During-reading

Pre-reading

Ex 1. a) Remember the structures with clauses of purpose:

• (in order) to-infinitive (affirmative purpose)

• so that+can/will-infinitive (affirmative purpose)

• so that+can’t/won’t-infinitive (negative purpose)

b) study the following sentences expressing affirmative/negative purpose:

• We should stop using cars to reduce air pollution.

• We should stop using cars so that we can reduce air pollution.

• We should stop using cars so that we won’t have polluted cities.

c) Now join the sentences using to or so that:

1. We should stop cutting down trees. Animals won’t lose their natural habitats.

2.We should build wildlife parks. We can protect animals from extinction.

3. We should plant more trees. We will have more oxygen.

4. We should clean up the litter in the cities. We won’t catch diseases from it.

5. We should find clean forms of energy. We can save the planet.

Ex 2. Do this exercise in writing.Giving Russian equivalents

a) put nouns as synonyms: assault, mindset, crisis, actions, harm, awareness,

damage, deeds, consciousness;

b) form Past Simple, Past/Present Participles of the verbs: wreak, conduct, refrain from, insulate, ingrain, affect, override, curb, stem from;

c) express your points of view in writing using the words given above with clauses of purpose.

Ex 3. Match the words/phrases from List A with their equivalents in List B:

List A List B

1. tangible resources a. основные формы

2. fossil fuel b. бездумное поведение

3. fuel-efficient c. совместные действия

4. limited processing d. материальные ресурсы

5. cumulative actions e.расхождение

6. nonrenewable f. опасное явление

7. ill-fated trend g. невосполнимый

8. discrepancy h. топливо-сберегающий

9. overriding ways i. твердое топливо

Ex 4. Read the text, write its summary or answers to questions:

1. Do you agree that we continue to damage the environment even as we think we are protecting it? Why? Why not?

2. What does most environmental damage begin with?

3. What is the role of environmental psychologists in search of a solution to the

global crisis?

4. What kind of individuals are being examined by ecopsychologists? Why?

5. What does it mean to be environmentally aware these days?

6. How do ecologically friendly people hurt the environment every day? Name

four ways of this harm.

7. How can you construct your life to make conservation easy?

8. What is the best way of celebrating April 22, Earth Day by individuals?

Why We're Destroying the Earth

On this millennial Earth Day, awareness of our depleting natural resources is at an all-time high, and, yet, so is their destruction. A new field of research hopes to explain why we continue to damage the environment even as we think we are protecting it — and how we can stop.

Many people believe that environmental problems are most often caused - and best solved - by government and big business. Most environmental damage, however, begins not with government or large companies, but with the cumulative actions of individuals. If there is a solution to this global crisis, it is to understand - and remedy - the decision-making of individual consumers of energy before nature pays the price.

For about 30 years, environmental psychologists have struggled to understand the way we treat our surroundings, which ultimately harms our own well-being, since environmental assault can wreak havoc on our health, even leading to illnesses such as cancer. Over 100 studies conducted in the last two decades have examined the ways individuals influence the environment - from deciding to have another child to turning on the air conditioner — and why they make such decisions. We know that some people do refrain from overusing nonrenewable resources, from forests and fish to less tangible resources such as clean air and physical space. Environmental psychologists are now examining the mindset of such individuals, hoping eventually to encourage others to consider our resources in the same way.

More and more people are environmentally aware these days - curbside recycling, insulated homes and Woodsy Owls slogan "Give a hoot, don't pollute" are now ingrained in our cultural consciousness. You might think that awareness would lead to environmentally friendly behavior, but it does not: well-educated, middle-class North Americans, the people most likely to have high environmental awareness, use far more energy than Third World residents -and other North Americans too. Why the discrepancy between words and deeds? So far, scientists have identified at least 30 different personal, social or structural influences that affect whether a given person uses natural resources wisely or takes more than their share. There are four overriding ways that people, mostly unconsciously, hurt the environment every day:

• Energy use. Perhaps our biggest priority is to curb our heavy use of fossil fuel energy sources, like oil. Burning these fuels produces greenhouse gases and ground-level pollutants, leading to global warming, a planetary danger no longer questioned by experts. A 1998 study in the journal Bioscience showed that 40% of deaths worldwide are caused by pollution and other environmental factors. Furthermore, energy use is growing: Dutch researcher Linda Steg, Ph. D., reports that in the Netherlands, a region typical of developed nations, con­sumers now use 25% more energy than they did just 14 years ago.

• Convenience. Taking a plane is several times less fuel-efficient even than driving, but we often choose to fly to save time. In a typical recent year, U.S. commercial airliners carried 60 million passengers 158 billion miles, using 21 billion gallons of jet fuel in the process. Similarly, cars afford us speed and comfort compared to cycling or walking. But a Dutch study found that about 20% of car trips are for journeys of less than one mile. Is this truly necessary?

• Overpopulation. In a classic 1968 article, biologist Garrett Hardin, Ph. D., theorized that environmental destruction stemmed from the fact that there are just too many mouths to feed, even with great agricultural improvements. The Population Reference Bureau reports that the 20th century began with 1.6 billion people on the planet and likely ended with 6 billion. This is the end result of every parent's personal decision to have a child, whether they realize it or not.

• Ignorance. Robyn Dawes, Ph. D., a professor at Carnegie Mellon University, blames "limited processing": people simply don't place their daily behaviors in an environmental context; their decisions are literally thoughtless. How many people do consider the environment when they flip a light switch or use an electric toothbrush? Many people take whatever they can, believing that natural resources are inexhaustible. People are destroying a resource just as they believe they are helping it, not unlike those who fly to protest the WTO or who travel to far-off national parks to revel in nature.

To reverse this ill-fated trend, you can construct your life to make conservation easy. For example, the next time you move, place environmental considerations near the top of your list by relocating as close as possible to work or school. Then you wo n't drive as much, and wo n't have to ride a bike or walk too far, either. Residing in a slightly smaller home would consume less energy for heating or cooling without forcing you to sacrifice much comfort. Do you need to fly as much as you do? Perhaps there are undiscovered vacation spots close to home. And instead of flying to your next business meeting simply because your company will pay for it, try carpooling or taking a train, or telecommuting via phone, fax or the Internet.

Adopting these measures would significantly reduce pollution and global warming and its ill-effects on our well-being. Celebrate this April 22, Earth Day, by making a few of these changes. The world depends on it.

(R. Gifford, Ястребова Е.Б. Курс англ. языка

для студентов языковых вузов, стр. 630)

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