Text В Natural Resources, Progress and Technology

During the 1970s people became very concerned about the pros-peel of depletion of energy resources, minerals, clean air, clean water, food, and almost everything else. This widespread concern set off a debate between two camps. On the one hand, pessimists foresaw a day, not far off, when we would start running out of one vital resource after another The economy would then go into a tailspin.' On the other hand, optimists thought we would surely be rescued by something called tech­nology. Super plastics would be invented in time to replace metals; fu­sion energy would arrive just as we ran out of oil, and soon.

Now at the beginning of the 21^st century the world is definitely in an energy crisis. Nobody knows exactly how much fossil fuel - oil, gas and coal - is left. Pessimistic forecasts say that coal will run out in 450 years, oil and gas will run out in about 30-50 years. Research is being done in different spheres: from nuclear power to Che use of alternative sources of energy like solar energy, wind power, wave power, tidal power etc.

The Chernobyl disaster, the first civil nuclear disaster, dealt a blow against nuclear ambitions of many countries. Nevertheless, the major­ity of experts believe that only nuclear power can be a reliable source of energy.

At the same time environmental issues have also come to.the fore­front of the fight for the survival of the human race.

Growth of population, spread of industry, and construction of the world transportation infrastructure have disrupted the ecological bal­ance and have done an enormous amount of harm to our environment. Our environment has become overloaded with waste. Water and soil are contaminated. Air is polluted.

Most dangerous pollutants are plastics, chemicals, nuclear wastes, fumes from cars and industrial enterprises. When we do not treat wastes properly and when the untreated (or poorly-treated) wastes are dumped into water, buried under soil or released into the atmosphere they cause diseases, kill wildlife and bring about global warming.

In spite of activities of different ecological organisations, industrial enterprises continue dumping poorly-treated (or untreated) wastes into

concerned about — озабоченный, обес­покоенный

prospect " — перспектива

depletion n — истошенис (о природных богатствах)

conccni и — обеспокоенность, забота

set off v - зд. побуждать, начать

camp л— лагерь

run out of smth — истощаться («природ­ных богатствах)

an the one hand — с одной стороны

on the other hand - с другой стороны

rescue v — спасать

super plastics - сверхтвердые пласт­массы

invent, v — изобретать

replace v — замещать, заменять

fusion energy — энергия ядерного син­теза

energy crisis — энергетический кризис

fossil fuel — органическое топливо

nuclear power — ядерная энергия

alternative sources of energy — альтер-нативные источники энергии

solar energy — солнечная энергия

wind power — энергия ветра

wave power — энергия волн

(idal power — энергия приливов

disaster л - катастрофа

civil adj - гражданский

deal (dealt, dealt) a blow - нанести удар

ambition n - честолюбие

environmental issues — вопросы защи­ты окружающей среды, экологиче­ские вопросы

come to the forefront— выходить на пер­вый план

fight n — борьба

survival n — выживание

spread of industry — распространение промышленных предприятий

world transportation infrastructure - ми­ровая транспортная инфраструкту­ра

disrupt v — нарушать

ecological balance — экологический ба­ланс

overload v — перегружать

wastes n — отходы

contaminate v — загрязнять

pollute v — загрязнять

pollutant n - загрязнитель, загрязняю­щий агент

fumes from cars — выхлопы автомо­бильных газов

treat v — обрабатывать, очищать

untreated adj — необработанный, не­очищенный

poorly-treated adj - плохо обработанный

dump v — сбрасывать (отходы)

release v - зд. выбрасывать в атмосферу

wildlife и — дикая природа

global wanning — глобальное потепле­ние

21-1

Unit 6

I. The World We Live In

deterioration ц — ухудшение eliminate v — устранять, уничтожат], devastating adj — разрушительный effect n —следствие, речу.и.тат, действие

Comprehension

• Read Test В and give answers to the questions.

1. What global problem arose in the 1970s?

2. Do all the people in the world share the same view?

3. How do people try to solve the world energy crisis?

4. Is nuclear power believed to be a reliable source of energy?

5. Was shortage (scarcity) of resources the only concern of people?

6. What has been causing environmental pollution all these years?

7. What problems has the overload of wastes brought about?

8. What are the most dangerous pollutants?

9. Do ecological organisations control the situation?

• Read Text В again and do the tasks given below.