UNIT TWO NATURAL RESOURCES

Exercise 1. Try to explain the meaning of these words in English:

Natural, resources, substances, that, exist, within, derived, the environment, them,
survival, other, example, atmosphere, fuels, pasture, ocean, origin, biotic, biosphere,
product, marine, or- ganism, fuel, petroleum, thing, example, ores, iron, reserve, with,
renewability, processes, agricultural, continuously, quan- tity, endangered, industrial,
growth, carefully, exceeding, world, capacity, generated, these, than, nuclear,
uranium, ex- tremely, recycling, focus, quality, both.

Exercise 2. Fill in the blank(s) in each sentence with the appropriate word(s)
from the word bank.
non-renewable resource , Water, engineer, carbon dioxide, renewable resource,
fossil fuels, water, natural resources , unequal, Land, trees, oxygen

1. A material that can be replaced and can be used over and over again to produce
goods and services is called a…….
2. The distribution of Earth’s natural resources is usually……., with wealthier
countries receiving more and developing nations receiving less.
3. …….is the most common substance of Earth, covering ¾ of the world’s
surface. It is essential to life and its conservation is of worldwide
importance.
4. Coal, oil, natural gas, copper, gold, and silver are examples of …..and cannot
be replaced.
5. …….can be a renewable resource if we can keep it from eroding.
6. A person whose job is to make wise use of the world’s resources is called an ……
7. It takes over 1,000 acres of medium-sized ……to make a single edition of
the Sunday newspaper.
8. Earth’s rainforests are extremely important because they recycle….., ….,
and…….
9. Materials that are found in nature are called……..
10. A natural material that is almost impossible to replace is called a……...

Exercise 3. Read and translate the text. Divide the text into some parts and entitle
them. Choose an abstract of ten lines and get ready to read it aloud.

be referred , used for , be catego- rized, classified in, reproduced once, depleted
by, included in , derived from, much faster, affected by, used in, obtained from,
endangered by.

Natural resources are substances that exist naturally within en- vironments and form
our eco-system. Natural resources can be ……. the environment. Many of them are
essential for our survival while others are satisfying our wants. Some examples of
natural resources include the following: Air, wind and atmosphere; Plants, forestry;
Animals; Coal, fossil fuels, rock and mineral resources; Soil, pasture; Water, oceans,
lakes, rivers and groundwater.
Natural resources may be …….. different ways.
On the basis of origin, resources may be divided into biotic and abiotic. Biotic
resources are …… the biosphere, such as for- ests and their products, animals, birds
and their products, fish and other marine organisms. Mineral fuels such as coal and oil
are also ……this category because they are formed from organic matter.
Abiotic resources include non-living things. Examples include land, water, air and
ores such as gold, iron, copper, silver etc.
Considering their stage of development, natural resources may …… to potential and
actual resources.
Potential resources are those that exist in a region and may be ……. the future. Actual
resources are those that have been surveyed, their quantity and quality determined and
are being used in present times.
On the basis of status of development, they can be classified into potential resources,
developed resources, stock and re- serves.
With respect to renewability, natural resources can ……. as renewable and non-
renewable.
A natural resource is renewable if it is replaced by natural proc- esses. Many
renewable resources can be ……. human use. Some of these, like agricultural crops,
take a short time for renewal; others, like water or forests, take a comparatively longer
time. Some of them, like sunlight, air, wind, etc., are continuously available and their
quantity is not ……. hu- man consumption.
Renewable resources are ……. industrial develop- ments and growth. They must be
carefully managed to avoid exceeding the natural world's capacity to replenish them.
A non-renewable resource is a natural resource which cannot be produced, grown,
generated, or used on a scale which can sus- tain its consumption rate. These resources
often exist in a fixed amount, or are consumed …….than nature can create them.
Fossil fuels (such as coal, oil and natural gas) and radio- active elements (uranium) are
examples. Since their rate of formation is extremely slow, they cannot be ……. they
get depleted. Of these, the metallic minerals can be re-used by recycling them, but coal
and oil cannot be recycled.

Exercise 4. Scan the text and find the definitions and ex- amples of. Think and
add your own examples of natural re- sources.
natural resources; biotic resources; abiotic resources; renewable resources; non-
renewable resources.

Exercise 5. Match the words or phrase (1-8) with the definitions (A-H)
1. Biotic A. the area where the population live
2. Abiotic B. a group of all living thing in an area
3. Species C. a group of organisms that are biologically similar
4. Habitat D. an individual living thing
5. Community E. living
6. Organism F. not living
7. Ecosystem G. the degree of biological variation among individual of
species
8. Genetic diversity H. the living and nonliving things in particular environment
Exercise 6. Make up an annotation of the above text accord- ing to the model.

Annotation
New Energy from Old Sources
Ecological Journal, volume 82, №5, 2004, New York

The article is titled "New Energy from Old Sources". It is writ- ten by an ecologist
of New York University - Professor J.
Brown. The article was published in Ecological Journal, vol- ume 82, and №5, 2004,
New York.
The paper focuses on the problems of energy sources. Recom- mendations are given
on the usage of some unusual resources. The article is intended to assist ecologists,
engineers and those who are interested in ecological problems.

Exercise 7. Make up an abstract (a brief summary) of the text according to the

model.

Abstract
New Energy from Old Sources
Ecological Journal, volume 82, №5, 2004, New York

The headline of the article is "New Energy from old sources". The author of the article
is an ecologist of New York University
- Professor J. Brown. It is taken from Ecological Journal, vol- ume 82, and №5, 2004,
New York.
The article deals with the problems of sources of energy. It de- scribes how people can
get energy from unusual sources. The author outlines the problems of natural
resources as well.
Accordingly the paper is devoted to the important problem of finding solutions of
energy problems. Data are presented on the fact, that the stock of fossil at present time
is the main source of energy and it is constantly reducing. Besides, the author brings to
light the idea of developing some methods of realizing new sources of energy.
Suggestions are made on the usage of energy from under-Earth stock of steam, reusing
of deposit's energy.
Therefore the need is stressed to save more energy and to em- ploy other sources of
energy (the heat of the steam deposits, currents and tidal energy; the power of wind;
subterranean hot waters, wave power, etc). Moreover, the article attempts to clar- ify
the possibility heating dwelling-places with the warmth of the Sun's heat and supply
energy for small villages from the windmills. Suggestions are made on the usage of
the solar cell. Finally the author comes to the conclusion that the problem of getting
new energy must be thoroughly studied, as it is very actual and important today.
Thus, the mentioned sources can give good chance for getting energy in the future. It's
safe to say, the article may be of im- portance for ecologists, engineers and those who
are interested in ecological problems.

Exercise 8. Explain the meaning of each quotation based on your opinion!

What made traditional economies so radically different and so very fundamentally
dangerous to Western economies were the traditional principles of prosperity of Creation
versus scarcity of resources, of sharing and distribution versus accumulation and greed, of
kinship usage rights versus individual exclusive ownership rights, and of sustainability
versus growth.
-- Rebecca Adamson
Some of the wars and conflicts of the past and present were fought over land and resources,
but many have been over religious differences. In this past century, a global interfaith
movement has been growing, helping to raise consciousness about the need for tolerance
and understanding between different cultures and religions. This movement has helped
highlight the common goals that most religions share, such as the Golden Rule, which is at
the heart of nearly all religious traditions. At the same time, many throughout the world are
discovering that 'spirituality' -- a deep connection to a greater purpose for humanity -- is an
important driving force in their lives, even if they aren't religious.
-- Robert Alan Silverstein

Let us be good stewards of the Earth we inherited. All of us have to share the Earth's fragile
ecosystems and precious resources, and each of us has a role to play in preserving them. If
we are to go on living together on this earth, we must all be responsible for it. ~ Kofi Annan

* Fierce national competition over water resources has prompted fears that water issues
contain the seeds of violent conflict. -- Kofi Annan

There are genuinely sufficient resources in the world to ensure that no one, nowhere, at no
time, should go hungry.
-- Ed Asner

The fact is that there is enough food in the world for everyone. But tragically, much of the
world's food and land resources are tied up in producing beef and other livestock--food for
the well off--while millions of children and adults suffer from malnutrition and starvation.
-- Dr.Walden Bello

The American fast food diet and the meat eating habits of the wealthy around the world
support a world food system that diverts food resources from the hungry. A diet higher in
whole grains and legumes and lower in beef and other meat is not just healthier for
ourselves but also contributes to changing the world system that feeds some people and
leaves others hungry.
-- Dr.Walden Bello

Exercise 9. How are the themes ‘Natural resources’ and ‘New sources of energy’
related? Tell what you know about renewable energy. Choose one topic and
prepare a report:

1. Renewable energy. 2. Wind power. 3. Hydroelectricity.

4. Solar energy. 5. Biofuels. 6. Biomass. 7. Geothermal energy