7. прочтите и переведите тексты. the attack on britain's environment most of the western nations have the same basic environmental problems, but they take different forms in each country. here you can read about some of the dangers facing britain's environment. air pollution one of britain's environmental successes has been the control of air pollution, especially in london. thirty years ago hundreds of people died every year from the dreadful london smogs. since then london and some other cities have become "smokeless zones", areas where no coal fires are allowed. but now the increase in traffic is threatening serious air pollution in our cities again. noise pollution traffic and aircraft can cause serious noise pollution. aircraft are very noisy when they take off and the noise spreads over a wide area. heathrow airport, near london, is one of the busiest airports in the world. planes are only allowed to take off and land at heathrow between six in the morning and eleven at night, but during the day fifty planes take off and land there every hour. water pollution there has been bad pollution of britain's rivers, and the government has tried to stop it. there are now strict laws against water pollution, though it still quite often happens accidentally. britain and france share the problem of oil pollution from the channel. this has caused great damage to beaches and wildlife. cars and roads the need for new roads causes great environmental difficul¬ties. they often spoil the countryside and bring noise and air pollution to thousands of homes. since 1958 the population of britain has increased by 11 per cent, but the number of cars has increased by 400 per cent. cars cause other problems too: thousands of people die in car accidents; car parks use valuable space in towns and cities; cars use a lot of our limited amount of oil. friends of the earth suggest that the bicycle is the best way to travel because it's cheap, quiet and riding it keeps you healthy. however, there are far fewer cyclists in britain than in some other european countries, so our roads aren't built for cycling. it can be dangerous to cycle in large cities as british motorists don't seem to notice cyclists. some people think that only buses and bicycles should be allowed in our city centres. do you know … that there are some parts of the sahara desert on which rain never falls. though clouds pass over these parts, and raindrops really fall, the water itself never reaches the ground. the heat of the desert air turns the raindrops, as they fall, back into vapour. 8. ответьте письменно на следующие вопросы: 1. what dangers face britain's environment? 2. does london control air pollution? 3. why did hundreds of people die 30 years ago? 4. what can cause serious noise pollution? 5. do britain and france share oil pollution?
