Interesting Facts about Canals

The best examples of canals used for draining land are found in Holland, where much of the country is below sea-level. Dams are used to prevent flooding and since 1932 over 300.000 acres of land have been drained. In winter the Dutch people use the frozen canals for ice-skating.

In a hot dry country such as Egypt water is scarce, and to prevent the land from becoming dry long canals are built from dams. These canals must be continually kept open, for the Egyptian farms and cotton fields cannot exist without these life lines of water.

Many waterways are used for the transport of heavy goods by barges. This method of carrying materials is not so widely used now, for although it is cheaper, it has disadvantage of being much slower. Speed is regulated by the number of bridges and locks¹ which the barges encounter.

Two notable canals for ships in Europe are the Corinth Canal and the Kiel Canal. The former was built in 1893 across the solid rocks of the isthmus² of Corinth. Bridges from the tops of the steep sides of the canal connect north and south Greece. The Kiel Canal, which also has no locks, was built two years later and it gives the countries of the Baltic Sea quicker access to the west.

Venice, at the Adriatic Sea, is one of the most beautiful cities in Europe, for it has many canals instead of streets. Long narrow boats with curved ends, called “gondolas”, carry passengers and goods from one part of the city to another. The gondolas are supplied with lanterns, which at night make the canals very colourful and romantic. A peculiar custom of former days was that the Ruler of Venice used the throw a ring into the water each year to show that the city was wed³ to the sea.

One of the greatest arteries of world trade is the Suez Canal separating the two continents of Asia and Africa. As trade with India increased the overland route across Suez become regular but very expensive. In 1859, the French engineer, Ferdinand de Lesseps, started to cut a passage through this desert country. Ten years later, the first sea-going ships passed through the canal, which is a hundred miles long and has no locks, thus completing a direct water route from the North Atlantic to the Indian Ocean.

The journey along the canal takes about fifteen hours and shortens the distance from Britain to the East by about 4.000 miles. The canal belongs to Egypt and is a vital waterway serving the merchants fleets of many nations.

The Great Lakes which lie between Canada and the United States have become part of the world’s ocean highways for it is now possible for big ships to sail up the Saint Lawrence Canal to the ports of Toronto, Cleveland and Chicago. A 218 mile canal joins the Atlantic with these Great Lakes which contain half of all the fresh water in the world. There are seven locks, five on the Canadian Side and two on the United States side. Bridges needed to be raised fifty feet to allow big ship traffic to pass and, indeed, from Montreal, these ocean-going vessels are raised 246 feet above the sea-level to Lake Ontario. The Saint Lawrence Canal takes the ships 2.200 miles inland, half-way across the North American continent and deep into the heart of Canada.

NOTES

¹ lock – шлюз

² isthmus – перешеек

³ to be wed – быть обрученным

3. Answer the following questions:

1. What are dams in Holland used for?

2. Why aren’t barges so wildly used now?

3. When was the Corinth Canal built?

4. When was the Kiel Canal built?

5. What makes Venice one of the most beautiful cities in Europe?

6. What makes the canal look so romantic at night?

7. What peculiar custom existed in Venice?

8. When was the Suez Canal opened for navigation?

9. How long does the journey along the Suez Canal take?

10. Who built the Suez Canal?

11. Do the Great Lakes contain fresh or salt water?

12. Can ocean-going ships travel along the Saint Lawrence Canal?

4. Say in Russian:

- draining land

- used to prevent flooding

- freeze canals

- dry long canals

- cotton fields

- wildly used

- long narrow boats

- greatest arteries

- sea-going ships

- through the canal

- vital waterway

- fresh water

- ocean-going vessel

5. Arrange these antonyms in pairs, translate them and write sentences with each:

narrow, abundance, different, load, considerable, wide, small, scarcely, shortage, the same, huge, simple, gradually, negligible, to unload, complicated

6. Complete these sentences with the words from the text:

1. Dams are used to … .

2. Many inland waterways are used for … .

3. Two notable canals for ships in Europe are … .

4. One of the greatest arteries of the world trade is … .

5. The first sea-going ships passed … .

6. A 218 mile canal joins … .

7. The Saint Lawrence Canal takes … .

7. Say if the sentences are right or wrong according to the text:

1. The best examples of canals used for draining land are found in Egypt.

2. Long canals mustn’t be continually kept open, for the Egyptian farms and cotton fields can exist without these life lines of water.

3. Two notable canals for ships in Europe are the Corinth Canal and the Kiel Canal.

4. Long narrow boats with curved ends, called “launch”, carry passengers and goods from one part of the city to another.

5. One of the greatest arteries of world trade is the Suez Canal separating the two continents of Asia and Africa.

6. The Saint Lawrence Canal takes the ships 2.200 miles inland half-way across the North American continent and deep into the heart of Canada.

Grammar

Времена группы Continuous

Глаголы в формах Continuous употребляются, когда требуется подчеркнуть, что действие продолжается, продолжалось или будет продолжаться в то время, о котором идет речь, т.е. когда нужно выразить действие в процессе его совершения.

Present Continuous

Present Continuous употребляется для выражения длительного действия совершаемого в момент речи. Эти формы образуются следующим образом:

to be в настоящем времени (am, is, are) + Participle I смыслового глагола

E.g. They are having an English class.

Are they having an English class?

They aren’t having an English class, they are having Russian class.

Past Continuous

Past Continuous употребляется для выражения действия, которое продолжало совершаться в определенный момент или отрезок времени в прошлом, обозначаемом либо точным указанием момента или отрезка времени, либо другим действием, выраженным глаголом в Past Simple.

to be в прошедшем времени(was, were) + Participle I смыслового глагола

E.g. They were having an English class today when I came to see them.

Were they having an English class when I came to see them?

They were not having an English class when I cam to see them they are having a Russian class.

Future Continuous

Future Continuous употребляется для выражения действия, которое будет совершаться в определенный момент или отрезок времени в будущем.

to be в будущем времени (shall be, will be) + Participle I смыслового глагола

E.g. They will be having an English class tomorrow at 9 o’clock.

Will be they having an English class tomorrow at 9 o’clock.

They will not be having an English class tomorrow at 9

o’clock, thy will be having a Russian class.

8. Form negative and interrogative sentences according to the model:

Model: He is thinking much about that problem.

Is he thinking much about that problem?

He is not thinking much about that problem.

1. He is going to the factory.

2. They are organizing this kind of work at the laboratory.

3. A new deep-level tunnel is completing in London.

4. A totally new safety system is installing.

5. The staff of the laboratory will be finishing the work on the apparatus at 5 o’clock.

9. Find the verb in Continuous Tense in each row:

1. a) was burning b) burnt c) are burnt

2. a) brings b) was brought c) are going to bring

3. a) were carrying b) carried c) will be carried

4. a) were driven b) is driving c) drives

5. a) considers b) will be considered c) is considering

6. a) was showing b) were shown c) showed

7. a) tunneled b) were tunneling c) have tunneled

8. a) develops b) are developed c) is developing

9. a) are taught b) are teaching c) teaches

10. a) are building b) will be built c) was built

10. Read the text B:

1. Suggest a suitable title for the text

2. Answer the questions

1. Where is the Karakum desert situated?

2. How large is its territory?

3. What does the word “Karakum” mean?

4. Why was the idea of the Karakum Canal not realized in 1910?

5. Are the water losses in the canal large?

6. When did the contribution of the Karakum Canal begin?

7. Under what conditions was the canal built?

8. What is the size of the Canal?

9. Why do the people call the canal “a river of life”?

c) Express the main idea of the text in English.

Text B

The Karakum desert is the biggest desert in the Russia. Its area is 35 million hectares. The Karakum which means “Black Sands” is the lifeless ocean of sand. It is situated in Turkmenia and covers about tree quarters of the Republic’s territory.

Only water can bring life to desert. The dream of irrigating the Karakum already existed in ancient times. The first project of building a canal across the Karakum desert was suggested in 1910 by the Americans. But the idea proved unrealized. There was no experience in the world in building a canal of that kind and on such a scale.

After 1917 the Republic needed more and more for developing its economy. In order to turn arid lands into valuable farm lands and blossoming orchards and to expand pastures it was necessary to transfer the waters of Amudarya River to this region. The design provided for¹ a giant canal without a concrete lining. Some hydro-geologists said that much water would be lost through seepage in the sands. But V. Morozov, proved theoretically that the Amudarya water, rich in loess particles² will cement the soil and water losses in the canal will be minimal. Practice confirmed that the scientist was right. The construction of the Karakum Canal began in 1954. The summer heat (plus 48 degrees Centigrade), almost total absence of water, lack of roads and heavy sandstorms made the builders’ work extremely difficult. The canal was built not only by the inhabitants of Central Asia. Workers and experts came from everywhere. Machines and building materials were supplied from 250 cities in the country.

Now the total length of this man-made river is about 1500 kilometers. The maxim depth of the bed exceeds 6 meters. The widest flooded area reaches 120-130 meters. Nearly 9.000 million cubic meters of water flow through the Canal every year. Large water reservoirs accumulating large amounts of water proved a suitable water regime in the canal in any drought.

The people called the Republic’s main canal “a river of life”. Thanks to the Canal about half a million hectares of virgin land have been ploughed. The area some to grain, melons, grapes and other crops has been increased. Due to the development of irrigation and the improved soil fertility the production of cotton has doubled.

The Canal is very important for the development of cattle breeding. The canal water has been brought by pipelines to millions of hectares of pasture land. The production of meet, milk and wool has increased.

The Canal has also solved the problem of water supply for industrial and administrative centre to the Republic. Now textile and nitrogen-fertilizer plants, thermal power stations have been built in the Canal Zone from the Amudarya to the Caspian Sea.

NOTES

1 proved for – предусматривал

2 loess particles – лессовые частицы

11. Speak about Canals.

UNIT 7

SOIL

1. Learn new words:

abundant – обильный, богатый

acidity – кислотность

alkalinity – щелочность

arrangement – устройство, расположение

capacity – способность

concerned with – связан с

coarse soil – крупнозернистая почва

cloddy – комковатый

damage – ущерб, вред

deficient – недостаточный

decomposition – разложение

to deplete – истощать

to devastate – разорять

to dissolve – растворять

fine soil – мелкозернистая почва

gravel – гравий

inevitable – неизбежный

lime – известь

leaching – выщелачивание

mankind – человечество

maintenance – поддержание

passage – прохождение

percolation – осадки

to restrict – ограничивать

to retard – задерживать

runoff – сток

silt – ил

slope – склон

scarcity – скудность

soluble – растворимый

solution – раствор

2. Read and translate text A using the dictionary:

Text A

Soil

Soils play an important role in the life of mankind. It is a highly organized physical, chemical and biological structure covering a great part of the earth’s surface. It supports vegetable life and provides food for all animals and men.

Soils develop under the influence of climate, vegetation, slope and drainage, time and the nature of the parent material. Soils consist of four main components: mineral materials, organic matter, water and air.

Soils are classified according to their physical properties which determine to a large extent the productive capacity of the soil. The most important physical properties of the soil are soil texture and soil structure. Soil texture is concerned with the size of soil particles and soil structure is the arrangement of soil particles into groups.

According to the size of soil particles there are four size categories: gravel, sand, silt and clay. Gravelly and sandy soils are coarse soil or coarse-textured soils. Their water-holding capacity is low and between the large sizes of the spaces between the particles, the passage of water is rapid. Such soils have good drainage and aeration, but they are generally deficient in organic matter and fertility. Soils in which fine particles silt and clay are predominated are called fine soils or fine-textured soils. They have slow water and air movement, their water-holding capacity is high. Fine-textured soils are more productive than soils with coarse texture. Silt and clay soils are called heavy because they are hard to plow and to prepare, while sandy and gravelly soils are light, easily tilled soils.

The surface layer of the soil is the main zone of root development. It contains much of the food available to plants: it supplies large portion of water used by crops. All the main plant foods are found in a normal soil. Soils contain elements in different amounts and in several and in many forms. Some soils are different in several elements, essential to plant growth, but abundant in other elements. Deficiency of some elements can cause damage to the crops.

Soil conditions range from acidity to alkalinity. Most plants will not tolerate a high degree of either acidity to alkalinity. Soils in humid climate tend toward acidity, whereas soils in dry climate tend toward alkalinity. Acidity is a serious problem with many soils. Vast amounts of lime are used to neutralize soil acidity.

The physical and chemical properties of the soil are of great importance in crop production. The chemical composition and physical condition of the soil can be changed by applying fertilizers by drainage and by tillage. Proper use of fertilizers increases yields and improves the quality of crops. We should study the soil carefully in order to improve it and manage it properly.

1. Answer the questions:

1. What is soil?

2. What role does soil play in the life of mankind?

3. What main components do soils consist of?

4. How are soils classified?

5. What is soil structure?

6. What is soil texture?

7. How many size categories are there?

8. What is the main characteristic of coarse soil?

9. What is the main characteristic of fine soil?

10. What is used to neutralize soil acidity?

11. How can the soil properties be changed?

4. Find English equivalents in the text:

- под влиянием климата

- в большей степени

- размер почвенных частиц

- питательные вещества

- доступные для растений

- нейтрализовать кислотность почвы

- правильное использование удобрений

- химические свойства

- химический состав

5. Match column A to column B:

A	B
1. Fine soils	a) are important in crop production.
2. Soil texture	b) are called heavy soils.
3. Physical and chemical properties of the soil	c) are soils in which fine particles silt and clay predominate.
4. Soil structure	d) is concerned with the size of particles.
5. Silt and clay soils	e) is the arrangement of soil particles into groups.

6. Put the words in the list in groups:

mineral materials, soil texture, gravel, acidity, coarse-textured soil, gravelly soils, alkalinity, sand, soil structure, air, water, silt, fine-textured soil, organic matter, clay, heavy soils, clay soils, sandy soils

1. Types of soil: … , … , … .

2. Soil components: … , … , … .

3. Physical properties: … , … , … .

4. Size categories: … , … , … .

5. Soil conditions: … , … , … .

1. Read the text again and say if the statements are true or false. Then correct the false sentences:

1. Soils play an important role in the life of mankind.

2. The most important physical properties of the soil are gravel and sand.

3. Soil texture is concerned with the size of particles.

4. Soils in humid climates tend toward alkalinity.

5. Vast amount of lime are used to neutralize soil acidity.

6. The chemical composition and physical condition of the soil cannot be improved by applying fertilizers by draining or by tillage.

Grammar

One, Ones, That, Those

We use ONE instead of a countable noun in order not to say the word twice in the same sentence.

E.g. This is a red pencil and here is a blue one. (= pencil)

We use ONES instead of the plural noun for the same purpose.

E.g. Those text are too long, we need shorter ones.

We can also use THAT and THOSE which are sometimes followed by the preposition OF.

E.g. The rives of Russia are deeper than those of France.

Your computer is better than that in the office.

1. Replace the underlined nouns by the correct word from the list with one (ones), that (those):

1. The effect of nitrogen on plants is quite different from the effect of potassium.

2. The seeds of corn are much bigger in size than the seeds of wheat.

3. This strain is much more frost resistant than the strain we have developed.

4. These are the plants that were selected, and those are the plants that were discarded because of their undesirable characteristics.

1. Read and translate the sentences. Pay attention to the meaning of the words one (ones):

1. The problems of water supply in this town are as important as those of lighting and heating.

2. This advanced method allows one to get good results.

3. One must protect nature.

4. The city’s water supply system has three water mains: one carries high-quality fresh drinking water, the second carries slightly salty water for baths and for watering plants, and the third water main delivers ordinary sea water for various technical purposes.

5. One must take into account the fact that agricultural work in our country is done under difficult climatic conditions.

6. What other methods will be used? The one agronomists are using now is not very effective.

7. One can say that reclaimed lands are the golden fund of arable land.

1. Read the text B:

1. Suggest a suitable title for the text

2. Express the main idea of the text in English

Text B

All crops take moisture from the soil. This moisture may be available from rains or from surface or underground irrigation systems. Moisture is more important than any other environmental factor in crop production. Plants obtain their water supplies primarily through their root system. The maintenance of soil moisture is, therefore the most important problem of agriculture.

Together with air dissolved salts soil water forms soil solution which in an important medium for supplying nutrients to growing plants. Water plays an important part in the decomposition of organic and mineral matter and in chemical changes taking place in the soil.

The excessive amount of water in the soil changes various chemical and biological processes, limiting the amount of oxygen and forming substance that are toxic to plant roots. The abundant water in the soil restricts machine cultivation, making the weed control difficult. The excess of water retards plant growth. On the other hand, scarcity of water makes the soil hard, cloddy and very difficult to plow. Water shortage can cause serious crop failure. The supply of water to the plants depends on the rainfall and on the absorbing and retaining power of the soil.

A portion of water in the soil is inevitably lost. There are two types of water losses from soil: 1. the downward movement of water (percolation), 2. the runoff of excess water over the soil surface. Water that percolates down through the soil is stored there in the form of ground water. Percolation results in the loss of soluble salts leaching and thus depletes the soil of some nutrients. Some portion of the total precipitation runs off over the surface of the ground into the streams and rivers and flows back into the oceans. This water runoff causes erosion of the land and devastating floods.

11. Speak about Soil using the questions from exercise 3 as a plan.

UNIT 8