Task 1. Read and translate the following text.

WHAT IS WATER POLLUTION?

 

Water pollution is anything that enters water and causes harm to humans, other species, or the ecosystems the water supports. Whether a particular water body is considered polluted depends on its intended use, the amount of a harmful substance in the water, how much harm the substance causes, and how long the substance stays there. A spill of chemical waste into a fast-moving river has consequences different from the same spill in a reservoir. Although human activity is overwhelmingly the main cause of water pollution, water quality can be altered by natural occurrences such as earthquakes or by the presence of naturally occurring chemicals such as arsenic. Classic signs of water pollution are sudden fish kills in a river, or statistically significant reports of diarrhea from a community using the same drinking water well. Extremely small amounts of a substance may cause water pollution. Some substances are dangerous at levels that cannot even be detected using conventional monitoring techniques. Surface waters, such as lakes, rivers, and oceans, receive water pollution from pipes, ditches, and other stationary conduits discharging waste that often comes from industrial facilities or sewage treatment plants. These conduits are referred to as “point sources” and have been the primary focus of pollution control measures over the last half-century. Increasingly, however, concerns are rising about pollution from many diffuse sources, often those that are picked up by rain or snow and carried as runoff into surface water bodies and groundwater. These diffuse sources are called “nonpoint sources” and include agricultural waste, excess fertilizers, herbicides, pesticides, and oil and grease from roads, parking lots, airport runways, gas station pavements, and the like. Atmospheric deposition, such as acid rain, although often categorized as an air pollutant, is also considered a nonpoint source water pollutant because it catches airborne noxious gases and particulates in raindrops or snow flakes and deposits them into water.

The main reasons are that water pollution can threaten species living in polluted water, can contaminate human drinking water and irrigation supplies, can load the food chain with bioaccumulated toxins, and can carry disease. It is also often unsafe to bathe, swim, and enjoy other recreation in polluted water. Finally, water pollution affects the world’s ecosystems, as dramatically evidenced by the harm to flora and fauna photographed in the aftermath of major oil spills, although effects on the natural world from continuous industrial and other discharges are at least as significant.

Task 2. Match the words and phrases from part A and part B:

 A. to cause harm to humans; a spill of chemical waste; overwhelmingly; natural occurrences; arsenic; conventional monitoring techniques; dissolved salt; a ditch; a conduit; point sources; diffuse sources; grease from roads; airport runways; noxious gases; bioaccumulated toxins; the aftermath of major oil spills

B. чрезмерно; дамба; ядовитые газы; являться причиной нанесения вреда людям; растворенная соль; разлив химических отходов; стандартные методы отслеживания; природные явления; акведук, трубопровод; мышьяк; точечные источники; взлетно-посадочные полосы; бионакапливаемые токсины; смазочные вещества с дорог; последствия от разлива нефти; разбросанные источники.

 

Task 3. Translate sentences from Russian into English:

1. Определенный водный объект считается загрязненным, когда загрязнение зависит от предназначенного использования, количества вредного вещества в воде, насколько вредным является вещество, и как долго оно находится здесь.

2. Сброс химических отходов в стремительно текущую реку имеют последствия, совершенно отличающиеся от тех, что происходят при таком же сбросе в резервуар.

3. Водные поверхности, такие как, реки, озера и океаны, получают водное загрязнение от труб, дамб и других стационарных трубопроводов, выбрасывающих отходы, которые зачастую исходят от промышленных сооружений и канализационных сбросов заводов.

4. Выпадение атмосферных осадков, таких как кислотный дождь, хотя часто их относят к воздушным загрязнителям, также считается рассеянным источником водного загрязнения, потому что оно захватывает в воздухе ядовитые газы и частицы в каплях дождя и снежных хлопьях и накапливает их в воде.