Match a word in Column A with a word in Column B. Skim the text and see how these word combinations are used in the text. Use these words in sentences of your own.

A	B
1. human	a. substance
2. natural	b. place
3. harmful	c. discharge
4. industrial	d. help
5. sewage	e. environment
6. noise	f. plant
7. urgent	g. accident
8. alarming	h. protection
9. unfavorable	i. safety
10. dumping	j. level
11. immediate	k. changes
12. nature	l. problems
13. nuclear	m. waste
14. power	n. rate

Fill in the gaps with prepositions where necessary.

1. People had lived ___ harmony with nature before development of civilization brought them ___ conflict with nature.

2. Man’s interference ___ nature has acquired ___ a dramatic character.

3. City traffic pollutes the atmosphere ___ harmful discharge.

4. Plants poison rivers ___ sewage and industrial waste and look ___ them as dumping places, which makes water unfit ___ consuming.

5. Pollution leads to lack ___ fresh air and water.

6. Species of plants and animals become extinct ___ an alarming rate.

7. Fallout ___ the plant after the nuclear accident ___ Chernobyl power plant aggravated ___ the ecological situation in Belarus.

8. The future of the planet depends ___ us being aware that natural environment is affected ___ the actions of the society.

Agree or disagree with the following statements.

1. The ecological problems we observe today are the results of the development of civilization and man’s interference in nature.

2. Today the state of the environment is better than it was centuries ago.

3. Industrial discharge is one of the major pollutants of the environment.

4. Noise pollution is not an urgent environmental issue.

5. Deforestation leads to a number of other ecological problems.

6. The only environmental issue on the territory of Belarus is the consequences of the nuclear accident at Chernobyl power plant.

Discuss the following questions with a partner.

1. Have human society and nature ever lived in harmony with each other?

2. Modern industry affects the atmosphere, rivers and seas, doesn’t it?

3. How does the state of the environment threaten people living in big cities?

4. What are the most urgent ecological problems nowadays?

5. What makes rivers and lakes unfit for bathing?

6. How did the nuclear accident at Chernobyl power plant aggravate the ecological situation in Belarus?

7. Why is it important that nature protection becomes everybody’s concern?

8. Do you know of any measures that are now being taken around the world to protect nature and save it for the future generations?

 

UNIT 3. SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY

1. Discussion.

1. What is the role of science and technological innovations?

2. What are the most important technological advances of the past decade?

 

Study the following words.

1	revolutionize	радикально изменить
2	back up	поддерживать
3	advance	прогресс, достижение
4	investigate	исследовать
5	put into practice	применять на практике, осуществлять
6	contribute to	способствовать
7	result in	привести к (чему-либо)
8	productivity	производительность
9	access	доступ
10	apply	применять

Read the following text.

SCIENCE AND TECHNOLY

Over the years, technology has revolutionized the world and affected every aspect of life. Technological progress has always been backed up by scientific advances. Scientists continually investigate new topics and put their knowledge and experience into practice improving people’s life. Advances in science have led to innovative products and technologies and contributed greatly to economic growth.

Innovations have resulted in huge changes in agriculture and manufacturing. Machines and technological systems replaced ancient agricultural practices such as working animals and manual labor. Manufacturing robots automated repetitive tasks and increased productivity.

Today, people have better ways to communicate and travel, better medical care and better access to information and education. Technology has dramatically changed the teaching and learning process. Students find information on the Internet, make use of different educational apps or take online courses covering different subjects.

Examples of technological changes include new kinds of media, communication systems, fuel-efficient cars, innovative construction technologies, computer and information technology. In general, technological advances have made humans more productive and improved standards of living.

Technology clearly has done a lot to make human life easier, more enjoyable and convenient. However, technological advances can have negative impacts on the environment and society if they are not applied in a smart and responsible way. Some of the most troubling issues associated with the increasing use of technologies are pollution caused by industrialization, depletion of natural resources, health problems, etc.

 

Match the words from the text (A) with the definitions (B).

A	B
1. technology	a. repeated or customary actions
2. scientist	b. practical use of scientific discoveries
3. experience	c. the process of developing industry within a country
4. practices	d. an expert who studies or works in one of the sciences
5. economic growth	e. physical or mental effort
6. labor	f. the level of wealth and comfort people have in a particular society
7. robots	g. the internet, newspapers. magazines, television, etc., considered as a group
8. standards of living	h. a machine controlled by a computer that is used to perform jobs automatically
9. media	i. an increase in the economy of a county or an area
10. industrialization	j. the process of getting knowledge from doing, seeing or feeling things