Now add up your score

1. a=3 b=l c=2 5. a=3 b=l c=2

2. a=l b=3 c=2 6. a=2 b=l c = 3

3. a=3 b=l c=2 7. a=l b=3 c = 2

4. a=2 b=l c=3

7-10: You do not worry about the environment at all! You think pol­lution is someone else's problem, not yours. You think recycling and sav­ing resources are too time-consuming.

11-17: You care about the environment and you have some good hab­its which help save it. However, there are probably a few other things you could do.

18-21: You definitely care about the environment. You think about it when you make everyday decisions. If more people in the world were as good as you, the planet would have fewer problems.

Lesson 1

Environmental pollution

Vocabulary

environment оточуюче середовище

pollution забруднення

surroundings середовище, оточення

fertilizer добриво

pesticide пестицид

scatter розкидати, розсипати

junk мотлох, покидьки, утіль

litter сміття

face зустрічати

reduce зменшувати, скорочувати

available придатний

benefit приносити користь

percentage процентний вміст

exhaust вихлопні гази

discharge випускати, викидати, виливати

aid допомога, підтримка

goods мн. товари

cut down зменшувати, скорочувати

lessen зменшувати

enforce упроваджувати в життя

Reading Read the text and find out what environmental pollution is.

Environmental pollution is a term that refers to all the ways by which people pollute their surroundings. People dirty the air with gases and smoke, poison the water with chemicals and other substances, and dam­age the soil with too many fertilizers and pesti­cides. People also pollute their surroundings in various other ways. For example, they ruin natu­ral beauty by scattering junk and litter on the land and in the water. They operate machines and mo­tor vehicles that fill the air with disturbing noise. Nearly everyone causes environmental pollution in some way.

Environmental pollution is one of the most se­rious problems facing humanity today. Air, wa­ter, and soil – all harmed by pollution – are neces­sary to the survival of all living things. Badly pol­luted air can cause illness, and even death. Pol­luted water kills fish and other marine life. Pollution of soil reduces the amount of land that is available for growing food. In addition, environmental pollution also brings ugliness to our naturally beautiful world.

Everyone wants to reduce pollution. But the pol­lution problem is as complicated as it is serious, it is complicated because much pollution is caused by things that benefit people. For example, exhaust from automobiles causes a large percentage of all air pollution. But the automobile provides trans­portation for millions of people. Factories discharge much of the material that pollutes air and water, but factories provide jobs for people and produce goods that people want. Too much fertilizer or pes­ticide can ruin soil, but fertilizers and pesticides are important aids to the growing of crops.

Thus, to end or greatly reduce pollution immediately people would have to stop using many things that benefit them. Most people do not want to do that, of course. But pollution can be gradually reduced in several ways. Scientists and engineers can work to find ways to lessen the amount of pollution that such things as automobiles and factories cause. Governments can pass and enforce laws that require businesses and indi­viduals to stop, or cut down on, certain polluting activities. And – per­haps most importantly – individuals and groups of people can work to persuade their representatives in government, and also persuade businesses, to take action toward reducing pollution.

Exercise 1. Tick the correct completion.

1. People pollute

1. air.

2. water and soil.

3. surroundings.

2. Today environmental pollution

a) is not a serious problem.

b) is a complicated problem.

c) is as complicated as it is serious.

3. The pollution is a complicated problem because

a) people don't want to reduce pollution.

b) much pollution is caused by things that benefit people.

c) people don't care about their surroundings.

4. Pollution can be reduced by

a) not using many things that benefit them.

b) passing and enforcing new laws and taking action toward reducing pollution.

c) discussing the pollution problem.

Exercise 2. Replace the underlined pronouns in the sentences with the correct phrases.

n atural beauty Fertilizers and pesticides

Polluted water exhaust from automobiles

Environmental Pollution

1. It is one of the most serious problems facing humanity today.

2. People ruin it by scattering junk and litter on the land and in the water.

3. They can ruin soil.

4. It kills fish and other marine life.

5. It causes a large percentage of all air pollution.

Exercise 3. Match the verbs with their meanings

1	to dirty	a	to spoil or destroy something completely
2	to damage	b	to send out gas, liquid, smoke, etc.
3	to pollute	c	to bring advantages to someone or improve their lives in some way
4	to ruin	d	to have a bad effect on something or someone in a way
5	to benefit	e	to make something smaller or less in size, amount or price
6	to cause	f	to make something no longer clean
7	to reduce	g	to make something happen
8	to discharge	h	to make air, water soil, dangerously dirty and not suitable for people to use

Exercise 4. Fill in the gaps with the necessary verbs.

causes dirty pollutes damage reduces discharge

1. People … the air with gases and smoke.

2. People … the soil with too many fertilizes and pesticides.

3. Nearly everyone … environmental pollution in some way.

4. Factories … much of the material that … air and water.

5. Pollution of soil … the amount of land that is available for growing food.

Exercise 5. Make the sentences from exercise 4 negative.

Exercise 6. Replace the underlined words in sentences with the words below.

pesticides environment pests pollution fertilizer

1. People pollute their physical and biological surrounding.

2. Food to make plants healthy is an important aid to the growing of crops.

3. T oo much chemicals to kill destructive animals or insects can ruin soil.

4. Nearly everyone causes an undesirable change in the physical, chemical or biological characteristics of an ecosystem.

Exercise 7. Put the questions in the correct order and use the answers to make summary of the text.

1. Why is the pollution problem not only serious, but also complicated?

2. In what way do people pollute their surroundings?

3. In what way can people reduce pollution?

4. Why is environmental pollution such a serious problem?

Exercise 8. Translate the text in the written form.

People have always polluted their surroundings. But throughout much of history, pollution was not a major problem. Most people lived in uncrowded rural areas, and the pollutants (waste products) they produced were widely scattered. People had no pollution-causing machines or motor ve­hicles. The development of crowded industrial cities in the 1700's and 1800's made pollution a major problem. People and factories in these cities put huge amounts of pollutants into small areas. During the 1900s, urban areas continued to develop, and automobiles and other new inventions made pollution steadily worse.

Lesson 2