ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION

Environmental pollution is a term that refers to all the ways by which people pollute their surroundings. People dirty the air with gases and smoke, poison the water with chemicals and other substances, and damage the soil with too many fertilizers and pesticides. People also pollute their surroundings in various other ways. For example, they operate machines and motor vehicles that fill the air with disturbing noise.

Environmental pollution is one of the most serious problems facing humanity today. Air, water, and soil – all harmed by pollution – are necessary to the survival of all living things.

Everyone wants to reduce pollution. But the pollution problem is as complicated as serious. It is complicated because much pollution is caused by things that benefit people. For example, exhaust from automobiles causes a large percentage of all air pollution. But the automobile provides transportation for millions of people. Factories discharge much of the material that pollutes air and water, but factories provide jobs for people and produce goods that people want. Too much fertilizer or pesticide can ruin soil, but fertilizers and pesticides are important aids to the growing of crops.

Thus, to end or greatly reduce pollution immediately people would have to stop using many things that benefit them. Most people do not want to do that, of course. But pollution can be gradually reduced in several ways. Scientists and engineers can work to find ways to lessen the amount of pollution that such things as automobiles and factories cause. Government can pass and enforce laws that require businesses and individuals to stop, or cup down on, certain polluting activities.

People have always polluted their surroundings. But throughout much of history, pollution was not a major problem. Most people lived in uncrowned rural areas, and the pollutants they produced were widely scattered. People had no pollution-causing machines or motor vehicles. The development of crowded industrial cities in the 1700’s and 1800’s made pollution a major problem. During the 1900’s, urban continued to develop, and automobiles and other new inventions made pollution steadily worse. By the mid – 1900’s, pollution had affected the water in every major lake and river and the air over every major city in many industrial countries. Since the late 1960s, millions of people have become alarmed by the dangers of pollution, and scientific studies have improved our understanding of the problem. Large numbers of people are now working to reduce environmental pollution.

2. Tick the correct completion. Sometimes two variants are possible.

1. Today environmental pollution....

a) is not a serious problem.

b) is a complicated problem.

c) is as complicated as serious.

2. The pollution is a complicated problem because .. .

a) people don’t want to reduce pollution.

b) much pollution is caused by things that benefit people.

c) people don’t care about their surroundings.

3. Pollution can be reduced by ... .

a) not using many things that benefit them.

b) passing and enforcing new laws and taking action toward reducing pollution.

c) discussing the pollution problem.

4. Pollution became a major problem ... .

a) as a result of the development of crowded industrial cities.

b) when people lived in uncrowned rural areas.

c) as soon as automobiles were invented.

3. Answer the questions.

1. What way do people pollute their surroundings?

2. Why is environmental pollution such a serious problem?

3. Why is the pollution problem not only serious, but also complicated?

4. What way can we reduce pollution?

5. When and why did pollution become a major problem?

4. Look back into the text and find the words which have similar meanings to:

1. contamination; 2. environment; 3. to decrease; 4. to be useful; 5. difficult; 6. to dirty.

5. Put questions to the underlined words.

1. People also pollute their surroundings in various other ways.

2. Exhaust from automobiles causes a large percentage of all air pollution.

3. By the mid – 1900s, pollution had affected the water in every major lake and river.

4. Large numbers of people are now working to reduce environmental pollution.

6. Read and translate text.