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.
Large cities with thousands of smoky industrial
enterprises appear all over the world today. The by-products of their activity
pollute the air we breathe, the water we drink, the land we grow grain and vegetables
on.
Every year world industry pollutes the atmospheres
with about 1000 million tons of dust and other harmful substances. Many cities
suffer from smog. Vast forests are cut and burn in fire. Their disappearance
upsets the oxygen balance. As a result some rare species of animals, birds,
fish and plants disappear forever, a number of rivers and lakes dry up.
The pollution of air and the world's ocean,
destruction of the ozone layer is the result of man's careless interaction with
nature, a sign of the ecological crises.
The most horrible
ecological disaster befell Ukraine and its people after the Chernobyl tragedy
in April 1986. About 18 percent of the territory of Byelarus were also polluted
with radioactive substances. A great damage has been done to the agriculture,
forests and people's health. The consequences of this explosion at the atomic
power-station are tragic for the Ukrainian, Byelarussian and other nations.
Environmental protection is of a universal concern.
That is why serious measures to create a system of ecological security should
be taken. '
Some progress has been
already made in this direction. As many as 159 countries — members of the UNO —
have set up environmental protection agencies. Numerous conferences have been
held by these agencies to discuss problems facing ecologically poor regions
including the Aral Sea, the South Urals, Kuzbass, Donbass, Semipalatinsk and
Chernobyl. An international environmental research centre has been set up on
Lake Baikal. The international organization Greenpeace is also doing much to
preserve the environment.
But these are only the
initial steps and they must be carried onward to protect nature, to save life
on the planet not only for the sake of the present but also for the future
generations.
QUESTIONS:
1. How did people live for thousands of years? 2» What
cities appear all over the world today?
3.What pollutes the air we breathe?
4.What is the result of the pollution the atmosphere?
5.Why is.environmental protection of a universal
concern?