Задания к тексту 2

1. Запомните значения ключевых слов: is lost – теряется, to reuse the water – повторно использовать воду, rainy country – дождливая страна, enough – достаточно, rainless – засушливый.

2. Определите значение следующих слов, не пользуясь словарем: factories, fact, reservoirs, climate, problems.

3. Переведите текст со словарем.

4. Назовите английские эквиваленты следующих слов и словосочетаний: дождливая страна; нуждаться; погода; использовать; вода; способ, метод.

5. Заполните пропуски соответствующими словами и словосочетаниями: keep, water, water problems.

a) First, scientists must find, a way of keeping the …..in the rivers, lakes and seas clean.

b) Most of Britain rains fall in Wales and Scotland, so people must ……this water from other parts of the country.

c) Two or three weeks without rain and they have….., as it was in summer in 1976.

TEXT 3

Oceans

Oceans cover more than 70% of the Earth's surface. Despite the vastness of this area, we know little about it.

Life began in the ocean more than 3.5 billion years ago. Today the oceans support a wealth of simple and complex sea life from phytoplankton to marine mammals. But human beings ignore and misunderstand the importance of oceans.

There is widespread pollution and disruption of our coastal waters. Whales and dolphins are to near extinction, and many fishing areas are being depleted. The oceans do not belong to a single nation, but are free, open territory to be enjoyed and shared. However, too often nations are overly aggressive in taking the resources the oceans have to offer. A tragic result has been the systematic hunting of whales from one species to another for whalebone and oil.

Also, the fishing industry has put the dolphin population at risk and onto the endangered species list. In the past 30 years the fishing industry has killed more than 6 million dolphins.

Задания к тексту 3

1. Запомните значения ключевых слов: to cover – покрывать, despite – несмотря на, to support – поддерживать, the importance – важность, whale – кит, to near extinction – на грани исчезновения.

2. Определите значение следующих слов, не пользуясь словарем: tragic result, systematic, risk, industry, dolphins, oceans, aggressive.

3. Переведите текст со словарем.

4. Назовите английские эквиваленты следующих слов и словосочетаний: обширный; изобилие; млекопитающее; исчезновение; истощать; широко распространённый; подвергать опасности.

5. Заполните пропуски соответствующими словами и словосочетаниями: support, single nation, the resources.

a) The oceans do not belong to a……, but are free, open territory to be enjoyed and shared.

b) However, too often nations are overly aggressive in taking …..the oceans have to offer.

c) Today the oceans …..a wealth of simple and complex sea life from phytoplankton to marine mammals.

TEXT 4

Water in the Desert

The arid and semi arid zones in Russia cover vast territories. They can be called deserts only in the geographical sense of the word.

The development of desert regions was carried out through the introduction of crop irrigation, construction of irrigation systems, sinking of wells, drifting sands control, fixation of sand by planting trees, harnessing the wind and solar energy.

The largest in the world the Kara-Kum is about twice the size of Japan. But despite its comparatively low biological productivity (about one ton of vegetation mass per hectare), it offers a huge fodder base.

The Kara-Kum Desert also has huge areas which can be irrigated. The cheapest way for desert Water transport is by canal. There is another inexpensive method of bringing water to desert pastures. It has been established that up to 35,000 cubic meters of fresh rainwater can be obtained from one square kilometer of dense clayish areas in the desert. Successful experiments were held in the Kara-Kum on collecting and storing rainwater in natural underground reservoirs. It was found that up to a million cubic meters of fresh water may be stored in underground porous soils. Such reservoirs lose practically no water through evaporation or through infiltration, especially important in the hot and arid desert climate.