Listen to the talk for the fourth time if necessary and write down all the expressions of gratitude John Firror uses.
Date: 2015-10-07; view: 622.
Study carefully grammar material to Unit 9 and find in the text all the sentences containing: incomplete clauses with the participle; emphatic concessive clauses; elliptical and emphatic constructions. Translate them into Russian.
À Â
1. ïîïûòàòüñÿ a) adverse
2. íàñóùíûé b) discrepancy
3. ñêîðîñòü c) challenging
4. ïðè÷èíà d) urgent
5. ñëîæíî e) realm
6. îñîáåííûé f) consequently
7. óãðîæàþùèé g) cause
8. îáåðåãàòü h) by no means
9. î÷åâèäíûé i) noble
10. ïðèíÿòü âî j) to search
âíèìàíèå
11. íè â êîåì ñëó÷àå k) lack
12. íåèçáåæíî l) to try
13. âçðûâîîïàñíûé m) to take into account
14. âûçûâàþùèé n) menacing
èíòåðåñ
15. îáëàñòü o) to preserve
16. òàêèì îáðàçîì p) profound
17. áëàãîðîäíûé q) rate
18. èñêàòü r) intricately
19. îòñóòñòâèå s) intervention
20.âìåøàòåëüñòâî t) peculiar
21. âëèÿòü u) explosive
22. âðàæäåáíûé v) inevitably
23. óíè÷òîæåíèå w) to influence
24. íåñîîòâåòñòâèå x) obvious
25. ãëóáîêèé y) annihilation
9. Translate the following sentences into Russian:
1. Important as this problem is in itself, it can't be solved due to the lack of understanding among scientists.
2. Little though the probability of the Earth's becoming as hot as the Sun may be, the possibility still exists.
3. Uncertain though information about the Earth's warming, the recent data indicated the temperature rise quite obviously.
4. Simple as it seemed at its discovery, this element is now known to be very complex.
5. With no free oxygen and little, if any, water, the Mars still appears to have some evidence of life.
6. The next problem of importance which occupied most of the investigators in this field was to determine the long-wave limit, if any, of the infrared radiation.
7. Not only does chlorine unite with gaseous hydrogen, but it will sometimes take hydrogen from other elements.
8. Only upon the absorption of larger amounts of water was the sensitivity again lowered.
9. Carborn dioxide does not burn, nor does it support combustion.
10.Whoever the author may have been, he should have dwelt on this problem.
11.Not until the 20th century did man begin to understand the menace of ozone depletion.
12.Should we listen to the pessimists, none of us would sleep at night.
13.Unless we thought new research were necessary, we wouldn't be spending money on it.
14.Not until 1956 did the British Government introduce legislation against air pollution.
10. Listen to a talk at a Symposium made by John Firror, a well-known atmospheric scientist from the National Centre for Atmospheric Research and say what kind of talk it is:
1. A lecture.
2. A book presentation.
3. Answers to the questions.
4. A scientific communication.
The following notes and words will help you to understand the talk better:
NOTES
1. first of all — ïðåæäå âñåãî
2. representative forum — ïðåäñòàâèòåëüíîå ñîáðàíèå (ñïåöèàëèñòîâ)
3. acid rains — êèñëîòíûå äîæäè
4. ozone depletion — èñ÷åçíîâåíèå îçîíà
5. I took advantage — ÿ âîñïîëüçîâàëñÿ âîçìîæíîñòüþ
6. chapter outline — êðàòêîå ñîäåðæàíèå ãëàâû
7. they're a joy to address — ñ íèìè ïðèÿòíî îáùàòüñÿ
8. tell us straight — ñêàæèòå íàì ïðÿìî
9. Are we in trouble? — Ìû â îïàñíîñòè?
10. overlooked facets — íåçàìå÷åííûå àñïåêòû
11. I have the privilege of serving on the staff — ÿ èìåþ ÷åñòü ðàáîòàòü â øòàòå
12. to acknowledge my debt — ïðèçíàòü, ÷òî ÿ â äîëãó
13.I also wish to express — òàêæå õî÷ó âûðàçèòü
WORDS
appreciation— îöåíêà ïî äîñòîèíñòâó judgment— ñóæäåíèå
pioneer— ïåðâîîòêðûâàòåëü
approach— ïîäõîä request— ïðîñüáà
contribution— âêëàä to suspect— ïîäîçðåâàòü
decision-maker— çàêîíîäàòåëü ultimate— êîíå÷íûé
emission— âûäåëåíèå volume— êíèãà, òîì
Dear colleagues! First of all, I'd like to thank the Chairman and the Organizing Committee for their kind invitation for me to participate in such a representative forum, and for the opportunity of presenting my new book in front of these high-ranking experts.
Let me begin by saying that but for a publisher's request to develop an essay I had written about atmospheric problems into a book, this volume would never have arisen. In the essay I had discussed the "big three" atmospheric issues — acid rains, ozone depletion, and climate heating — and had emphasized how the three problems were related.
Well, attempting to expand this theme into a book, I took advantage of invitations to speak about the atmosphere by using each chapter outline as the basis for a lecture. This approach allowed me to test my material both by observing the audience's reaction and by trying to answer the questions that arose.
You know, always a few people in any group, are truly interested in the details of a technical subject, and they're a joy to address. But the question I received most often was not about detail; it was a request for a judgment. "All that science is OK," people seemed to say, "but tell us straight — are we in trouble or not?" And I began to suspect that I shouldn't simply add more technical details to the discussions of the essay: the book should address this commonly asked, ultimate question. It's my great hope that I have reached my goal.
Dear colleagues! My aim hasn't been to produce just one more careful discussion of the state of the science surrounding acid rains, ozone depletion, and climate heating, but to show why so many workers in this field have become convinced that emissions into the atmosphere have indeed reached a very serious level.
The book consists of seven chapters. The first one introduces two overlooked facets of the atmosphere that are essential to understanding today's worries. The next two cover two of the three well-known atmospheric problems: acid rains and depletion of ozone. Climate heating, produced as infrared-trapping gases accumulate in the air, is so firmly at the centre of all these issues that chapters four and five are devoted to it. The final two chapters discuss what these problems mean to people, to decision-makers, and to civilization, and what can be done about them.
Well, to sum up, I'd like to say that I have the privilege of serving on the staff of the National Centre for Atmospheric Research, and the constant interaction with other NCAR scientists and with visitors has been the most important influence on my scientific understanding and appreciation of the complex system that is the atmosphere.
I would like especially to acknowledge my debt to Waler Roberts, William Kellogg, and Stephan Schneider, three modern pioneers in the study of understanding of how the atmosphere responds to human activities. And to Michal Glantz, who studies how human activities respond to the atmosphere and its changes.
In conclusion I also wish to express my deepest gratitude to all those who made scientific and important contributions, made critical comments and helpful suggestions. Thank you.
11. Listen to the talk again and say what problems out of the given ones were mentioned by John Firror:
1. Animal extinction. 2. Acid rains. 3. Ozone depletion. 4. Air pollution. 5. Greenhouse effect. 6. Climate heating. 7. Atmospheric composition. 8. Harmful activities. 9. Recycling. 10. Industrial wastes.
12. Listen to the talk once again and answer the following questions:
1. Where is Dr. Firror making his report?
2. What had he written about atmospheric problems?
3. Why did he speak in front of different audiences?
4. What did most of the people worry about?
5. What kinds of problems does Dr. Firror study?
6. What is the aim of his book?
7. What is the composition of the book?
8. What influences Dr. Firror's investigations?
9. Why is he so thankful to different people?
14. Now listen to the fragments from the discussion that followed the presentation and say if they are positive (P) or negative (N):
1. Firror's book is persuasive because it is based more on evenhanded analysis than on advocacy... Most of The Changing Atmosphere is devoted to clear explanations of the relationships between acid rains, climate warming, and stratospheric ozone depletion, as well as to their causes and effects. This book could serve as a primer for anyone confused by the wealth of technical information that has been published about these complex atmospheric phenomena.
2. This is a very interesting book, partly because it provides novel ways of describing concepts such as steady states, numerical modelling, and radiochemical dating to the nonscientist, but more importantly, because it discusses possible solutions to our dilemma.
3. Of John Firror's latest book I can only say that his and my views remain worlds apart, and though I yield to no one in my admiration for his smooth-flowing literary style, my opinions of what he has to say are quite another matter.
4. The Changing Atmosphere is a valuable addition to the growing literature on our unique and scary moment in history. It is calm; it is reasonable; therefore it is frightening as hell. It's a good short introduction to the situation.
5. When I first opened the package containing John Firror's latest book and read its title, I must admit that I felt a sudden sinking of the heart; yet, once I had gathered the courage to begin reading, I found the work so far beyond my wildest hopes that I actually missed supper rather than put the volume down unfinished.
6. John Firror states in the introduction to his latest book that it was four years in preparation; one wonders, then, why he didn't check his facts with greater care.
7. John Firror does an excellent job of explaining difficult problems in a way that everyone can understand, while presenting much information that should provoke thought in all of us. I recommend it to anyone who is interested in how we are changing the atmosphere that supports our Earth.
8. One cannot quarrel with the nature of evidence which Firror offers in his latest book; but all the same one cannot honestly accept the conclusions which he reaches on the basis of this evidence.
9. In today's world it becomes increasingly essential for everyone to acquire some knowledge and understanding of our atmosphere; but to such understanding John Firror's book will, alas, contribute very little.
10. I'll say just a few words about The Changing Atmosphere. John Firror provides practical and long-range suggestions for controllingthese and other forms of atmospheric deterioration. And it's difficult to see how anyone could find his book anything but completelysatisfying.
15. Look through the following text taken from J. Firror's book The Changing Atmosphere and order the paragraphs so that to have a logically connected reading:
STRATOSPHERIC OZONE
1. Ordinarily there is very little chlorine in the stratosphere. Chlorine gas is sometimes spilled in industrial or shipping accidents, but this gas reacts strongly with almost any water drop or particle it touches
and, as a result, is used up long before it can diffuse upward. Ocean waves throw up small droplets of salty water, some of which evaporate, leaving salt particles in the air. Although these particles contain chlorine, the chance that one of them will get as high in the atmosphere as the ozone layer is small, since salt is very soluble and these particles are readily washed out of the air by the rain. Some biological systems emit methyl chloride, a gas that contains chlorine. But this gas reacts fairly rapidly with other substances, and most of it disappears before it can diffuse to the stratosphere. Thus, strong barriers prevent chlorine from reaching high in the atmosphere, unless people contrive to put it there.
2. Damage to the layer of ozone in the high atmosphere by human activity is complex, esoteric, and completely invisible to anyone but the scientists who are studying the issue. Yet, around the world, people who twenty years ago had never heard the word ozone are now worried about its disappearance.
3. Two of these substances, CFC-11 and CFC-12, have proved so valuable in a number of applications that more than 20 million tons have been manufactured worldwide. Most of these 20 million tons still exist and either escaped to the atmosphere or eventually will. Once in the air, these substances mix and diffuse, finally reaching all parts of the atmosphere. Those CFC molecules that find themselves in the stratosphere are subjected to intense ultraviolet radiation from the Sun; they split apart into smaller fragments, releasing chlorine. The chlorine then starts a new career as a catalyst in the reactions that destroy ozone.
4. Ozone plays an important role in the high atmosphere in addition to screening out UV-B. By absorbing ultraviolet sunlight, ozone deposits the heat associated with this light into that level of the atmosphere, thus creating a layer much warmer than those immediately below. The stable region so created is the stratosphere. It is in this stable layer that disturbing changes are occurring. As scientists' understanding of the chemical reactions that create and destroy ozone increased, it became clear that relatively small quantities of some substances could change these reactions and hence the amount of ozone in the stratosphere, provided those substances were placed in the high atmosphere. And chlorine, an effective chemical catalyst that can change ozone into normal oxygen, is appearing in rapidly increasing concentrations in the atmosphere.
5. If we did wish, for some reason, for chlorine at the Earth's surface to move into the atmosphere, we would have to arrange for the emission at the surface of the Earth of a chlorine-containing gas. We would, in addition, have to find a chlorine-containing gas that did not react readily with anything, one that was not very soluble, and one that, upon reaching the stratosphere, could be broken down to release free chlorine only by the action of strong ultraviolet light. (If it were broken down too soon, by sunlight that penetrates low into the atmosphere, the free chlorine would react with something and be removed.)The properties I have just described would also make the gas extremely useful here at the surface of the Earth, and people have worked hard to create such a substance.
6. Laboratory scientists created such substances decades ago. They are called chlorofluorocarbons, indicating that they contain carbon, fluorine, chlorine, and sometimes hydrogen. The name is frequently abbreviated to CFC, and a numbering scheme is used to tell how much of each element is in the molecule of the particular CFC under discussion. CFC-12, for example, has one atom of carbon, no atoms of hydrogen, two atoms of fluorine (and, by implication, two atoms of chlorine) in each molecule.