2. Study the vocabulary:

1. Availability доступность

2. freshwater пресноводный

3. evenly – unevenly равномерно – неравномерно

4. treatment обращение, обхождение

5. surface water поверхностная вода, верхняя вода

6. ground water почвенная вода, грунтовая вода, подпочвенные воды

7. fit – unfit годный - непригодный

8. shortage нехватка

9. pressure стесненность, затруднения

10. over-exploited чрезмерно эксплуатируются

11. suffer from страдать от

12. recharge пополнение

13. deforestation вырубка леса

14. disparity неравенство, несоответствие

15. expect ожидать

16. face встречать

17. water table уровень воды

18. deplete истощать, исчерпывать

19. exceed превышать, превосходить

20. is matched by соответствует, противостоит

3. Read the text and answer the question:

• What makes surface and ground water unfit for many uses?

Text 5. AVAILABILITY AND QUANTITY OF WATER

Rainfall and other sources of freshwater (rivers, lakes, groundwater) are unevenly distributed around the world and are not always located where human water demand arises. Pollution threatens surface and ground water sources and may make them unfit for many uses, or require expensive treatment. Pollution is especially serious where ground water resources are over-exploited and suffer from reduced natural rates of recharge due to deforestation, land use changes and urbanization.

One third of the countries in water stressed region of the world are expected to face severe water shortages this century, and within these regions there are great disparities in access to fresh water. Not surprisingly, a significant number of less developed countries, including regions of India and China, are facing severe shortages. With population growth, the number of countries in this category is increasing, and by 2025 there will be approximately 6.5 times as many people – a total of 3.5 billion – living in water stressed countries.

Not only surface water is under pressure. The growing rate of extraction of fresh water from rivers and lakes is matched by increasing extraction of ground water, with many aquifers now seriously depleted. The volume of ground water withdrawal, primarily for irrigation but also for municipal and industrial use, exceeds long-term recharge rates. In many parts of India, Pakistan and China, the water table is sinking at the rate of one to two meters a year.

Climate change can also affect the seasonal distribution of rains and water availability. Results could include a decline in rainfall in arid and semi-arid regions, and an increase in seasonal variations in rainfall around the globe over the next 50 to 100 years.

4. Find in the text the equivalents to the following word combinations:

Распределены неравномерно, угрожать поверхностным и грунтовым водам, требовать дорогого обслуживания, столкнуться с серьезной нехваткой воды, из-за вырубки лесов, доступность воды, большое количество менее развитых стран, излишки воды, сезонное распределение дождей, превышать темпы восполнения, растущие темпы извлечения грунтовых вод.

5. Translate:

1. Загрязнение угрожает поверхностным и грунтовым водам и делает их непригодными для разных видов пользования.

2. Ожидается, что одна треть стран, испытывающих недостаток воды, столкнется с серьезной нехваткой воды в нынешнем столетии.

3. Из-за неравномерного распределения воды в отдельных частях страны может быть избыток воды или ее недостаток.

4. Многие водоносные слои истощаются.

5. Во многих районах Индии и Пакистана уровень грунтовых вод понижается на 1 - 2 метра в год.

6. Климатические изменения влияют на сезонное распределение дождей.

7. Большое количество менее развитых стран испытывают серьезную нехватку воды.

Unit 2

DEVELOPMENT AND LARGE DAMS

If water is life, rivers are its arteries. Dams regulate or divert the flow through these arteries, affecting the life-blood of humanity. The fact that they aim to do so in the interests of humankind only makes the decision to build a large dam more sensitive.

LESSON 1.

1. Discuss: What do you know about historical alterations to rivers?

Where can you see the remains of the ancient dams?

Would you like to visit these countries and see the dams?