4. Intelligent d. Old-fashioned

5. flame retardant e. clever

6. decade f. small machine or device

7. common g. to burn

8. scrap heap h. pile of garbage

9. out of date i. ordinary

10. mend j. value of goods or services sold during a particular

period of time

11. electronic gadget k. substance which makes something burn slower

12. leased l. hired

5. Skim through the texts «Pollution no Easy Answers» and «High-Tech Technology».

Match a verb and a noun to make word combinations.

VERB NOUN

to follow the programme

to take harm

to cover strict rules

to do its toll

to run into force

to make disposal cost

to come charge from

6. Complete the table with the words from the text.

NOUN	VERB
1. 2. purchase 3. deal 4.	to manufacture to import

Speaking

7. What do these numbers from the text refer to?

1 500 000, 100 000, 7 000, 200

8. Read the text again and answer the following questions.

1. Why is recycling of high-tech garbage becoming a pressing problem? Look for several reasons in the text.

2. How is the problem of disposing electronic gadgets and electric appliances being solved?

3. What «green» or environmentally-friendly materials are being developed by scientists?

4. What are new intelligent technologies aimed at?

What do municipal authorities monitor?

9. Match types of pollution with their effects.

1.acid rain 2. traffic congestion 3. water contamination 4. destruction of the ozone layer 5. high-tech garbage 6. air pollution

turns the planet into causes

a. skin cancer b. respiratory problems c. a scrap-heap d. carbon monoxide given off e. stomach related diseases f. forests dying

10 Companies need to be aware of the effect they have on the environment.

What actions are taken by manufacturers and local authorities to solve high-tech pollution problem?

Complete the table:

Actions taken by municipal authorities	Actions taken by manufacturers

Environmental Protection

Some hundreds of years ago people lived in harmony with nature, because industry was not much developed. Today, however, the contradictions between man and nature are dramatic.

The twenty first century is a century of the scientific and technological progress. The achievements of the mankind in mechanization and automation of industrial processes, in chemical industry and conquering outer space, in the creation of atomic power stations and ships are amazing. But at the same time, this progress gave birth to a very serious problem – the problem of environment.

Ecology and the contamination of environment, is concerned with climate, over-population in certain areas, deaths of plant and animals, chemical contamination of seas, lakes and rivers as well as atomic experiments and dumping of atomic waste from power stations. Floods, unexpected draughts, and the greenhouse effect are the next reasons.

There are many consequences of damaging the environment. One of them is acid rain. Another one is water shortage resulting from abuse of arable lands in agriculture. The third one is destroying the ozone layer of the Earth through pollution from factories and plants. The fourth problem is damage o water and soils. The fifth one is damage to wildlife: numerous species of animals and plants can disappear. At last, the most serious danger arising from damaging the environment is the result of the abovementioned consequences. This is the danger for the life and health of the man.

The protection of natural resources and wildlife is becoming a political programme in every country. Numerous anti-pollution acts passed in different countries led to considerable improvements in environment. In many countries purifying systems for treatment of industrial waters have been installed, measures have been taken to protect rivers and seas from oil waters.

But the environmental problems have grown beyond the concern of a single country. Their solution requires the co-operation of all nations.

If we are unable to learn to use the environment carefully and protect it from damage caused by man’s activities, very soon we’ll have no world to live