a considerable area adjacent to the Aral Sea. Natural vegetation and the crops in the Amu-Dar'ya delta to the South of the sea and pastures in the Ust-Yurt plateau to the West of the Aral Sea are suffering the most damage. Blowing salt and dust is also being implicated in increasingly high levels of respiratory illnesses, and even with throat and esophageal cancer.
The population of the area adjacent to the Aral Sea suffers a variety of health problems. Some of these are directly linked to the sea's recession e. g. respiratory and digestive afflictions, possibly even cancer, from inhalation and ingestion of blowing salt and dust, whereas others are results of environmental pollution associated with irrigation and "Third World" medical, health and hygienic conditions. Poor quality drinking water – much of which is taken directly from the Amu-Dar'ya and Syr-Dar'ya whose flow in their lower reaches is largely comprised of irrigation drainage, and from irrigation canals with minimal or no treatment – is a critical problem. Commonly, such water has high salt levels and contains pesticides, defoliants and fertilizers. Contaminated drinking water is implicated in high rates of typhoid, paratyphoid, viral hepatitis and dysentery, the incidents of which grew in the 1970s and 1980s. Because of this and other factors (e. g. high fertility, poor medical care, poor diet and lack of sewage systems) general mortality and morbidity and infant mortality and morbidity are the highest in the region constituting the former USSR.
EXERCISES:
1. State to what part of speech the following words belong according to their suffixes and translate them into Russian:
environmental, economic, degradation, commercial, rapidly, condition, chiefly, salinity, navigation, increasingly, costly, settlement, population, ecological, serious, consequence, reduction, agriculture, husbandry, region, adjacent, productivity, pasture, desertification, replacement, inedible, natural, vegetation, considerable, respiratory, variety, directly, recession, affliction, possibly, inhalation, ingestion, pollution, irrigation, hygienic, quality, largely, drainage, minimal, commonly, factor, general, mortality, morbidity.
2. Find in the text the English equivalents for the following words and word-combinations:
быстро меняющиеся условия, исчезать, ущерб, поселок, зависеть, население, серьезные последствие, животноводство, заболевания дыхательных путей, примыкающий к морю район, загрязнение окружающей среды, орошение, плохое качество питьевой воды, минимальная обработка, вода содержит пестициды и дефолианты, зараженная питьевая вода, плохое питание, высокая рождаемость, общая смертность.
3. Make questions of the following statements. Begin each question with the words given in brackets:
1. The population in the area adjacent to the Aral Sea suffers a variety of health problems. (What problems..?)
2. Some of the health problems are linked to the sea's recession. (What…to?)
3. Poor quality drinking water is a critical problem. (What..?)
4. Such water has high salt levels. (What salt levels..?)
5. The Aral Sea water contains pesticides, defoliants, fertilizers. (What..?)
4. Make the following sentences negative:
1. Commercial fishing ceased in the 1980s.
2. The shoreline receded tens of kilometers from fishing towns and villages.
3. Commercial navigation across the Aral Sea stopped.
4. Animal husbandry has been damaged by the diminishing productivity of pastures.
5. Natural vegetation and crops are suffering the most damage.
6. Health problems are the results of environmental pollution.
7. General mortality and morbidity are the highest in the region.
5. Answer the questions:
1. Why did commercial fishing cease in the Aral Sea?
2. Why did commercial navigation stop?
3. Why is the region around the sea considered as "ecological disaster zone"?
4. Why was animal husbandry damaged?
5. What is the reason of high levels of respiratory illnesses?
6. What does the population of the area suffer?
7. What is the reason of the poor quality drinking water?
8. What does the drinking water contain?
9. What is the result of poor medical care, poor diet and lack of sewage system?
UNIT V
New words and expressions:
issue (n, v) – вопрос, выпускать
implementation – выполнение
ensure – обеспечивать
supply (n,v) – снабжение, снабжать,
at least – по крайней мере
release – выпускать
cope – справляться
improve – улучшать
diversify – разнообразить
emphasis – ударение
means – средство
local – местный
care – забота, попечение , уход
delivery – доставка
as well as – также, тоже
total – итог, сумма, общий, полный
estimate – оценивать
recession – спад
halt – останавливать
gradually – постепенно
restoration – восстановление
endemic – эндемический
species – виды
tolerant – терпимый
