Read the dialogue.

— Many people think that life was better in the past. The air was cleaner, the water was purer and life was safer.

— No wonder, because there are a lot of environmental problems nowadays. You only have to listen to TV news to realize that they are not solved.

— You are quite right! However, problems such as the hole in the ozone layer and acid rain often seem unimportant to us. It’s difficult to get upset about tropical forests on the other side of the planet.

— I can’t agree with you. Of course, we can’t see ozone holes, but the dangerous rays of the sun get through the atmosphere, causing skin cancer and other diseases. More and more often people are told not to be in direct sunlight.

— To tell the truth, air pollution seems to be much more serious problem. We pollute the air we breathe. Everyone can see smoke coming out of tall factory chimneys. Everyone can smell the gas from the back of a bus. In big cities the concentration of harmful substances in the air is rather high. This can also have disastrous consequences for our health.

— I am of the same opinion. Water pollution is another serious problem. Thousands of fish die every year because factories pour a lot of waste into rivers. If people drink polluted water, they may die too.

— What is more, the seas are also in danger. When I went with my parents to the seaside last summer, I was surprised that the water was not blue but brown with rubbish floating in it.

— But the most urgent environmental problem is nuclear pollution. I am against the use of nuclear energy. The waste products can last hundreds of years.

— And who is to blame for all these environmental problems?

— The answer is simple: all of us. The technological progress of the 20th century resulted in widespread mechanization, atomic powers stations, new roads and highways. But it cannot be denied that the price for rapid industrial development is very high.

— Should we reject the progress then?

— Never! But we must take control of the progress to give it a humanistic direction. We must take into consideration all the factors that people’s survival depends upon. The solution of the environmental problems requires the cooperation of all nations.

— Are you a Greenpeace supporter?

— Yes, I am. It’s a noble aim to keep the planet and cities clean. We want everybody to do his or her best in caring for all human beings and living creatures.

Fill in the gaps:

1. It’s difficult to get upset about on the other side of the planet.
2. To tell the truth, air pollution seems to be much more .
3. It’s a noble aim to keep and cities clean.

Упражнение 103
Вставьте some, any или no.
1. We haven't got any milk. We can't make an omelette. 2. Bob always likes some sugar in his coffee. 3. Poor Oliver was hungry. He wanted some bread.
They haven't got any stamps. I can't post my letter.
He has got no money. He can't spend his holidays in Switzerland any more and stay at luxury hotels.
There are no schools in this street. 7. Are there any pictures in your book? 8. There are no flowers here in winter. 9. I can see some children in the yard. They are playing. 10. Are there any new buildings in your street? 11. There are no people in the park because it is cold. 12. I saw some boys in the garden, but Mike was not among them. 13. They borrowed some good books from the library. 14. Give me some tea, please,

I believe that most things in our life happen for a reason. However, it’s up to us to find out which reason exactly. Once I was going through a very strange day. Since early morning I had a series of failures. At first, I spilled the entire cup of coffee on a sofa. Then, I got stuck in the lift and one of our neighbors had to call the technician. On the way to school I was hit by a bike. Consequently, I arrived late for the first lesson and was punished by our senior teacher. At the lesson of geography I got a bad mark. After all, I thought this day was never going to end. All I wanted is to get back home as soon as possible and to watch my favourite TV show. My friends noticed I was rather weird that day and asked whether everything was all right with me. I told them about the series of mishaps, which were chasing me since early morning. Hearing that, my friend Lisa said that she also had such an upsetting morning, but the day changed to better closer to the evening. She also said I just had to stay calm and ignore these mishaps. As the lessons were over, I hurried home. My parents were still at work, so no one would distract me from watching the “The Big Bang Theory”. As I was trying to unlock the front door, I heard a strange sound, like mewing. At a closer look I saw a middle-sized box next to the lawn with a small, cute kitten in it. I was lost in admiration. I had long dreamt of having a kitten but nobody would present me one. This was such an unexpected surprise. In a flash I forgot about all the incidents that I had during the day. All I wanted is to wait for my parents and thank them for a lovely present. When they returned from work, they were also shocked. Surprisingly, they didn’t buy me a kitten and we never found out who did.

перевод: Я считаю, что большинство вещей в нашей жизни случаются по какой-то причине. Однако мы сами должны выяснить, по какой именно причине. Однажды у меня был очень странный день. С самого утра у меня была серия неудач. Для начала, я пролил целую чашку кофе на диван. Затем, я застрял в лифте, и одному из наших соседей пришлось вызывать техника. По дороге в школу я попал под велосипед. Соответственно, я опоздал на первый урок, за что был наказан завучем. На уроке географии я получил двойку. В итоге, я думал, что этот день никогда не закончится. Все, чего я хотел, так это вернуться домой, как можно скорее и смотреть мой любимый сериал. Мои друзья заметили, что я был довольно странным в этот день и спросили, все ли в порядке со мной. Я рассказал им о серии неудач, которые преследовали меня с раннего утра. Услышав это, моя подруга Лиза сказала, что у нее тоже было однажды такое грустное утро, но день изменился к лучшему ближе к вечеру. Она также сказала, что я должен сохранять спокойствие и игнорировать эти неудачи. Когда уроки закончились, я поспешил домой. Мои родители были еще на работе, поэтому никто не мог отвлечь меня от просмотра «Теории Большого Взрыва». Когда я пытался открыть входную дверь, то услышал странный звук, похожий на мяуканье. Присмотревшись, я увидел коробку среднего размера на газоне с небольшим, милым котенком внутри. Я был в полном восторге. Я давно мечтал иметь котенка, но никто мне его не дарил. Это был такой неожиданный сюрприз. В мгновение ока я забыл обо всех инцидентах, которые происходили со мной в течение дня. Все, чего я хотел, так это дождаться своих родителей и поблагодарить их за прекрасный подарок. Когда они вернулись с работы, они были тоже шокированы. К удивлению, они не покупали мне котенка, и мы так и не узнали, кто это сделал.