Английский язык.Civil Engineering

3.2 Recognize the following international words:

to vary, to transmit, to infect, metal, catastrophic, hygiene, to filter, to interview, analysis, sulphate, to recommend, substance, ingredient, sanitary, parameters.

3.3Read and translate the following word combinations: drinkable (potable) tap water, noxious chemical compounds, excessive amount, point of view, microbiological standards, quality of the tap water, unpleasant taste and smell, cause dental decay, to tell the truth, contained an excessive amount of, to meet the recommended standards, any perspective view in the near future.

3.4At home watch the video № 11 from Video archive (page 102) and try to understand the seriousness of water quality problem in Russia.

3.5Read, translate the text and answer the questions given below.

Quality, Treatment Varies in Russia

There are few problems more worrying (вызывать беспокойство) in Russia than the quality of the tap water. This water, with its unpleasant taste and smell, comes mainly from polluted rivers: it is said to be full of metals, sulfates and other chemical products or

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to transmit diseases and cause dental decay.

Tourists and Western expatriates (эмигранты) see this as another example of catastrophic hygiene conditions in Russia. The Russians themselves are alarmed by what they read in the papers. They refuse to drink tap water without having filtered it or boiled it beforehand.

“Your Health” interviewed half a dozen Russian and foreign scientists in order to find out the truth. The scientists recognized that the quality of tap water in Russia is not satisfactory. Over 20 percent of the water analyses performed throughout Russia proved sanitary or chemical parameters of the water were beyond (выше) the recommended norm. Microbiological standards were not met in 11 percent of the cases. To tell the truth, one glass in five was simply unpleasant in taste or odor, or even contained an excessive amount of noxious chemical compounds. More than one in ten did not meet all standards from the microbiological point of view.

The areas where the water is most defective in microbiological terms include Kaliningrad, Smolensk, Omsk, Kaluga, Ingushetia and Kalmykia. From a sanitary and chemical point of view, the worst results come from Daghestan, the northern region, Kurgan, Chukot and Kalmykia. According to the research taking into 90 percent of the country’s network of drinkable water does not meet the recommended sanitary, chemical or microbiological standards, either permanently or periodically.

This state of affairs can be explained, first of all, by the pollution of its initial supply source, rivers and streams, into which industries and agriculture dump large amounts of waste each day, chemical compounds like nitrates, lead, mercury, zinc, copper, nickel etc. Unfortunately, water treatment stations do not always have the necessary material and technical resources to eliminate all these substances.

The provinces receive insufficient (недостаточный) quantity of the active ingredients needed to ensure quality drinking water; some villages do not even have the equipment necessary for cleaning the water.

The network for drinking water is very old in parts and it is an additional factor in the degradation of the quality of the water.

So, the seriousness of the water problem in Russia can not be

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denied (отрицать). Biologically-polluted water can play a role in the transmission of certain diseases. Chemically polluted water can have serious, long-term consequences for those who drink it on a regular basis. It can attack the liver, the kidneys and the nervous system. Certain chemical compounds can even have serious effects on genetic makeup and encourage the development of cancer.

The problems connected with tap water are in effect (в сущности) a true reflection of the serious ecological crisis sweeping the country and the deplorable state of health of the population. Modernization of water treatment plants and of the water network demands a considerable investment and it would take years. Since the state does not have the necessary financial means (средства) for this, Russians will have to live with the current situation without any perspective view in the near future.

1.The quality of tap water in Russia is a real problem, isn’t it?

2.Why is the quality of tap water unsatisfactory?

3.Where is the water most defective from the micro-biological point of view?

4.Where is the quality of tap water unsatisfactory from the sanitary and chemical point of view?

5.Can this state of affairs with water in our country be explained by the pollution of the initial supply sources only?

6.What should be done to improve the situation with the quality of tap water in Russia?

3.6 Study the expressions to be remembered. Mach A with B.

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3.7 Find the right ending to the sentences.

3.8Translate the text from “The seriousness of the water problem in Russia can not be denied …” up to “… encourage the development of cancer.” in written form using a dictionary. Ten minutes will be enough.

3.9Try to speak about the seriousness of the tap drinking water problem in Russia using the following:

1.There are few problems more worrying in Russia than … .

2.Most of the Russians refuse to drink tap water without … .

3.Over 20 percent of the water analyses performed throughout Russia does not meet … .

4.Microbiological standards were not met in … .

5.This state of affairs can be explained by … , … and … .

6.Russians will have to live with the current situation without any perspective view if … .

Unit IV: Different Methods of Water Purification 4.1 Read and try to memorize the words.

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4.2 Recognize the following international words:

disinfect, pathogen, viruses, effectiveness, concentration, contact, pathogenic, organism, steel, fluorescent, office, component, gravity, person, company.

4.3 Read the text and say what method of purifying drinking water is the most effective and less dangerous.

Different Methods of Purifying Drinking Water

There are various methods of purifying drinking water: boiling, filtration, chemical treatments, ultraviolet purification.

Boiling is the simplest way of purifying drinking water. It disinfects drinking water from the disease-causing microorganisms. Water temperatures above 70Á C kill all pathogens within 30 minutes and above 85Á C within a few minutes. It is also observed that a water temperature at 100Â C kills almost all the microbes. Some pathogens and their spores get killed only at 118Â C. To be on the safer side, it is recommended to boil water for a few minutes for drinking.

Water filtration is one of the water purification process in which the contaminants are physically removed using a filter. It has a benefit of giving immediate access to drinking water without adding an unpleasant taste. The major disadvantage of filtration is that it can’t filter viruses. Also, it is expensive. So, after filtration, it is always recommended to disinfect by using chemicals or ultraviolet light.

Chemical treatment is one of the most important drinking water purification methods. In chemical treatment, purification is achieved by using chemicals. The most commonly used chemicals for drinking water purification are chlorine and iodine. The effectiveness of this method depends on the temperature of water, the chemical concentration and the contact time.

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Chlorine in the form of bleach is used for disinfecting drinking water. The major drawback is the chlorine flavor. Also, study has found out that chlorine is not effective against some bacteria. Iodine is more reliable than chlorine in disinfecting drinking water. The major drawback of using iodine is its taste.

It is to be noted that both chlorine and iodine are not effective against some bacteria.

Ultraviolet (ультрафиолет) water purification is one of the most effective and fast water purification methods. The ultraviolet radiation inactivates the microbes by destroying their DNA (ДНК), thus preventing the microbes from reproducing. It has certain advantages: ultraviolet radiation is effective against all sorts of microorganisms and also it restores the water composition and flavor.

4.4 Complete the table and speak on the problem.

4.5Now, give a short summary of the text above, using expressions (page137).

4.6Read the text “Brighter Light Better Water” and say whether the statements are true or false.

1. The device is a grocery bag-sized stainless steel box containing a high-pressure mercury vapor lamp.

2. The simplicity of the device is one of its strongest attributes.

3. UV Waterworks is expensive to build and not easy to maintain. 4. The UV lamp will burn for about 8,000 hours.

5. Water flows through the device by gravity and electricity is used not only to generate the UV light.

6. The cost of disinfected drinking water would be about

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15 cents per person annually when used to supply a community of 1,500 – 2,000 people.

Brighter Light Better Water

While most people in the developed world have safe drinking water continuously supplied to their homes, more than half of the world’s population is exposed (подвергать опасности) to water contaminated (заражать) with pathogenic organisms.

Environmental physicist Ashok Gadgil and colleagues at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory are working to develop a simple and effective device that can greatly reduce (уменьшать) people’s risk of becoming infected through the water they drink. The device, named UV Waterworks, is a grocery bag-sized stainless steel box containing a low-pressure mercury vapor lamp like those used in fluorescent lighting found in most office buildings.

The simplicity of the device is one of its strongest attributes. Because its major components are common and inexpensive, UV Waterworks is cheap to build and easy to maintain. The UV lamp, which will burn for about 8,000 hours, must be replaced yearly, but otherwise the device requires almost no maintenance. Water flows through the device by gravity, and electricity is used only to generate the UV light. With a total power demand of just 40 watts, UV Waterworks can operate connected to a car battery or a 2 m2 photovoltaic panel, and can disinfect 15 liters (4 gallons) of water per minute. Water Health International, the company that will manufacture UV Waterworks, estimates that when used to supply a community (община) of 1,500 – 2,000 people, the total cost of disinfected drinking water would be about fifteen cents per person annually. This makes it affordable even by developing world standards.

From “Innovations”

4.7 Outline the advantages of a new device in your answer, using the expressions:

1.The author of a new device is … .

2.The name of this device is … .

3.The device is … .

4.It is … to build and … to maintain.

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5.It consists of … .

6.The WHI estimates that … .

4.8Read the text “Hyacinth Cleans Waste Water” and match these titles with the paragraphs:

Some words from the history

New project appeared

Waste water clearing with the help of water hyacinth

How it works

The efficiency of purification

Hyacinth Cleans Waste Water

1.Today one can hardly name any production process, be it industrial or agricultural, that does not contribute to the contamination of the environment (окружающая среда). Say, one can find almost a half of Mendeleyev’s Periodic Table in the wastes of oil processing, chemical and metallurgical enterprises. As a result of scientific research the Institute of Cytology and Genetics of the Siberian Branch of RAS (Novosibirsk) has pioneered a biological method of waste water cleaning of various origin with the help of a plant-water hyacinth.

2.Back in 1884 it was planted for this purpose in Florida (USA). Later it spread to South and North America, Asia and Africa. But it was not clear how that tropical plant would behave in such cold climatic zone. The problem of adaptation of this plant was in the focus of attention of the above-mentioned institute.

3.As a result there appeared a project based on the natural ability of the water hyacinth in the process of growth to extract various biogenic elements from the environment allowing to create low-cost, energy-saving water-purifying systems as this plant is developing at the expense (за счет) of any decaying organic substance, at the same time eliminating (устранять) unpleasant smells.

4.After transplanting seedlings (семена) of hyacinth into bioponds, contaminated reservoirs, water tanks, etc. the smell completely disappears and by the end of summer the water becomes absolutely transparent (прозрачный), without any unpleasant taste. It can be discharged without fear (страх) into rivers, used in everyday

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life and for industrial purposes. The hyacinth absorbs heavy metals, phenols, pesticides, oil products and even reduces the bacterial contamination of water. Besides, this plant grows unusually fast – its quantity increases 100 times for 3 – 4 summer months. The above said has been confirmed by two experiments, one of them carried out at the Institute of Cytology and Genetics of the SB RAS, and the other on the wastes of Tolmachevo airport.

5. In the first case, waste waters of the oil-processing plant were poured into vegetation containers and then plants were put there. The efficiency of purification was rather high: in relation to oil products – 97.9 %, to ammonium – 75.5 % and phenol – 98.3 %. In the course of the second experiment the hyacinth was planted into the sewer of the airport and by September it covered an area 50 m long and 3 m wide. And even such a short period of time was enough to reduce the content of nitrates, chlorides, ammonium, iron and other harmful products. Thus, Siberian scientists have managed not only to spread the hyacinth to the north but also prove the efficiency of its use in future as a multifunctional biological purifier.

From “Science in Siberia” by A. Maltsev

4.9 Correct the following statements using the information from the text.

1.The Institute of Cytology and Genetics in Moscow has pioneered a biological method of waste water cleaning of various origins with the help of a new device.

2.Hyacinth was planted in Europe in 1900.

3.The problem of vegetation of this plant is in the focus of attention of the Institute of Cytology and Genetics.

4.A project based on the natural ability of the water hyacinth to emit oxygen in the process of growth appeared.

5.The hyacinth absorbs only unpleasant taste and odor from

water.

6.The plant grows not very fast for 3 – 4 summer months.

7.The Siberian scientists have managed only to spread the hyacinth to the north.

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4.10 Read the text and say whether the administration of your native town will be interested in borrowing Moscow’s experience. Why?

Environmentally Friendly Moscow

Snow collected from Moscow streets is no longer dumped (сбрасывать) into the capital’s rivers but is recycled.

On average, up to 36 million cubic meters of snow falls on Moscow in the winter season. Of course the greater part of the it does not melt (таять). The snow is very dirty: it contains the entire periodic table plus garbage (мусор). Some years ago the city authorities forbade snow dumping into the Moskva and Yauza rivers. And the question immediately arose: what was to be done with it? Dry snow dumping grounds, common in Europe, where snow lies until spring and melts naturally, require a lot of land, which is very expensive in Moscow. So snow melting stations were set up. This is the eighth winter season that snow has been recycled at facilities (заводах) that have no counterpart (двойник) abroad or elsewhere in Russia. Originally the snows smelters worked on natural gas, but now more economical project has been developed.

Since the beginning of the current winter season, the snowmelting stations of the Mosvodokanal city utility has recycled more than five million cubic meters of snow, as compared to a total of three million cubic meters in the past season. About 30 new stations have been opened, each recycling 3,500 cubic meters of snow a day, or approximately 300 trucks (грузовик).

The new project is already producing results. According to Vladimir Shuvalov, head of the Moscow city Sanitation and Epidemiology Inspectorate (санэпидемнадзор) Environmental Monitoring Department, the chemical composition of the water in the Moskva and Yauza rivers has visibly improved in the past five years. True, the bacteriological composition has remained unchanged.

This winter, a representative of the Nizhniy Novgorod city administration was highly enthusiastic about what he saw there, indicating that his city was interested in borrowing Moscow’s experience.

From Vremya MN, by Yekaterina Babkova

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