Living organisms and their environment

Part II

Equally important are such physical factors as light, temperature and gravity.

Light furnishes, through photosynthesis, virtually all the energy of the organic world. Furthermore, it has direct influences, such as those on the growth patterns and flowering habits of plants and the migratory and sex cycles of some animals.

The daily and seasonal temperature fluctuations are important, too, in the growth and developmental processes of both plants and animals and in the feeding, mating and migratory habits of many animals. Such a fixed environmental factor as gravity may control both form and function. Most plants and animals are directly responsive to gravity.

Balance in an animal is a gravitational response and the size of an animal is in part controlled by the relation between its structure and gravity.

All these and many other factors are aspects of an organism's environment. Over a long period of time plants and animals may become modified and thus adapted to particular feature of an environment. But such factors as air pollution, water contamination, anomalous temperature changes are dangerous to life of all living beings. No plant or animal can live apart from their environment.

Упражнение 1. Определите значение интернациональных слов:

n	n	adj	V	adv
adaptation	form	anomalous	to adapt	equally
fluctuation	gravity	gravitational	to control
function	period	physical	to fix
gravitation	process	seasonal	to form
migration	photosynthesis	virtual	to modify
modification	plant	migratory	to respond
animal	organism	organic
aspect	response	particular
balance	sex	responsive
cycle	season
energy	structure
factor	temperature

Упражнение 2. Произнести за диктором новые слова. Ознакомиться с их переводом.

to furnish – снабжать

virtually – фактически, в сущности

to feed – кормить

fluctuation - колебание

habit – привычка

feature – черта, особенность

Упражнение 3. Прочитать текст и ответить на следующие вопросы:

1. What are equally important physical factors of the environment?

2. Why is light important for the living-organisms?

3. Why are the daily and seasonal temperature fluctuations important?

4. What controls the size of an animal?

5. What are the dangerous factors of the environment?

6. What are they dangerous to?

Упражнение 4. Рассказать о физических факторах окружающей среды, используя данные конструкции:

Light			- all the energy of the organic world;
		important	- flowering habits of plants;
Temperature	is		- in the growth and developmental
a) the daily and		dangerous	- processes of plants and animals;
seasonal	are		- the growth patterns of plants and
		responsive to	animals;
b) temperature			- to life of all organisms;
fluctuations			- the migratory and sex cycles of
anomalous			some animals;
temperature			- form and function of many plants
changes			and animals;
			- the environment;
Gravity balance		furnish(s)	- a gravitational response;
(in an animal)		control(s)	- particular feature of environment;
the size of an animal		influence on	- a physical factor;
			- in the feeding, mating and migratory habits of many animals;
Air pollution
Water contamination			- a fixed environmental factor;
			- gravity;
			aspects of an organism's environment
			- by the relation between its structure and gravity.-

Упражнение 5. Ответить на вопросы:

1) Какую новую информацию вы узнали о влиянии таких факторов как свет, температура и гравитация на живые организмы из текста?

2) Выберите ключевые слова и составьте по ним конспект текста.