Look at the pictures which show the problems of the environment and match the suggestions with their problems.
UNIT 6
ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION
LEAD-IN
1. Look at the pictures which show the problems of the environment and match the suggestions with their problems.
1. Governments should improve public transport.
2. People should get involved in recycling schemes.
3. Governments should protect rare species of animals from hunters.
4. Governments should force logging companies to plant new trees.
5. Governments should force companies to put filters on chimneys.
6. Governments should stop companies from pouring chemicals into rivers and seas.
A
B
C
D
E
F
2. Work in pairs and discuss:
- What other problems does our planet face?
- How can engineers help to solve them?
READING
3. Read the text and decide whether the statements that follow are true or false.
Environmental Protection
The planet Earth is only a tiny part of the universe, but it's the only place where human beings can live.
People have always polluted their surroundings. But until now pollution was not such a serious problem. People lived in uncrowded rural areas and did not have pollution-causing machines. With the development of industrial cities, which put huge amounts of pollutants into small areas, the problem has become urgent. Today our planet is in serious danger. Acid rains, global warming, air and water pollution, and overpopulation are the problems that threaten human life on Earth.
Our forests are disappearing because they are cut down or burnt. If this trend continues one day we won't have enough oxygen to breathe.
The seas are in danger. They are filled with poison: industrial and nuclear waste, chemical fertilizers and pesticides. The Mediterranean is already nearly dead; the North Sea is following. The Aral Sea is on the brink of extinction. If nothing is done about it, one day nothing will be able to live in the seas.
Every ten minutes one kind of animal, plant or insect dies out forever. If nothing is done about it, one million species that are alive today may soon become extinct.
Air pollution is another serious problem. In Cairo just breathing the air is dangerous – equivalent to smoking two packs of cigarettes a day. The same holds true for many Ukrainian cites.
Factories emit tons of harmful chemicals. These emissions have disastrous consequences for our planet. They are the main reason for the greenhouse effect and acid rains.
And even greater threats are nuclear power stations. We all know how tragic the consequences of the Chernobyl disaster are.
Fortunately, it's not too late to solve these problems. We have the time, the money and even the technology to make our planet a better, cleaner and safer place. We can plant trees and create parks for endangered species. We can recycle litter. Individuals and groups of people can work together to persuade enterprises to stop polluting activities.
To safeguard the healthful environment that is essential to life, humans must learn that Earth does not have infinite resources. Earth’s limited resources must be conserved and, where possible, reused. The future growth of developing nations depends upon the development of sustainable conservation methods that protect the environment while also meeting the basic needs of citizens.
1. Our woods are disappearing because they are cut down or burnt.
2. People lived in overpopulated rural areas and did not have pollution-causing machines.
3. Every ten hour one kind of animal, plant or insect dies out forever.
4. Today our planet is in great danger.
5. People have always polluted their environment.
6. Enterprises emit tons of harmful chemicals.
7. The seas are not polluted.
T
T
T
T
T
T
T
F
F
F
F
F
F
F
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