Focus on text comprehension

1. Answer the following questions using the information from the text.

1. What goals do environmental groups pursue?

2. Why is Greenpeace so well known around the world?

3. When and why was this organization founded?

4. How many members does Greenpeace include? Where are its headquarters situated?

5. What are the causes of the organization’s internal disagreements?

6. Why do we need the economy of restoration?

7. What two contradictory forces are operating upon business? What is the most damaging effect of the present economic system?

8. How can fundamental principles governing nature help to solve ecological problems?

9. Why is California-based retail firm, Patagonia called a “green” company?

10. What does the firm do to explain its products’ earth-friendliness?

11. How does Patagonia attract customers?

12. What for does the company publish its internal environmental assessment?

13. What other steps does Patagonia take to help the environment?

2. Find information in the text to prove the following statements.

1. The influence of Greenpeace is immense.

2. The economy of restoration is the opposite of industrialization.

3. The present economic system should be reconsidered.

4. The restorative economy is beginning to prosper.

5. Broad environmental education of the consumers is important for the success of environmental commerce.

Focus on vocabulary

1. Translate the following words into Russian and reproduce the context they are used in:

environmental groups, nuclear weapon testing, local authorities, internal disagreements, militant approach, civil disobedience, dues-paying members, headquarters, compatible subjects, enduring society, restorative economy, production processes, value, extractive economy, cyclical systems, costs of producing goods, environmental commerce, outdoor clothing catalog, green-market strategies, product attributes and benefits, organic merchandise, a variety of media, sales information, retail stores, annual reports, consumer backlash, on-site child care, environmental grants program, pre-tax profit, community awareness, resource extraction, alternative energy and water, social activism, environmental education

2. Find in the text English equivalents for the following Russian words and phrases:

ослаблять/уменьшать, улучшить/смягчить, быть ориентированным на сохранение природных ресурсов, выступать/агитировать против ядерных испытаний, быть против ядерных испытаний, беспокоить/волновать, настаивать на агрессивном подходе, в своей основе экологически рациональный и восстановительный, жизнеспособность, воспроизводить циклические системы, основные принципы, эффективный при установлении цен, выживать на рынке, восстановление окружающей среды, преобразовывать ресурсы, истощать, столкнуться с проблемами, равняться/быть равным, утилизировать/ повторно использовать /перерабатывать, процветать, быть приверженным/верным чему-либо, состязаться/конкурировать с кем-либо, розничная фирма, использовать образцовый метод, сообщать/передавать потребителям идеи по защите окружающей среды, покупать продукты у кого-либо, приобретать долю обязательства, прилагать усилия/стараться, подчеркивать, думать об экологии, покупать экологические товары, менее вредно/обременительно для земли, в конечном счете, вовлекать/привлекать покупателей, сомневаться в заявлениях, сократить отходы, вести/заниматься бизнесом, пожертвовать

3. Match the words to form collocations.

A

environmental compatible internal restorative civil militant production nuclear weapons enduring local dues-paying extractive environmental alternative

approach economy society education testing members authorities energy and water economy groups disagreements disobedience subjects processes

B

community environmental consumer retail cyclical sales social pre-tax resource green-marketing fundamental outdoor organic on-site

systems child care activism clothing catalog commerce merchandise awareness extraction stores information backlash strategies principles profit

4. a) Explain the following notions. Use any English dictionary for advanced users if necessary:

extinction, moratorium, outcome, commerce, standards of living, wastes, treaties, summit, endangered species, global warming

b) Fill in the blanks with the words mentioned above.

The uncompromising activity of such organizations as Greenpeace made the international concerns increase internationally. The first international conference on environmental issues was held in Stockholm, Sweden, in1972 and was sponsored by the UNO. The most important … of the conference was the creation of the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP). In addition to attempting to achieve scientific consensus about major environmental issues, a major focus for UNEP has been the study of ways to encourage sustainable development – increasing … without destroying the environment. A growing number of international agreements have been reached in an effort to improve the world’s environmental status. In 1975 the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) went into effect with the goal of reducing … in animals and plants on the edge of … . In 1982 the International Whaling Commission agreed to a … on all commercial whaling. In 1989 the international community limited the movement of hazardous … among countries. Twenty years after the Stockholm Conference, the UN Conference on Environment and Development was held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, in1992. Popularly known as the Earth … , this meeting was the largest gathering of world leaders in history. The conference produced two major … . The first was an agreement to reduce emission of gases leading to … , and the second was a pact on biodiversity requiring countries to develop plans to protect … . In the same 1992 a document entitled “Warning to Humanity” was released. The document stated that “human beings and the natural world are on a collision”, which “may so alter the living world that it will be unable to sustain life in the manner that we know”.

5. Fill in the blanks with prepositions if necessary. You can consult the text.

1. Greenpeace is an international environmental organization dedicated … preserving the earth’s natural resources and its diverse plant and animal life.

2. It campaigns … nuclear weapons testing, environmental pollution, and Man’s destructive practices.

3. Greenpeace was a small group opposed … nuclear weapons testing by the USA military in Alaska.

4. During the 1990s Greenpeace was troubled by internal disagreements … political strategy.

5. We don’t usually think … ecology and business as compatible subjects.

6. Nature depends … diversity, thrives … differences, and perishes in the imbalance of uniformity.

7. A lot of companies are already committed … some form of environmental commerce.

8. Customers are informed about the company's environmental progress, and they are loyal … it.

9. Environmentalism is less taxing … the earth, and therefore, on individuals.

6. Fill in the blanks with a suitable prepositional phrase from the previous exercise.

1. Though there are some individuals who can ... stress at work, for most of us, it can lead to exhaustion, mood swings and even severe depression.

2. The success of sales ... the advertising campaign.

3. He was extremely hard-working and ... his research.

4. Everyone must be ... the job or the project will fail.

5. Dalton stayed ... his employer throughout the trial.

6. I've got to ... a way to make more money.

7. The local fishermen are ... importing cod.

8. The interests of buyers and sellers are diametrically ... each other.

9. There has been considerable ... how best to deal with the crisis.

10. The governments are discussing plans for an increase in the ... petrol.

7. a) Speak about Greenpeace, one of the most famous environmental organizations, make use of the following words and phrases:

to preserve the earth’s natural resources, campaigns against sth, nuclear weapons testing, destructive practices, to win immense respect, to be opposed to sth, to create a green and peaceful world, to lead to conflicts, internal disagreements over sth, to persist with a militant approach, to work cooperatively with sb, dues-paying members;

2. Characterize the economy of restoration, a means of creating enduring society, use the vocabulary below:

to integrate economic, biologic and human systems, to be the opposite of, to separate sth from sth, extractive economy, capacity to produce money, to integrate or replicate cyclical systems, to invert the fundamentals of the present system, to rethink sth, to set prices, to recognize the true costs of producing goods, to survive in the marketplace, to be environmentally friendly, the most damaging aspect, to restore the environment, to converse and increase resources;

2. Describe the fundamental principles an ecological model of commerce should be based on, use the words and expressions that follow:

to face three basic issues, to be contained in sth, to be constantly recycled, to nourish other systems, to imply, to have value to sth, to be reused, to depend on diversity, imbalance of uniformity, to be highly varied;

2. Dwell on the green marketing strategies of the retail firm, Patagonia, make use of the following:

• a “green” company, to communicate one’s corporate environmentalism to consumers, to be loyal to sth, to buy into commitment to environmental restoration, to educate sb on sth, to explain the products’ earth-friendliness, organically produced products, to be environmentally preferable, to be less taxing on the earth, to use a variety of media to attract people, to engage customers with interactive displays, to explain new ideas in environmentalism,

• to doubt corporate environmental claims, to publish the results of one’s internal environmental assessments, to conduct business in a socially responsible manner, environmental grants program, to raise community awareness of local problems, to target sth, to be committed to, to fund.

8. Translate the following sentences from Russian into English using the vocabulary of this unit.

   1. Группы, защищающие окружающую среду, стремятся ослабить, или, по крайней мере, смягчить тот вред, который наносит коммерческая деятельность природе. Например, организация «Гринпис» направлена на сохранение природных ресурсов и биоразнообразия живых существ.

   2. Из-за своей агрессивной политики «Гринпис» часто конфликтует с органами местной власти, компаниями и правительствами. В 90-х внутри самой организации происходили волнения, т.к. существовали внутренние разногласия по поводу политики организации.

   3. Сейчас «Гринпис» насчитывает в своих рядах 3 миллиона человек, платящих взносы. Штаб-квартира организации находится в столице Нидерландов – Амстердаме.

   4. Экономика восстановления противоположна индустриализации и экономике добывания. Индустриальная экономика отделяет процессы производства от ценности земли, экономические ценности от личностных. А жизнеспособность экономики восстановления зависит от интеграции и воспроизведении цикличных систем.

   5. Бизнес подвержен влиянию с двух сторон. С одной стороны, компания должна устанавливать низкие цены, чтобы процветать и выживать на рынке. С другой стороны, общество все больше требует, чтобы коммерческая деятельность была более экологически безопасна.

   6. Решение проблем бизнеса лежит в основных принципах природы. Первый принцип: отходы равняются пище. Это значит, что все продукты производства должны перерабатываться и использоваться вторично. Второй принцип: разнообразие форм.

   7. На данный момент существует много компаний, приверженных разным формам экологической коммерции. Такие компании успешно конкурируют с обычными предприятиями.

   8. «Патагония» – это розничная фирма, продающая одежду по каталогам. Она использует образцовый метод по передаче потребителям своих идей о защите окружающей среды. Покупая продукты этой фирмы, человек приобретает долю обязательства по отношению к окружающей среде.

   9. Необходимо приложить усилия, чтобы рассказать потребителям о свойствах и достоинствах экологически чистых (органических) товаров, чтобы подчеркнуть, что товары были произведены без химии.