Types of Pollution

Pollution exists in many forms and affects many different aspects of the earth’s ___________. Point-source pollution comes from specific, localized, and identifiable sources, such as sewage _________ or industrial __________. Nonpoint-source pollution comes from dispersed or uncontained sources, such as contaminated water _______ from urban ________or automobile _________.

The effects of these pollutants may be _______ or delayed. Primary effects of pollution occur immediately after contamination occurs, such as the _______ of marine plants and wildlife after an oil _______ at sea. Secondary effects may be delayed or may persist in the environment into the future, perhaps going unnoticed for many years. DDT, a nondegradable _______, seldom poisons birds immediately, but gradually accumulates in their _______. Birds with high concentrations of this pesticide lay thin-shelled _______that fail to hatch or produce deformed offspring. These secondary effects, publicized by Rachel Carson in her 1962 book, Silent Spring, threatened the survival of species such as the _______eagle and peregrine falcon, and aroused public concern over the hidden effects of nondegradable _______compounds.

MODULE 6

WATER, AIR AND SOIL POLLUTION

UNIT 1

WATER POLLUTION

Pre-reading

Match the lines A with the lines in B.

А

В

Contemporary Forecast Mankind Marine Poison Rubbish Shell-fish Water Chemical

– the clear liquid that falls from the sky as rain – a basic substance that is used in chemistry or produced by chemistry – things that you throw away because you do not want them – found in the sea or relating to the sea – a substance that can make you ill or kill you if you eat or drink it – all people, considered as a group – sea creatures that live in shells and are eaten as food – a report saying what is likely to happen in the future – existing or happening at the same time as sth

Read the text.

Every year, water is getting more polluted. It contains more and more chemicals and more rubbish. Industrially-produced chlorine mixtures are particularly dangerous. The chlorine accumulates in the sea then accumulates in the fat of marine animals’ bodies. This causes problems with their liver, immune system and reproductive system. Contaminated marine fishery products are poisonous to eat. All that is direct threat to human health. Human poisoning and illness associate with eating contaminated fish and shell-fish multiply. So the people poison themselves.

Nowadays, water waste and water pollution are quite serious problems that may bring mankind to the brink of catastrophe.

More than 1 billion people have no access to clean, potable water. More than 2.4 billion people live in bad sanitary conditions (i.e. no sewerage network, no contemporary treatment facilities for household wastewater). The major problems are caused by the contemporary chemical substances used for household and cleaning. Chemicals (pesticides, chlorine, dyes, bleach and some plastics) kill the micro-organisms that decompose organic human waste; and this, in turn, destroys a carefully balanced system.

Approximately 25,000 people (most of them are children) die each day as a result of contaminated drinking water. Forecasts show two-thirds of the Earth’s population will be suffering from water shortage by 2025.

Approximately to suffer carefully to destroy household potable shell-fish poisonous rubbish liver catastrophe pesticides result treatment

A-GROUP EXERCISES

1. Write out all the verbs from the text and define the tenses. Give the infinitive.

Example: are – Present Simple Active Voice, plural, to be.

2. How many irregular words are there in the text? Write them out and give their three forms.

Example: to be – was, were – been.

3. Put the verbs from the text into the correct columns.

Present Simple	Past Simple	Present Perfect
Infinitive	Passive Voice	Modal verbs

4. Give definitions to the following words:

pollution

mixture

accumulation

liver

health

illness

catastrophe

population

network

substance

household

treatment

shortage

bleach

dye

pesticides

facility

waste

5. Make opposites with the help of prefixes dis-, il-, im-, in-, ir, un-.

similar

happy

expensive

legal

responsible

regular

possible

lock

agree

appear

B-GROUP EXERCISES

1. Translate the following word combinations into Ukrainian.

industrially-produced

chlorine mixtures

marine animals

animals’ bodies

immune system

reproductive system

fishery products

poisonous to eat

direct threat

human health

water waste

potable water

water shortage

sanitary conditions

treatment facilities

household wastewater

chemical substances

organic human waste

overfishing

waste disposal

unleaded petrol

bottle banks

organic farming

recycled paper

2. Write out all possible attributes to the following word. Use the words from the article and your own ideas.

Water

mixtures

body

animal

product

health

poisoning

problem

pollution

waste

facilities

substances

organisms

forecasts

shortage

conditions

Compound nouns

3. Words can combine to make new words. Fill in the spaces to make word combinations and compound nouns.

System

PHRASAL VERBS

4. Fill in the blanks with the correct particles.

1. For such a small electric fire, it gives ______ a lot of heat. (emits)

2. Heavy smoking brought ________ his death. (caused)

3. A bomb went ______ just after the jet plane took off. (exploded)

4. I refuse to put _______ _______ that noise; I’m going to call the police. (tolerate)

5. Four-year-old Joseph wants to be a basketball player when he grows _______ . (becomes an adult)

C-GROUP EXERCISES

1. Make sentences with the following words:

Approximately

to suffer

carefully

to destroy

household

potable

shell-fish

poisonous

rubbish

liver

catastrophe

pesticides

result

treatment

2. Put the verbs in brackets in the correct grammar form.

1. Water (to pollute) by chemicals.

2. Mutations may (to cause) by radiation.

3. Subtle biological effects (to have observed).

4. Problems with their liver, immune system and reproductive system (to cause) by it.

5. Everything there (to cover) with soot and dirt.

3. Put the prepositions into the gaps.

Pollution is one ___ the most burning problems ___ nowadays. Now millions ___ chimneys, cars, buses, trucks all ___ the world exhaust fumes and harmful substances ___ the atmosphere. These poisoned substances pollute everything: air, land, water, birds and animals. It is usually hard to breathe ___ the large cities where there are lots plants. Everything there is covered ___ soot and dirt. All these affect harmfully. Every year the atmosphere is polluted ___ about 1000 tons ___ industrial dust and other harmful substances. Big cities suffer ___ smog. Cars ___ their engine have become the main source ___ pollution in industrial countries. The loss ___ the forests upsets the oxygen balance ___ the new wastelands. As the result some species ___ animals, birds, fish and plants have disappeared and keep disappearing.

QUESTION MAKING

4. Put as many questions as you can to the sentences.

1. The world’s worst nuclear reactor accident took place in Chernobyl, Ukraine, in 1986.

2. At least 31 people were killed by the accident.

3. The electro-magnetic waves have a negative effect on human health.

4. Subtle biological effects have been observed.

5. It is also essential to consider the genetic effect of radiation.

6. Radiation may cause mutations.

7. Cars with their engine have become the main source of pollution.

8. Big cities suffer from smog.

5. Put the verbs in brackets into the correct form.

There (to be) numerous effects on the human environment due to the increase in noise pollution.

Major sources of noise can (to be) airplanes at takeoff and landing, and a truck just off the assembly line, yet we seem (to accept) and (to enjoy) countless other sounds, from hard rock music to loud Harley Davidson motor cycles.

There (to be) two types of hearing loss: conductive and sensorineural. In conductive deafness sound-pressure waves never (to reach) the cochlea, most often as a consequence of a ruptured eardrum or a defect in the ossicles of the middle ear.

Hearing loss can (to be) entrapping in onset. Years of traumatic exposure to high levels can (to occur) before symptoms (to become) manifest. The popularity for portable sound equipment such as Walkman-type radios and tape players already (to produce) a sharp increase in clinically verified hearing loss, especially among rock music addicts who (to prefer) their music very loud.

D-GROUP EXERCISES

1. Complete the paragraph below about your own country. Remember to use ‘the’ whenever it is necessary.

________ is a ________ in ________. The countryside is ________ in the north and _________in the south. The country’s economy is based on _________. The best known river in ________ is _______. The most famous chain of mountains is ________ and the highest mountain in that chain is ____ . ______ is a major environmental problem in _____ today.

2. Read the text. Put the words from the box into the gaps.

radiation, doses, effect, harmful, levels networks, ovens, proliferation, radio-frequency, recent, significance, sources, term, waves

The electro-magnetic _____have a negative _____ on human health.

The _______ radiation from _______ such as power lines, radar, communication _______, and microwave _______ is nonionizing, and for many years only high _______ of such radiation were known to be _______, causing burns, cataracts, temporary sterility, and other effects. In _______ years, however, with the _______ of such devices, the possible effects of long _______ exposure to low _______ of nonionizing _______ began to be a matter of scientific concern. Subtle biological effects have been observed, but their health _______ is thus far not certain.

3. Speak on

1.‘The major problems caused by chemical substances’.

2. ‘Water pollution in Ukraine. Could you suggest a solution for this problem?’

3. ‘Sanitary water conditions in your city.’