth with rain or snow. The acids pollute lakes, streams, and oceans, resulting in the death of fish and the contamination of drinking water. They also can damage crops and forests and cause harmful changes in soil. This form of pollution can even damage buildings and statues. In addition, acid rain pollutants sometimes travel long distances, even from one country to another.

Pesticides affect more than the natural cycles in soil and water. Much pesticide material never reaches the insects or other pests it is intended to kill. Instead, tiny particles of the pesticide travel through the air and water, sometimes for great distances. Humans and animals that come in direct contact with the pesticide take it into their bodies, and the material collects in tissues and organs. Humans and animals also take in pesticides indirectly when they eat organisms that contain the material. For example, a large fish can take in heavy amounts of pesticide by eating smaller fish that have the material in their bodies. A human being may then eat the large fish and acquire the highly concentrated pesticide material. When materials are passed from one organism to another in this way, the materials travel through an ecological system called a food chain.

Thousands of tons of mercury, lead, and other heavy metals are put into the water and air each year in the form of liquids and gases. Most of these materials come from combustion processes in industries or from motor vehicle engines. Heavy metals, like pesticides, are long lasting and can spread over large areas. They also collect in tissues and organs and can pass through food chains. Most heavy metals are highly poisonous. In large amounts, they can affect the human nervous system.

 

Noise pollution is a problem in urban areas. Loud noises annoy people and, under some circumstances, can cause damage to hearing. Noises are measured in units called decibels. The chart below shows the approximate decibel level from some sources of noise and effects various decibel levels can have.

 

IV. Answer the following questions:

1) What does environmental pollution include except air, water, soil pollution?

2) From where does the noise come?

3) Is radiation an invisible pollutant?

4) From where does radiation come?

5) How does acid rain pollutant form?

6) Do pesticides affect as dangerous pollutants?

 

V. Make up sentences using the following words and word- combinations:

Loud noise, damage, invisible pollutant, nuclear, weapons, serious, problem, heavy metals.