NATURAL AND ENVIRONMENTAL DISASTERS. Natural disasters occur when forces of nature damage the environment and manmade structures

Natural disasters occur when forces of nature damage the environment and manmade structures. Examples of the most widespread (найпоширеніших) natural disasters are as follows: tornadoes, volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, hurricanes, wildfires, floods and droughts.

Tornado is one of the most destructive forces of nature. It is a natural disaster resulting from a thunderstorm. Tornadoes are violent, rotating columns of air which can blow at speeds between 50 and 300 mph (miles per hour). Tornadoes destroy the houses, blow the cars away and even kill people. The noise (шум) is terrible and the air is full of various things – trees, dirt, dust and parts of the buildings.

Volcanic eruptions and earthquakes leave vast (величезні) areas of destruction and death. Under the ground there are hot gases and liquid rock. Sometimes these gases and rock explode out of the ground (виходять на поверхню). The liquid rock is called lava. When it becomes colder it becomes very hard. Many of the world’s volcanoes are in the Pacific Ocean but there are also volcanoes in Japan, Mexico, Italy, Turkey and many other countries. There are about 500 active volcanoes in the world today; many of them are under the sea.

Hurricanes are very strong winds that come from the sea. Warm, wet (вологе) air arises in a spiral and goes faster and faster – over 160 km per hour. Hurricanes often occur in August and September.

Drought is a period or condition (стан) of unusually dry weather. Sometimes in desert climates, it does not rain for a very long time. This happened between 1968 and 1974 in West Africa. The winds changed their direction and the sea did not receive any rain for six years. Thousands of people, nearly half of animals and plants died because there wasn't enough (достатньо) water.

Wildfire is an uncontrolled conflagration of forest. Common causes of wildfires include lightning and drought but they may also be a result of human negligence or arson (підпалу). They can be a threat to people in rural areas and also wildlife (дикій природі).

Sudden (раптовий), excessive (надмірний) rainfall causes a flood and as a result rivers or streams (струмки) burst out of their banks (виходять з берегів). Winter or spring rains, coupled (у поєднанні) with melting snows, can fill (наповнити) river basinstoo quickly.

Our Earth is in serious danger. It suffers much not only from natural disasters but also from people’s activity. Car exhausts and factory chimneys pollute the air. The lead (свинець) in petrol produces a poisonous gas which injures much children’s health. Gases from supersonic jets (реактивних літаків) punch a hole (роблять отвір) in the atmosphere’s protective ozone layer, causing greenhouse effect. People poison rivers, seas and oceans with oil spills, treat food with chemicals, put wastes (відходи) into the environment. Unique species of animals and plants disappear forever. Nobody will forget the Chornobyl disaster, which did irreparable (непоправну) harm to the environment. The contaminated (заражена) zone included about 260,000 square kmand injured in a direct way (безпосередньо) to 2.600.000 inhabitants.

Scientists say that disappearance of forests causes changes in the climate. Trees absorb the carbon dioxide from the air and give out oxygen into the air. If we lose the tropical forests the air will contain less oxygen and it will become difficult to breathe (дихати). As a result the temperature will rise and the icecaps at the North and South Poles will melt, the sea level will rise and hundreds of coastal (прибережних) cities will be flooded.

We, humans, now dominate the Earth and it is our task to do everything possible to make our planet safer and better place for our life. It is necessary to change people’s attitude towards (до) the environment, otherwise (інакше) we shall kill the Earth and ourselves.

 

1 mile (mi) миля – 1.609 kilometres 1 yard (yd) ярд – 91.44 centimetres

1 foot (ft) фут – 30.48 centimetres 1 inch (in) дюйм – 2.54 centimetres

 

Вправа 8. Дайте відповіді на питання до тексту.

1. What natural disasters do you know? 2. What can you tell us about tornadoes? 3. What happens when hot gases and liquid rock explode out of the ground? 4. How many active volcanoes are there in the world? 5. Where do hurricanes come from? 6. What is the reason of the drought? 7. What is the wildfire? 8. What pollutes the air? 9. What does the disappearance of forests cause? 10. What must we do to save the Earth?

 

Вправа 9. Перекладіть подані слова та словосполучення:

а) to damage the environment; manmade structures; to result from the thunderstorm; a rotating column of air; vast areas of destruction; miles per hour; kilometres per hour; to knock down the houses; to blow the cars away; to explode out of the ground; active volcanoes; to come from the sea; danger of floods; water level; an uncontrolled conflagration of forests; to burst out of banks; to suffer much from people’s activity; to pollute the air; to punch a hole; greenhouse effect; to poison rivers, seas and oceans with oil spills; to do the irreparable harm to the environment; to absorb the carbon dioxide from the air; to give out oxygen into the air; the icecaps at the North and South Poles; to make our planet safer; to change people’s attitude towards the environment; lead in petrol; destructive force of nature; to put wastes into the environment; contaminated zone;

 

б) природні та техногенні катастрофи; траплятися; дути зі швидкістю; виверження вулкану; сильний землетрус; Тихий Океан; сильні вітри; вологе, тепле повітря; йде дощ / немає дощу; суха погода; змінити напрям вітру; блискавка; результат людської недбалості або підпалу; бути загрозою для людей; надмірні опади; наповнити басейни річок; промислові труби; виробляти отруйний газ; шкодити здоров’ю дітей; захисний озоновий шар; Чорнобильська катастрофа; зникнення / втрата лісів; спричинити зміни клімату; містити кисень; важко дихати; зробити все можливе; розплавлене каміння; під землею; підніматися у вигляді спіралі; обробляти їжу хімікатами; вихлопні гази.

Вправа 10. Виберіть слово, яке підходить за значенням.

1. Natural disasters occur when forces of nature (cause, damage) the environment and manmade structures. 2. Tornado is a natural disaster resulting from a (thunderstorm, conflagration). 3. Volcanic eruptions and earthquakes leave vast areas of (destruction, construction) and death. 4. Sometimes (hot, cold) gases and liquid rock explode out of the ground. 5. Hurricanes are very (strong, weak) winds that come from the sea. 6. Wildfires are (dangerous, useful) for people and wildlife. 7. People (poison, fill) rivers, seas and oceans with oil spills. 8. People treat (food, water) with chemicals. 9. Unique species of animals and plants (disappear, appear) forever. 10. Trees absorb (the carbon dioxide, oxygen) from the air.

Вправа 11. Заповніть пропуски словами, які подані нижче, поставивши їх у потрібну форму.

1. Tornado is one of the most destructive … of nature. 2. The noise is … and the air is full of various things. 3. The … rock is called lava. 4. Warm, wet air arises in a spiral and goes … and …. 5. Hurricanes often … in August and September. 6. The winds … their direction and the sea did not receive any rain for six years. 7. Our Earth … in serious danger. 8. Car exhausts and factory chimneys … the air. 9. Nobody will forget the Chornobyl …, which did irreparable harm to the environment. 10. If the temperature … the icecaps at the North and South Poles ….