Consult the TEXTS FOR SUPPLEMENTARY READING and complete the information about ecology as a science (Texts 20, 21). Be ready to discuss the information you have read.

36. Read the text and give a brief summary of it:

Text 6 D

Pollution of Environment

Since ancient times nature has served man, being the source of his life. For thousands of years people lived in harmony with environment and it seemed to them that natural riches were unlimited. But with the development of civilization man’s interference in nature began to increase. Today the contradictions between man and nature are great. Every year world industry pollutes the atmosphere with about 1000 million tons of dust and other substances. The waste from factories and plants, electric and atomic power stations gets into lakes, rivers and seas, it poisons the air, and it destroys plants and animals. The pollution of the environment affects man's health greatly. It can lead to such diseases as asthma, bronchitis, cancer, it tells on the central nervous system and so on.

Ecological ignorance of the people leads to the further destruction of nature and worsens the living conditions for all living beings. A lot of forests are cut, marshes and lakes are dried. And it breaks the ecological balance and deprives lots of animals of places to live. In the course of its history mankind has waged destructive wars which didn't spare the nature. People have destroyed nature by building huge cities, cutting woods, excavating mountains and digging mines. In pursuit of new inventions and discoveries, as well as higher and higher profits man has forgotten about nature and it has led him to the edge of the ecological catastrophe. Mankind has nearly committed suicide. So the goal of mankind is to stop destroying the planet we live on first of all. And then step by step we must begin to restore what has been destroyed, so that future generations could happily live here.

TEXT AND VOCABULARY EXERCISES

37. Find in the text the words or phrases which mean the same as:

38. Translate the following phrases into Russian:

Source of his life; to live in harmony with environment; to be unlimited; development of civilization; contradictions between man and nature; to pollute the atmosphere; to destroy plants and animals; to affect man’s health; ecological ignorance; to worsen the living conditions; to stop destroying the planet; destructive wars