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BALTIC SEA PROBLEMS.Effects of human activities on the environment is not a new phenomenon. Serious overexploitation of natural resources has occurred throughout human history. Deleterious consequences of e.g. mining on the immediate environment were obvious at early stages. In particular, the unhealthy influence on workers in polluting factories were obvious even from the early development of industrialism. Large-scale effects are however more recent. Around 1950 the Baltic Sea, although by no means unpolluted, was regarded as environmentally «healthy». Large-scale industrialization had not yet affected the environment as a whole, automobiles were few, and the modernisation of agriculture was only beginning. Forty years later the Baltic Sea has become one of the most polluted seas in the world. How could this happen? In the 50s and 60s all countries around the Baltic Sea experienced rapid economic development. Industrial production has grown steadily and has been largely diversified. Industrial processes are never perfectly clean. There are always some waste products: in the form of smoke released into the air, polluted water to waterways or solid waste which is piled up on the ground. But industrial pollution does not only originate from industrial plants, but also from, e.g., mining and forest operations , energy production emissions from various means of transportation and, last but not least, from the product itself when it is used and thereafter disposed of by consumers. Knowing the pollutants and their environmental effects does not better the Baltic Sea very much. Only through action, be it technical, political or legal, can the condition of the Baltic Sea be improved. One condition for survival in the Baltic region is that the ecological balance be restored: the Baltic Sea has to be cured from its serious illness. Restoring the ecological balance is a vital task. One part of the problem is refining technology and remedying the damage already done. The second is stabilizing the national economics of the region so as to make proper investments in new technology, which is safer for the environment. The third has more to do with politics and public opinion, i.e. making politicians and the broad masses of the population aware of the present danger. Only a society that allows an open discussion and criticism of those who wield the economic and political power will be able to tackle the problems of the environment. Environmental protection is one of several interests that have to be balanced against each other. Such other interests are national economics, unemployment, regional policy, etc. Since the problems are international, the solutions have to be international as well. In 1974 The Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area, the Baltic (or Helsinki) Convention was signed in Helsinki which included several types of pollution (land-based pollution, pollution from ships, etc.).As a consequence of the growing international concern for the environment at the end of the 1970s, the environmental movement became politically established. Green parties were formed in many countries. Important questions on the Greenpeace agenda are e.g. the struggle against waste exports and selling old, dangerous technology to the third world, as well as an international campaign against chlorine and the risks connected with radioactive waste. There is a special Greenpeace campaign in the Baltic region, which is called «The Baltic Sea-live or let die». Greenkids, the youth organization that started in 1989, is also involved in collecting facts, disseminating information and drawing people’s attention to environmental matters through various actions. SOS (Save Our Sea)! Throughout history the Baltic Sea has tied together the people living around its shores. Now the Sea is in danger. It’s time to understand it and help to the Sea. Right now! Vocabulary. environment - окружающая среда phenomenon - явление occur - случаться, происходить throughout - в продолжение (всего времени) deleterious - вредный consequence - последствие mining - разработка, горное дело immediate - здесь: непосредственный obvious - очевидный stage - стадия, этап large-scale - крупномасштабный recent - недавний, последний by no means - ни в коем случае unpolluted - незагрязненный regard - рассматривать environmentally - с экологич. точки зрения agriculture - сельское хозяйство happen - случаться, происходить rapid - быстряй steadily - устойчиво, непрерывно diversified - разнообразный waste products - отходы release - сбрасывать, выпускать water-way - водный путь, фарватер solid - твердый pile up - собирать, накапливать originate (from) - происходить, возникать emission - выделение means of transportation - средства передвижения thereafter - с тех пор, впоследствии be disposed of - распорядиться (чем-то) consumer - потребитель pollutant - загрязняющее вещество through - здесь: посредством be it - будь то improve - исправлять, улучшать survival - выживание restore - восстанавливать cure - вылечить vital - жизненный, жизненно важный refining technology - технология очистки remedy - средство damage - здесь: вред, урон proper - соответствующий safe - безопасный broad - широкий population - население be aware (of) - знать (о) danger - опасность wield - владеть, обладать tackle - энергично взяться (за) environmental protection - защита окр. cреды unemployment - безработица solution - решение marine - морской convention - амер. договор, соглашение include - включать concern - забота, беспокойство movement - движение establish - учреждать, основывать agenda - повестка (дня, собрания) be involved (in) - участвовать (в) disseminate - распространять draw* one's attention - привлекать внимание matter - вопрос tie together - связывать, соединять shore - берег Comprehension Check. Answer the following questions.
to improve the situation? 11. In which way can everybody personally help protect nature? Topics to Discuss.
Text 4. Whales «The whale has no voice", wrote Melville in Moby Dick 'but then again what has the whale to say? Seldom have I known any profound being that had anything to say to this world, unless to stammer out something.' Whales may not sing for their suppers, but some of them certainly do sing. Melville failed to hear them because they sing underwater. Others have heard them without realising it. If whales sing near a wooden-bottomed boat, sailors in their may hear an eerie melodious wail from they know not where. Hence, perhaps, the many sea-tales of lullabies sung by drowned colleagues. Why do they sing? First, we should say that there are two sorts of whales: the toothed whales - such as sperm, killer and pilot whales - who are close relatives of the dolphin; and the toothless 'baleen' whales - such as the humpback, right and minke. The toothed whales usually live in stable and organised groups: a gang of killer whales may stay together for years on end. Such creatures make sounds, but have not been known to sing. Many dolphins produce 'signature' whistles - each one has a different call-sign from his neighbors. These seem to function as names: a dolphin will often produce his neighbor's whistle when nearby. Similarly, each sperm whale produces a distinctive series of clicks - known as his coda - arid will sometimes mimic a nearby whale's coda. Killer whales have identifiable dialects that are specific to each family. It is the baleen whales, especially the humpbacks, who break into song. At any one time, all the singing whales in a population sing the same song. It gradually changes over time and each whale learns and copies the new variations. This is wonderful, because the songs, which can last up to thirty minutes, are highly complex. It is only the males who sing, and they do so chiefly during the breeding season. The songs seem - like many bird songs - to be a sort of display that males use in competing with each other for females. Singing humpbacks have a wide vocal range: the notes can vary from a high-pitched whistle to a reverberating fog-horn. Play back a recorded humpback song at fourteen times the correct speed and it sounds like a nightingale. But birdsong is shorter - and more significantly - not so structured as whale song. Whale song can be divided into regularly repeating phrases, which in turn are organised into themes that always occur in the same sequence. Unlike birds, whales appear to have studied some of the rules of classical composition. By analysing these themes and phrases, two scientists have made conclusions about whale culture that would have struck Melville. Whales seem to use structure like rhyme in poetry. And, like people, they can put in the rhymes to help them remember their songs. The two scientists, Miss Linda Guinee of the Long Term Research Institute in Lincoln, Massachusetts, and Mrs Katharine Payne of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, analysed 460 whale songs from the North Pacific and 88 from the North Atlantic. From their recordings they produced audio spectrograms, converting sounds into strings of squiggles which can be classified by shape. Having a catalogue of whale songs helps marine biologists to track whale populations on their odysseys by showing where each singer comes from. It also lets them study the songs as they evolve. Since whales hear their songs, such songs are an example of culture; and the way they change is an example of cultural evolution. It turns out that whales make much use of phrases with the same endings - i.e. rhymes. Miss Guinee and Mrs Payne found that songs with many differing themes were much more likely to contain plenty of rhymes. They found that rhymes were correlated not with the length of a song but with the amount of different material to be remembered. Simple songs did not contain any rhyming passages. The rhyming pattern then, could be a way to help the whale remember what comes next in a complicated song. A rhyming pattern helps people to learn and remember poetry by limiting the number of possible words in a given position. 'If you know that every third and fourth line of a stanza in a given poem rhyme, and that the third line of a stanza ends with 'love', you know that the next line might end with 'dove' but cannot end with 'sparrow'. Advertising jingles often use rhyme in the justified hope that people will remember the names of products. You do not have to know the meaning of a word or sign in order for rhyme to help you recall it (think of children's nonsense rhymes). Poets use rhyme for all sorts of reasons: because they are attractive, musical, create a pleasing rhythm, or are merely ingenious or funny. Miss Guinee and Mrs Payne realise that their evidence if inconclusive, because they cannot ask the whales what they are up to. Some will doubt their conclusion because it makes whales seem implausibly human. Maybe they have not made whales 'human' enough. Perhaps the rhyming sirens of the deep are simply trying to please themselves and their audience. Vocabulary. whale - кит seldom - редко profound - мудрый, дальновидный being - существо, человек unless - если не stammer out - произносить с запинкой certainly - конечно fail - не удаваться realise - понимать, осознавать bottom - дно eerie - жуткий, мрачный wail - выть, вопить hence - здесь: отсюда sea-tale - морские истории lullaby - колыбельная (песня) drown - тонуть toothed - зубатый close relative - близкий родственник toothless - беззубый baleen - китовый ус stable - стабильный gang - здесь: косяк (группа) creature - существо signature - подпись whistle - свистеть distinctive - отчетливый mimic - подражать click - щелчок identifiable - различимый gradually - постепенно over time - со временем male - мужская особь chiefly - в основном breeding - здесь: размножение compete - состязаться female - женская особь range - диапазон high-pitch - высокий (о голосе) reverberate - отражаться, отдаваться (о звуке) horn - рожок nightingale - соловей significantly - значительно in turn - в свою очередь occur - происходить, случаться sequence - последовательность conclusion - заключение long-term - долгосрочный convert - превращать string - ряд, цепочка squiggle - здесь: звук, мелодия by shape - по размеру marine - морской track - отслеживать evolve - эволюционировать, развиваться likely - по всей вероятности plenty - множество correlate - соотносить(ся) amount - количество contain - содержать pattern - образец complicated - сложный limit - ограничивать stanza - строфа dove - голубь sparrow - воробей jingles - мн.ч. созвучия justified - оправданный recall - вспоминать nonsense - чепуха attractive - привлекательный create - создавать merely - просто ingenious - остроумный evidence - доказатеьство, свидетельство conclusive - заключительный, решающий doubt - сомневаться implausibly - невероятный, неправдоподобный audience - аудитория Comprehension Check. Answer the following questions: 1. Who said that whales have no voice? 2. What is the author's opinion concerning this? 3. What kind of sounds do sperm whales produce? 4. Whay can you say about a song sang by one population of whales? 5. Who is considered to be able to sing - males or females? 6. What happens if to play back a recorded hampback song? 7. How do whales learn to sing? 8. What are the results of the scientific research done by Linda Guinee and Katharine Payne? Topics to Dicsuss. 1. Whales and singing. 2. Types of "songs". 3. The results of the two scientiscts' research. Text 5. THE RIGHT TIME AND PLACE (Dealing With Stress) How many of us have had unsatisfactory (or miserable) results because of hurried conversations? Lots of us, I believe. It seems key to me to consider: It's better not to have a conversation than to have a quickie that makes things worse Taking a moment to think if this is the best moment for me to talk; and asking the other person if it is good for them is always helpful. Remembering that sensitive topics are best covered in private, and if conflict is involved, on "neutral turf" (not at either person's office). Jointly selecting the time and place is a good beginning to a meeting. * Collecting my thoughts and writing down the key points I want to cover will ensure that they get covered; and that the other person's time is not wasted. * Listening attentively to both verbal and non-verbal language of the other person is the key to successful communication. * If near-perfect clarity is desired, writing a letter to the other person with your version of what was agreed upon will get best results. Bruce Johnsen, Management Consultant. Text 6. DEALING WITH STRESS The word "stress" has become so commonplace and yet so vivid that it can produce a painful reaction just to read it. And certain times of our lives, of each year and in history are more full of stress. Maybe you're in one of those periods. I believe that a certain amount of unusual pressure or stress on us is good. Think about championship athletes and their training programs: each day, they push their minds and bodies and ask for better performance. That's a good kind of stress. Also having to deal with increasing levels of responsibility or sticky interpersonal situations can result in a healthy growth in our capabilities. And then there's unhealthy stress. The kind that occurs when we have choices, like unhealthy relationships, and the kind where we take what comes, as in illness or injuries. Either way, it can seem overwhelming. In these situations, sometimes the best we can do is to try to find meaning for ourselves in overcoming and living through the difficulties. Each day we face the varying levels of stress at work and home, which can be dealt with a number of ways. Some proven, successful approaches are * Finding a few minutes alone for prayer, meditation or quiet time before the busy day begins. This provides a calm, firm foundation for the day's activities. * Looking at stressful situations as challenges to be overcome. It reminds me of going through the rapids in the Grand Canyon. I could either keep my head up and enjoy the rough ride or crouch down and feel sorry for myself. It's how I chose to respond that made the difference in how I felt. * Forgiving myself and others for mistakes. Instead of dwelling on what a jerk that person was who ran the red light, shrug your shoulders, laugh it off and move on. Saves alot of churning stomachaches and worry wrinkles. * Taking a time out when I begin to feel overwhelmed. There's nothing that says I can't take a few moments for some deep breathing and attitude adjustment when there's a break in the action. * Engaging in regular exercise. This can range from simply walking (and talking with the people we love, which is even better) to more strenuous gym routines or sports. All of them result in better feelings and reduced stress. Don't take things too seriously. Deal with your stress in healthy ways and enjoy the ride of your life. Vocabulary. deal* (with) - иметь дело (с) unsatisfactory - неудовлетворительный miserable - несчастный hurried conversation - поспешная беседа key - ключевой, важный consider - рассмотреть quickie - разг.: наспех сделанное дело, халтура make* worse - ухудшить sensitive - чувствиельный topic - тема cover - здесь: раскрывать in private - при личной беседе involve - вовлекатьd on "neutral turf" - на нейтральной территории jointly - совместно select - выбирать сollect one's thoughts - собраться с мыслями key points - ключевые вопросы cover - здесь: затронуть ensure - обеспечить waste - терять понапрасну attentively - внимательно verbal - вербальный, словесный near-perfect - почти совершенный clarity - ясность, четкость desire - желать agree (upon) - договориться (о) commonplace - общепринятый vivid - яркий, живой painful - болезненный certain - определенный amount - количество, объем pressure давление championship - чемпионат training - обучающий push - подталкивать performance - действие increasing - увеличивающийся level - уровень of responsibility - ответственность sticky - сленг: неприятный result in - вызвать в результате growth - рост capabilities - способности occur - случаться injury - повреждение; оскорбление, обида overwhelm - ошеломлять, meaning - значение, смысл overcoming - преодоление face - сталкиваться (с) vary - варьировать, различаться number of ways - разные способы . proven - опробированный, доказанный approach - подход alone - в одиночестве prayer - молитва provide - обеспечить foundation - основа activities - деятельность challenge - вызов remind - напоминать rapids - пороги (речные) rough ride - бурная поездка crouch down - разг.: согнуться respond - реагировать, отвечать (на) forgive - прощать dwel* (on) - здесь: зацикливаться (на) jerk - сленг: придурок, идиот shrug one's shoulders - пожать плечами laugh it off - посмеяться над этим stomachache - боль в желудке wrinkle - морщинка take* one's time - не спешить overwhelmed - ошеломлен deep breathing - глубокие вздохи attitude adjustment - изменение отношения break - перерыв, пауза ingaging (in) - заниматься range (from┘to) - варьитровать(от┘до┘) strenuous - энергичный, напряженный gym - спортзал reduce - уменьшить take* things seriously - принимать близко к сердцу ride - здесь: ход Text7 Pollution If we continue to exploit the earth in the way we have been doing, the planet will soon be destroyed. Do you agree? Man has always regarded himself as the most important species on earth and has used whatever the planet can provide for his own good. It is only recently that we have begun to question this behaviour and to realise that it cannot continue. The second half of the twentieth century has seen many dramatic changes in the way we live, particularly in industrialised countries, and our environment is now paying the price for this. Scientists tell us that there are holes in the ozone layer caused by excessive production of CO2, and this is likely to lead to a warming of the earth's climate. It is quite conceivable that the polar ice caps will begin to melt and this might well result in large areas of land being flooded. Many people will, consequently, lose their homes and their livelihoods. The dangers of the warming-up of the earth, or the greenhouse effect as it is called, is something which it is becoming 'fashionable' to discuss and worry about. However, there are other less fashionable aspects of the problem which, unless controlled, will lead to dramatic changes in the life of our planet. The destruction of large areas of forests is not only reducing the oxygen supply but destroying the natural habitat of thousands of different plants, animals, birds and insects. Apart from these examples, the animal world has suffered greatly from man's greed. Our attitude seems to be: if we can use an animal either to make money from or to use for our own benefit, then we have the right to do so regardless of whether this causes the species to become extinct. In my view, we will have to reassess our way of living and question whether continued growth at the expense of other creatures and of the planet itself is acceptable. Personally, I believe that the worsening situation will in all probability force us to change our behaviour both at an individual and a national level. The developed world, which is responsible for the majority of the environmental problems we are now facing, also has a responsibility to help the underdeveloped countries not make the same mistakes. It is my opinion that our exploitation of the earth has already put its survival at risk; but I think there is a chance that, if we all work together, we will be able to save our planet from destruction. How long can we continue polluting and destroying our planet before even those who benefit most from the ransacking of its resources realise that time is running but? The average global temperature is now almost one degree Fahrenheit higher than a century ago, and the number of natural disasters - floods, storms, drought, famine - has risen appreciably even in the last thirty years. Global warming is largely the result of what is called 'the greenhouse effect'. This term describes the absorption of solar heat - which should naturally be re-radiated into space after striking the earth's surface - by various gases of which carbon dioxide (CO2) is the commonest. Every litre of petrol used - whether lead-free or not - represents the emission of 2.5 kilos of CO2 from your car exhaust. Burning fossil fuels - oil, coal, wood - to produce energy in power stations results in the release not only of CO2 but also of sulphur dioxide, the principal cause of acid rain. As far as the destruction of our immediate environment is concerned, the effects of 'progress without responsibility' are there for all to see: chemical fertilisers and pesticides pollute our rivers, untreated sewage and radioactive waste are discharged into the sea to contaminate beaches and disrupt marine food chains, acid rain from industrial activity kills forests and lakes, and in some pans of the world widespread burning of forests catastrophically depletes the oxygen supply and accelerates the release of CO2 into the atmosphere. But it is no use the rich nations of the world trying to moralise: they themselves are the countries that have produced the greenhouse effect. Our dun- to the huge and expanding populations of the Third World is to pass on the bitter lessons we have learnt, to implement our own programmes of energy saving, and to help others develop the alternative low-energy technologies on which human survival will depend. Vocabulary to the Text. regard - рассматривать, считать species - вид earth - (планета) Земля provide - обеспечивать, предоставлять recently - недавно particularly - в частность hole - дыра layer - слой cause - вызывать excessive - избыточный likely - вероятно, по-видимому warming - потепление conceivable - воображаемый melt - таять result (in) - дать в результате flood - потоп consequently - соответственно livelihood - средство к существованию greenhouse - теплица fashionable - модный unless - если не destruction - разрушение reduce - сокращать oxygen - кислород supply - запас habitat - место проживания/произрастания apart (from) - помимо suffer (from) - страдать (от) greed - жадность, алчность attitude - отношение benefit - прибыль regardless - несмотря на extinct - вымерший reassess - здесь: пересмотреть at the expense of - за счет creature - создание acceptable - приемлемый worsen - ухудшать probability - вероятность be responsible for - быть ответственным за majority - большинство envoironmental - экологический face - сталкиваться survival - выживание pollute - загрязнять destroy - разрушать ransack - искать run out - истекать average - средний disaster - катастрофа, бедствие flood - наводнение drought - засуха famine - голод rise* - поднимать appreciably - заметно, ощутимо absorbtion - поглощение solar - солнечный heat - тепло radiate - излучать, испускать carbon - углерод dioxide - двуокись common - общепринятый petrol - бензин lead-free - без свинца emission - излучение, выделение exhaust - здесь: выхлоп fossil - ископаемый fuel - топливо oil - нефть coal - уголь release - высвобождать sulphure - сера acid rain - кислотный дождь immediate - непосредственный environment - окружающая среда as for... concerned - что касается... fertiliser - удобрение untreated - необработанный sewage - сточные воды waste - отходы discharge - выливать contaminate - загрязнять, портить beach - пляж disrupt - разрывать, разрушать marine - морской chain - цепочка widespread - широкораспространенный deplete - истощать, исчерпывать accelerate - ускорять(ся) moralise - читать нотации duty - долг, обязанность huge - огромный expanding - здесь: растущий bitter - горький implement - осуществлять, выполнять saving - экономия survival - выживание Comprehension Check. Ex. Answer the following questions:
Topics to discuss.
QUATATIONS AND JOKES ENVIRONMENT.
The most important thing about Spaceship Earth - an instruction book doesn't come with it. Buckminster Fuller.
PROGRESS.
JOKES *- The best defence against the atomic bomb is not to be there when it goes off. The British Army Journal. *- Whenever science makes a discovery, the devil grabs it while the angels are debating the best way to use it. Alen Valentine.
CIVILIZATION (* - jokes)
CREATION AND CREATIVITY.
Unit VIII |