Болсуновская Л.М., Абрамова Р.Н., Матвеенко И.А. (ред.) Petroleum engineering. Teachers book. Нефтегазовое дело. Книга для учителя
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human use because of salinity (seawater) and location (ice caps and
glaciers).
8. T
9. T
10. False – Depending on the specific location, the residence time may
vary from a few days to many thousands of years.
Tapescript
Especially important from an environmental perspective is that rates of
transfer on land are small relative to what's happening in the ocean. For
example, most of the water that evaporates from the ocean falls again as
precipitation into the ocean. On land, most of the water that falls as
precipitation comes from evaporation of water from land. This means that
regional land-use changes, such as the building of large dams and reservoirs,
can change the amount of water evaporated into the atmosphere and change
the location and amount of precipitation on land – water we depend on to
raise our crops and supply water for our urban environments. Furthermore, as
we pave over large areas of land in cities, storm water runs off quicker and in
greater volume, thereby increasing flood hazards. Bringing water into semi-
arid cities by pumping groundwater or transporting water from distant
mountains through aqueducts may increase evaporation, thereby increasing
humidity and precipitation in a region.
Approximately 60 % of water that falls by precipitation on land each year
evaporates to the atmosphere. A smaller component (about 40 %) returns to
the ocean surface and subsurface runoff. This small annual transfer of water
supplies resources for rivers and urban and agricultural lands. Unfortunately,
distribution of water on land is far from uniform. As human population
increases, water shortages will become more frequent in arid and semi-arid
regions, where water is naturally nonabundant.
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At the regional and local level, the fundamental hydrological unit of the
landscape is the drainage basin (also called a watershed or catchment). A
drainage basin is the area that contributes surface runoff to a particular stream
or river. The term drainage basin is usually used in evaluating the hydrology
of an area, such as the stream flow or runoff from hill slopes. Drainage basins
vary greatly in size, from less than a hectare (2.5 acres) to millions of square
kilometers. A drainage basin is usually named for its main stream or river,
such as the Mississippi River drainage basin.
The main process in the cycle is the global transfer of water from the
atmosphere to the land and oceans and back to the atmosphere. Together, the
oceans, ice caps and glaciers account for more than 99 % of the total water,
and both are generally unsuitable for human use because of salinity
(seawater) and location (ice caps and glaciers). Only about 0.001 % of the
total water on Earth is in the atmosphere at any one time. However, this
relatively small amount of water in the global water cycle, with an average
atmospheric residence time of only about 9 days, produces all our freshwater
resources through the process of precipitation.
On a global scale, then, total water abundance is not the problem; the prob-
lem is water's availability in the right place at the right time in the right form.
Water can be found in either liquid, solid, or gaseous form at a number of
locations at or near Earth's surface. Depending on the specific location, the
residence time may vary from a few days to many thousands of years.
However, as mentioned, more than 99 % of Earth's water in its natural state is
unavailable or unsuitable for beneficial human use. Thus, the amount of
water for which all the people, plants, and animals on Earth compete is much
less than 1% of the total.
As the world's population and industrial production of goods increase, the
use of water will also accelerate. The world per capita use of water in 1975
was about 185,000 gal/yr. And the total human use of water was about
10
15
gal/yr. Today, world use of water is about 6,000, which is a significant
fraction of the naturally available freshwater.
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Exercise 9.
You are going to hear a conversation between two students.
Listen and choose the best title. The notes and terms will help you to
understand the conversation better.
Exercise 10.
Look at these incomplete sentences from the conversation
between Susan and Nick and try to remember who said each one. Write S
for Susan and N for Nick. Then listen to the complete sentences and fill in
the missing words.
1. N. getting down on paper.
2. S. book published recently
3. S. water circulation
4. S. evaporates from oceans
5. N. soil and plants
6. S. sublimes from snow
7. S. evaporation and sublimation
8. S. snow or rain
9. S. hail and dew
10. N. thunderstorms, tornadoes, hurricanes
Exercise11.
Listen to the dialogue for the third time if necessary and
answer the following questions.
1. What article is Nick writing? (Nick is writing an article on water)
2. What information does Susan give to Nick? (Susan gives information
about water circulation. She shares information from the book
published recently)
3. What are the forms of water that Susan names? (solid, liquid, vapour)
4. What figures does Susan cite? (Susan points out that the quantity of
water vapour in the atmosphere at any time is relatively small. It’s only
about 0.001 percent of the total water on earth. However, the quantity
of water that passes through the atmosphere in a year is large.)
5. When will Nick’s article go to press? (End of the week... is the
deadline.)
THE WATER
CYCLE
254
Tapescript
SUSAN: Look, Nick... about the article you've got to write...
NICK: On water? Well, I'm working on it right now. Getting down on
paper the most essential facts... kind of... common knowledge. Why?
SUSAN: Good. You know what? There's something that might be of
interest. It's from a book published recently. I've made a copy but I can't
find it.
NICK: Pity. Wait a minute... while I get a paper and a pen. Perhaps you
should tell me about it. Later I could check out the details.
SUSAN: OK
(Pause)
NICK: Right you are. Fire away.
SUSAN: Well, try to get the figures. They're important.
NICK: Yes, I will.
SUSAN: Mind you, it's about water circulation. And as you know, the
Earth's water passes through a great cycle. But how does it happen? First,
it evaporates from oceans, lakes, rivers, soil and plants...
NICK: Wait a tick. Did you say soil and plants?
SUSAN: That's right... and sublimes from snow and ice into the
atmosphere.
NICK: Where did you say it sublimes into?
SUSAN: I said it sublimes into the atmosphere.
NICK: Right.
SUSAN: Second. The sun supplies the energy needed for evaporation
and sublimation. Winds move the water vapour around.
NICK: I've got that... go on, will you.
SUSAN: Well... water then returns to the Earth as snow or rain...
NICK: Only in two forms?
SUSAN: You see, you may also write as hail and dew if you like. Third.
When water vapour condences to liquid water or deposits as solid ice,
energy is released.
NICK: Yes, what happens then?
SUSAN: In fact, the transfer of energy by evaporation and condensation of
water are major facts on the weather.
NICK: What about energy release by thunderstorms, tornadoes, and
hurricanes? Does it happen?
SUSAN: I think it's obvious. However the quantity of water vapour in the
atmosphere at any time is relatively small.
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NICK: How small did you say it is?
SUSAN: I didn't. I'm just going to tell you about this, – only about 0.001
percent of the total water on earth. However, the quantity of water that
passes through the atmosphere in a year is large. I mean much greater than
the total volume of fresh water on the Earth. That's it.
NICK: That's incredible, Susan.
SUSAN: Did you get it all down?
NICK: Yeah... I think so... thank you, Susan.
SUSAN: My pleasure. I hope you'll get that article finished soon. When's
it to go to press?
NICK: End of the week... is the deadline. One of the copies is yours.
SUSAN: O.K. I can't wait to see it published.
NICK: Thanks again.
SUSAN: Have a good day.
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Chapter 2
GEOECOLOGY
И.А. Матвеенко
UNIT 1
GEOECOLOGY
The unit presents an introduction to the problems discussed in the following
units. It gives the basic terms and concepts of Geoecology. That’s why it
contains an easy text for reading and discussion, and may take not much time
to learn it.
Lead-in. T. elicits the ideas from the students as they suggest things
connected with geoecology and make collective mind map (spidergram) on
the board as the ideas are suggested, so that they can see how T. draws out
the aspects of the topic. The reasoning behind mind map is that Ss do not
think in an ordered or linear way, but rather explore a topic by moving
between its various aspects.
The next stage in this procedure may be division of all items suggested into
groups and explanation of Ss’ associations.
This activity will prepare Ss to work with the topic of the Unit 1.
Exercise 3. Find the synonyms for the following words in the text.
To influence = to affect, to include = to comprise, large = vast, to emerge
= to appear, to change = to transform, to modify, mankind = humankind,
to release = to give off, field of science = branch of science, to be
concerned with = to deal with.
Exercise 4. Translate the following word groups.
Global satellite observations – наблюдения со спутника,
industrial world economy – мировая промышленная экономика,
tropical forest region – район тропических лесов,
living organisms interaction – взаимодействие живых организмов,
life organization levels – уровни организации жизни,
atmosphere layers – слои атмосферы,
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nature balance – природный баланс,
population growth – рост населения.
Exercise 5. Suggest as many word combinations as possible.
This exercise may be performed with translation of the suggested word
combinations.
It also can be done in the form of competition between two groups of
students. The team which will do the task quicker and will suggest some
more collocations, will be the winner.
(A) Thick layer, layer of water, the layer around the Earth, layer of gas,
outer layer, thin layer, the layer containing living matter;
(B) Clear environment, physical environment, parts of environment,
modified environment, healthy environment, biotic environment,
damaged environment, intact environment;
(C) Interactions between humankind and nature, stable interactions,
interaction of communities, global interaction, constant interaction,
living organisms interaction, interaction with environment.
Exercise 7. Translate it into English.
The sentences are not just from the text, but they are slightly changed to
make Ss translate them by themselves.
a) The present-day concept (idea) of biosphere was developed by the
Russian scientist V.I. Vernadsky more than 50 years ago.
Biosphere is a layer around the Earth containing living organisms,
transformed by living organisms.
Biosphere is a layer around the Earth containing all living organisms
on our globe (planet).
The life emerged about and 3.8 billion years ago.
b) The biosphere is a complex system of energy transformation and
material cycling.
Biosphere runs on energy flowing to it from the Sun.
The thickness of layer containing the highest concentration of living
matter varies from a few meters to hundreds of meters.
c) Geoecology is an interdisciplinary science based on ecology, geology,
biology and many other sciences.
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Interaction of a man with the nature is of global and constant character.
Man affects and changes the environment.
Biosphere reacts to these actions.
d) Today environment is radically transformed as a result of human
activity.
About 60 % of land surface ecosystems is to some extent damaged by
agricultural, industrial, and other human activities.
No more than 40 % of land remains intact.
Exercise 8. Read the text below, use the word given in capitals at the end of
each line to form a word that fits in the space in the same line.
Example: 0 – impossible.
These days it is (0) … to open a newspaper without
reading about the
damage we are doing to the environment.
possible
The Earth is being (1) threatened and the future
looks bad. What can each of us do?
threat
We cannot clean up our (2) polluted rivers and seas
overnight.
pollution
Nor can we stop the (3) disappearance of plants and
animals.
appear
But we can stop adding to the problem while (4)
scientists search for answers, an
d laws are passed in
nature’s (5) defence.
science
defend
It may not be easy to change your lifestyle (6)
completely
, but some steps are easy to take: cut down
the amount of (7) driving
you do, or use as little
plastic as possible.
complete
drive
It is also easy to save energy, which also reduces (8)
housing bills.
house
We must all make a personal (9) decision to work for
the future of our planet if we want to (10) ensure a
better world for our grandchildren.
decide
ensure
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Exercise 9. What are the subjects of the following sciences?
1. b, 2. d, 3. e, 4. c, 5. a, 6. f.
Exercise 10. Here are some definitions. What are they? Complete the
sentences.
Biosphere is the layer around the Earth in which all living organisms
exist.
Hydrosphere is the sum total of all liquid and frozen water on or near the
Earth’s surface.
Atmosphere is a region of gases, airborne particles, and water vapour
enveloping the Earth.
Lithosphere is the solid Earth with rocks, soils, and sediments on its
crust.
Exercise 11. Answer the questions.
1. How do you define biosphere? – Biosphere is a relatively thin life-
supporting layer around the Earth containing living organisms, which
is strongly influenced in its composition, structure and energetic by the
living organisms.
2. What is biota? – Biota is the biotic part of the biosphere consisting of
fauna and flora.
3. When did the first living cells appear on the planet? – The first living
cell emerged between 4 billion and 3.8 billion years ago.
4. What are the limits of the “film of life”? – “Film of life” varies from a
few meters in deserts and tundra to a hundred meters in a tropical
forest region and oceans.
5. What does modern ecology deal with? – Modern ecology deals with
environmental problems caused by human activities.
6. What is geoecology? – Geoecology is an interdisciplinary science
studying the interactions and interrelations abundant in our
environment.
7. What fields can geologist work in? – Geoecologists can work in such
fields as environmental analytics, waste disposal, contaminated sites
remediation as well as agriculture and forestry.
8. What major factor has increased the intensity and scale of the
biosphere transformations over the past two centuries? – The
population growth along with the industrial world economy over the
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past two centuries has increased the magnitude and scale of biosphere
transformations.
9. Do you think the biosphere transformations caused by human activity
are reversible? This question is for Ss’ discussion and expressing their
opinions on the basis of the text information and their knowledge of
speciality. A lot of variants of answers to this question are possible.
This discussion will help T. to pass to the next task Exercise 11.
Exercise 13. Work in pairs. Discuss the following quotations about
ecological problems.
Here T. can elicit the information from Ss. on modern ecological
problems and what way of solution Ss can suggest.
T. can set the discussion either with the whole group, or divide the group
into two teams, or divide the group into pairs and choose a quotation for
each to make up a dialogue.