1. Read the text and translate the extract in italic in written form.

Most people are aware that the earth is a delicate thing, and that it cannot last for ever, if we don't take care of it. Apart from the dangers of blowing each other up, there is the problem of pollution of the environment, and the destruction of wildlife by hunters.

Many species of whale, for example, are in danger of extinction because of hunters who continue whaling despite the world's attempts to limit the annual catch. Seals are also threatened; and with the increasing use of nuclear power to generate electricity, a new danger has arisen; the pollution of ocean by nuclear waste.

The Greenpeace organization exists to draw our attention to these problems. It is a conservationist group, and its aim is to protect the environment and maintain the balance of ecosystem.

It uses direct action to prevent the killing of whales and seals, and to stop the dumping of nuclear waste at sea.

As well as actually sabotaging activities in these areas, it uses diplomatic pressure to persuade governments to pass new laws to make these things illegal. It is also a supporter of alternative technology and the use of wind, solar, and sea power to generate electricity.

In its most recent campaign, Greenpeace sent two of its ships, Sirius and Cedarlea, to the Atlantic to meet up with two Dutch ships which were dumping nuclear waste at sea. The action took place about 250 miles off the Spanish coast. Members of the Greenpeace team climbed aboard one of the Dutch ships and handcuffed themselves to a crane. Later on they launched inflatable boats and sailed underneath the falling barrels of waste.

Unfortunately they had to call off their action when one of their pilots was injured; a falling barrel had turned his boat over and thrown him against the engine, knocking him unconscious.

This is the way Greenpeace operates: actions speak louder than words. It is to prevent the sea being used as a nuclear dustbin. If the barrels ever leak, they argue, nuclear contamination would quickly spread through the sea and present a serious threat to many countries. Spain would be among the first affected. For this reason the Sirius was given a very friendly reception when it called at the Spanish port of Vigo, even though the mission had been called off.

Greenpeace has had several adventures at sea. Apart from its involvement in anti-nuclear activities, its concern for whales has also taken it to the oceans, where its methods of stopping the work of whaling ships have been just as daring.

Greenpeace places its boats between the harpoon and the whale, forming a human barrier through which the whalers are unwilling to shoot. This gives the whale time to escape. Success has rewarded the campaigners' efforts to save whales.

They are also active in trying to save the lives of the world's seals. Every year 250,000 seals are slaughtered in Newfoundland, Canada. These unfortunate seal pups are shot or clubbed to death, and their pelts are then sold in Europe. Efforts to put a stop to the slaughter have included blocking the way of the hunters' ships, protecting the seals, and making their pelts useless by daubing them with harmless but indelible dye.

In these ways Greenpeace makes us aware of how our activities disturb the ecosystem, and forces official organizations to think of the long-term consequences of their actions.