Baikal lessons. Your environments. Уроки Байкала. Твои окружающие среды. Методическое пособие для изучающих экологию на английском языке. Татьяна Муратова

больших городов сбрасывают свои отходы в моря и реки.

      – Долгое время люди не понимали опасность.

      – Озонный слой защищает нас от опасных лучей солнца.

      – Кислород попадает в воздух с помощью растений.

      Water pollution

      Water, water

      The planet Earth is mostly water. Oceans cover the biggest part of it – and there are lakes, rivers, streams, and even water underground. All life on Earth – from the littlest bug to the biggest whale – depends on this water. It’s precious. But we’re not doing a very good job of keeping water clean. In many places, the water has become polluted.

      Rivers and lakes

      Rivers and lakes are polluted by garbage, or by chemicals, which are dumped right into them.

      Underground

      Underground water can be polluted by gasoline or other harmful liquids that seep into the ground. Some fertilizers and pesticides used on farms or lawns, leak down through the dirt, too.

      The seas

      The ocean, which is a home to so much life, has been used as a place to dump garbage and poisonous chemicals for a long time. It’s getting polluted, too.

      Our mission

      We need to save our water, to keep it clean and healthy so people, plants and animals will always have some to drink. And so fish and other creatures will have a place to live.

      To learn more about what you can do to save water – and keep it clean and healthy – turn to Preserving Our Oceans, Rivers, Lakes, and Streams.

      5. AIR AND LAND POLLUTION

      The planet Earth is our common home. Everything is connected on the earth. If something goes wrong in some part of the world, everybody suffers. People’s activities can make the environment unhealthy. If they are doing harmful things to our land, they are making pollution. Too many people making too much pollution will hurt the country.

      People are producing too many gases and because of that the earth is getting hotter. These gases hold heat. Plants and trees help to take gases, such as carbon dioxide, from the air, but we have now destroyed too many trees. There are not enough trees and plants to do this job.

      Because the earth is getting hotter, the ice is melting. Because the ice is melting, the level of the sea is slowly rising. Scientists say that in the year 2050 some parts of Great Britain will be under the sea.

      Another problem of land pollution is making large piles of trash. Trash is made of boxes, bags, papers, cans, plastics, clothing and bottles. It is also made up of old food called garbage.

      Some trash gets burned. When plastics and some other man-made things are burned, gases are given off. Too much of these gases can make people and animals sick.

      There will not be as much trash if we learn to use things over and over again. One way to do this is by changing some old thing into a new one. Then it is used again. It is not thrown away.

      Another problem of land pollution is using too many chemicals

      to grow vegetables and fruit. Too many chemicals in the ground can harm the soil. If our vegetables, fruit and meat are grown without chemicals., they will be safer for us to eat.

      So you see how many problems people have got of water, air and land pollution. All this makes people worry about their environment.

      1.Why can people’s activities make the environment unhealthy?

      2.How are people doing harmful things to our land?

      3.Why is the earth getting hotter?

      4.What takes gases from the air?

      5.Why can’t trees and plants do this job well?

      6.Why is the ice melting?

      7.What happens with the level of the sea because the ice melting? 8.What is another problem of land pollution?

      9.What is trash made of?

      10.What happens when some trash gets burned?

      11.What must not we do to have so much trash?

      12.What do we use to grow vegetables and fruit?

      13.Do many chemicals harm the soil?

      Erosion – The wearing away of soil by wind or water, intensified by land- clearing practices related to farming, residential or industrial development, road building, or logging.

      Landfill – A method for final disposal of solid waste on land. The refuse is spread and compacted and a cover of soil applied so that effects on the environment (including public health and safety) are minimized. Under current regulations, landfills are required to have liners and leachate treatment systems to prevent contamination of ground water and surface water. An industrial landfill disposes of non-hazardous industrial wastes. A municipal landfill disposes of domestic waste including garbage, paper, etc. This waste may include toxins that are used in the home, such as insect sprays and powders, engine oil, paints, solvents, and weed killers.