ПЕРВЫЙ РАЗ ДЕДУШКА ПОЖАЛОВАЛСЯ НА РЕВМАТИЗМ В 1812 г.
Американский профессор Маргарет Коллинз недавно обнаружили 210-летнего индейца Лерри Сиоукса, находящихся сейчас в доме для престарелых (advanced in years), расположенном в штате Монтана. Его настоящее "индейское" имя - Желтый Лис, и он до сих пор пребывает в здравом уме (be sane) и обладает ясной памятью.
Когда ему было 22, он сражался против американцев в войне 1812 года, а в 23 был свидетелем (vitness) подписания (signing) мирного соглашения (agreement) со штатами.
Профессор Коллинз, как сообщает "Weekly World News", посещает долгожителя каждый день, чтобы записать (record) уникальные рассказы очевидца (vitness) великих исторических событий (events). По ее словам, Желтый Лис - прекрасный рассказчик (stoty-teller), он обладает ярким и образным языком (language).
Врачи небольшого дома для престарелых в Биллингсе уверены, что их пациенту действительно два с лишним века от роду. По их утверждению, это легко определить(idenify) по состоянию костей (bones), внутренних органов (internal organs) и остаткам (remainders) зубов. Желтый Лис попaл в клинику 14 лет назад, когда его здоровье совсем ослабло (get very poor). А до этого он проживал в индейской деревушке в Южной Дакоте.
Text 3
Воздействие (influence) компьютера на человека.
( Из беседы корреспондента Сергея Литвинова с деканом факультета “Информационная безопасность” МИФИ Александром Толстым)
—Для многих проблема —достать ребенку компьютер, а для тех, у кого он есть, забота (concern) — оттащить его от монитора. Ведь электромагнитное излучение (radiation), идущее от экрана (screen), наверняка вредно (harmful) — не случайно правила техники безопасности (safety rules) для взрослых (adults) ограничивают (limit) работу с "персоналкой" четырьмя часами ежедневно...
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— Почему многие болезни (ilnesses) успешно лечат (be cured) иглоукалыванием (acupuncture)? Исследования (researches), проведенные нашими радиофизиками, показали: иголка (needle), применяемая (applied) при акупунктуре ,— своего рода антенна (some kind of an aerial), настроенная (tuned in) на определенную частоту (certain frequency). Когда эту иголку используют, она опять-таки воздействует на организм (influence the person) неким полем (field): ограниченным, точечным (pinted)... А от монитора идет массированное (concentrated) излучение... И ученые еще сами не знают, как оно повлияет на нас... Нет таких исследований — насколько изменился организм человека, проводящего у монитора по несколько часов ежедневно в течение десятилетия (decade). Пока не ясно, как постоянная (constant) «жизнь с компьютером» меняет умственные (mental), сексуальные, физические кондиции человека... Боюсь, что если меняет — не в лучшую сторону...
— Стало быть, компьютерная цивилизация несет с собой не только больший комфорт и улучшение качества жизни (life standard), но и опасности (dangers) — сейчас еще, быть может, не до конца осознанные (realised)?
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—Да, так же, как автомобили принесли вместе с удобствами и новым качеством жизни автокатастрофы (car crashes) и загрязнение (pollution) окружающей среды (environment)...
— Мы все время говорим об Интернете — но это иностранное изобретение (invention), англизированная система... Может быть, нам стоит (to be worth) построить какой-нибудь свой "Русснет" и пользоваться им?
— А у нас, в России, Интернет и является почти замкнутым. Россиянин говорит с россиянином внутри (within) страны, и говорит по-русски... У нас всего несколько информационных "стволов"(lines), по которым можно общаться (communicate with) с "западниками".
— Говорят, что Интернет, помогая ученому решить (solve) сложную задачу, а врачу — вылечить (cure) тяжелого больного (patient), сам способен (be capable) вызывать (cause) болезни…
— Интернет не только кладезь (source) информации, но и своего рода "мусорная корзина"(garbage basket), потому что, наряду с (alongside with) ценными (valuable) сведениями, там содержится столь много данных (data), сколько ни одному человеку не нужно. Более того (moreover), там есть много вредной (harmful) информации —например, порнография. Но человек любопытен (curious) Ему нравится поглощать информацию. Любую информацию! И когда он подключается к Интернету, ему интересно: а что на той электронной страничке? А что — на следующей? А каждая содержит ссылки (references to) на другие страницы... И человек начинает в огромном количестве потреблять ту информацию, что ему совершенно не нужна. Это — как наркотик (drugs). Сейчас появилось множество людей, которые "плавают" в Интернете ради (for the sake of) самого "плавания". Интернет ничего не дает им для профессионального роста (professional growth), такая "работа" не приносит никакой пользы (make smth. good to) обществу (society)... А мозг человека грузится (be loaded with) и грузится никчемной (good-for-nothing) информацией... И уже появились публикации о том, что человек от такого компьютерного общения "сдвигается" психически (become insaine)...
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— Вы знаете, я опасаюсь подключаться к Интернету потому, что после этого "всемирная паутина как бы заползет (get into) ко мне в дом. Любой умелец при желании сможет залезть в мои файлы, прочитать мои статьи... Я не хочу, чтобы кто-то рылся в моих бумагах...
На самом деле, рядовой пользователь – филолог, домохозяйка (housewife), математик — никому не нужен... А теперь представьте: человек общается с Интернетом и в качестве ключевых слов (key words) для поиска (search of) нужной ему информации регулярно задает, допустим, такие: "химическое оружие weapons)" или, скажем, "характеристики боевых самолетов (military aircraft)" — вот такой человек может представлять для кого-то интерес (be of interest for). Вот к нему, отследив (having watched) его регулярные обращения, в компьютер можно залезть, поискать там важную информацию... Или если кто-то, блуждая по сети, натыкается (face) на защиту (defence), на какой-то барьер — значит, там, за защитой, что-то интересное? Значит, если пароль взломать (hack/crack the password), узнаешь что-то необычное, запретное (hidden)?.. И появляется спортивный интерес: взять барьеp, сломать защиту...
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Text 4
ФЛИРТ В СЕТИ.
У каждой нации свой характер и психологические особенности (specific features), которые, естественно, проявляются (to be clearly seen) и в поведении людей разных национальностей в сети Интернет. Американская компания "NetVаlue" провела исследование (survey) пользователей Интернета из США, Германии, Великобритании, Франции, Испании и Мексики.
Выяснилось, что французы больше других наций любят получать электронную почту, а испанцы - "висеть" в чатах. "Известно, что французы и испанцы очень общительны (sociable) и любят флирт (flirt), и то, чем они больше всего занимаются в Интернете, доказывает (to prove) эту общеизвестную истину (common truth)", - говорит Бернард Окс, вице-президент "NetVаlue".
Мексиканцы также любят общаться, но, как правило, делают это через ICQ* и аналогичные (similar; analogous) ей программы. Британцы в интернет-пристрастиях (passion for) соблюдают золотую середину (to keep the golden mean). Данные в "NetVаlue" демонстрируют отсутствие явных (visible) предпочтений (preference). Кроме разве что одного число британского - склонности (aptitude/bent for) к общению с известными людьми, а не к поиску (search for) случайных (random) собеседников. Что ж, недаром сложность (complexity) и церемонность процедуры знакомства у английских леди и джентльменов давно уже вошла в анекдоты и поговорки (proverb). Скорее всего, в этом проявляется традиционная английская сдержанность (reserved character). Окс объясняет это так: "Я думаю, что англичанам больше других присущ (be characterised by) сетевой здравый смысл (common sense)".
Немцы, как и англичане, - довольно замкнутая и консервативная нация. Круг (range) их интересов замыкается (be limited by) на скачивании (downloading) файлов. Как утверждают авторы исследования, содержание файлов для среднестатистического (average) немца не важно, главное - перекачать его себе.
Что касается информационных ресурсов глобальной сети, то чаще всего ими пользуются в Испании и Великобритании. Интерес среднестатистического американца к новостям из Интернета начал расти только в последнее время. Пользователи заметили, что данные о президентских выбора (presidential elections) появляются в сети раньше, чем в других средствах массовой информации (mass media), и поэтому старались получить последние (the latest) сведения именно из Интернета .
Как отмечает Ассошиэйтед Пресс, 7 ноября на сайте ABC News уже к четырем часам вечера были зафиксированы (to be recorded) 13 млн. посетителей, что превысило (to exceed) предыдущий (previous) 10-миллионный рекорд на сайте отчета Кеннета Старра об отношении Билла Клинтона и Моники Левински. Пожалуй, только наши соотечественники (compatriots) любят ежедневно пользоваться Интернетом исключительно ради чтения новостей.
Согласно результатам опроса компании "AYAXI", 82 % российских пользователей причисляют Интернет к средствам массовой информации, при этом для 72% опрошенных от является источником (source) новостей. Наибольший интерес представляют новости политики, экономики и международных отношений, что подтвердило (to confirm) 50% участников опроса. (repondents).
Интересом к информационным ресурсам Интернета Россия отличается от других стран, где сеть - это прежде всего средство общения.
Note:
ICQ = I Seek You, abbreviated title of a programme
И.Кузьменко. "24 часа", ╧ 3, 2001
Supplementary reading
Text 1
THE ENVIRONMENTAL TOURIST.
(How to be ecofriendly tourist in the Alps).
by Gurney Williams III.
Guests at the Waldhaus Am See in St.Moritz bring more than baggage to the 36-room hotel. With manager Claudio Brnasconi's encouragment, each week in summer they cart in box loads of trash they've found in the Swiss mountains. The visitor who brings in the most litter gets room and board for a week on the house. The record is 19 kilograms, mostly cans, collected by two Swiss women on vacation last August. "They said they worked so hard they were going to need another holiday," Bernasconi laughs.
The hotel's two-year-ols campaign is meant to encourage visitors to protect the the Alpine environment. But Bernasconi and tourist officials throughout the Alps know that responsible, or "soft" tourism requires more than picking up litter. Successful ecotourists they say, must start with careful planning - finding leisure activities and transportation that go easy on the preservation of the Alps. Once the traveler has arrived, moreover, he or she must strive to conserve energy, avoid andangered species and purchase local products, generally produced by mountain farmers who sustain the fragile landscape of the Alps.
One approach to soft tourism is scheduling a trip between seasons. Staggering of holiday schedules, helps reduce the choking, noisy traffic that tops the list of environmental concerns in most Alpine regions. Alpine resorts generally boom during the height of winter, when hotels are filled to 100 per cent of capacity. Another important way to mitigate the environmental assault from autos is to take public transportation whenever possible.
In some areas, like Zermatt, Switzerland, local transport is an attraction in itself. In Zermatt, a mountain community 1.620 meter high, cars are forbidden. In their place. a fleet of five electric buses carries skiers to lifts (the fare is $ 1.40). Hotels ferry luggage on some 380 smaller electric vehicles. The payoff for the environment is low pollution and energy demand, and blissful quiet.
The environmental ethic should continue inside the hotel. Responsible tourists should reduce their own demand for energy whenever possible by turning off unnecessary lights; by turning down heat; and by finding out how often the hotel changes sheets and towels and letting the concierge know if they can get by with the same laundry for a longer period of time.
Tourists who visit local shops can try to buy items with minimal wrapping that will add less trash to overloaded waste systems. They can also purchase locally made products when possible. Goods made nearby require less energy to transport, and their sale supports the Alpine economy.
Finally, eco-tourists should take their environmental ethic onto the ski slopes and hiking trails of the Alps. It is important to avoid straying from marked paths or ski runs unless a local guide is present. Snow protects plants and animals through the winter and skis can slash the blanket that enables them to survive.
The future of the Alpine ecosystem depends on the behaviour of the millions of tourists each year who enjoy the beauty and grandeur of the Alps. Damage done by the unthinking tourist can be irresistible, and in some parts of the Alps, trash thrown to the side of the trail will be preserved for decades in a deep freeze. But if everyone cooperates, the payoff will be rewarding vacations in the lush alpine environment for generations to come.
Vocabulary.
environment - окружающая среда
environmental - экологический
encouragement - поощрение
cart - привозить
loads - мн.ч. множество
trash - мусор
litter - сор, мусор
board - здесь: питание
throughout - по всей
responsible - ответственность
soft - мягкий
require - требовать(ся)
leisure - досуг, свободное время
search - искать
resort - курорт
promote - способствовать
preservation - сохранение
strive - стремиться
conserve - сохранять, беречь
avoid - избегать
endangered - подвергаемый опасности
cpecies - мн.ч. виды (растений, животных)
purchase - приобретать, покупать
sustain - поддерживать
fragile - хрупкий
approach - подход
schedule - планировать
stagger - приезжать в различные периоды
choke - разг. загрязнять
concern - проблема, забота, беспокойство
height - здесь: разгар
capacity - вместимость
mitigate - ослаблять, уменьшать
assault - здесь: вред
attraction - привлекательность
forbidden - запрещено
fleet - здесь: группа
fare - плата за билет, проезд
ferry - доставлятьяяяб перевозить
vehicle - любой вид транспорта
payoff - награда, выгода
blissful - блаженный, замечательный
sheet - простыня
towel - полотенце
laundry - белье
item - здесь: предмет, покупка
wrap - заворачивать
overloaded - перегруженный
waste - отходы
nearby - поблизости
slope - склон
hiking trails - пешеходные дорожки
path - тропинка
protect - защищать
slash - разрушить
blanket - здесь: покрытие, покров (снега)
enable - позволять
survive - выживать
depend (on) - зависеть (от)
grandeur - фр.: великолепие
decade - десятилетие
freeze - мерзлота
rewarding - стоящтй, достойный
lush - сочный, буйный (о растительности)
generation - поколение
Comprehension Check.
Answer the following questions.
1. What is the name of the hotel in St.Moritz?
2. Where is it located?
3. How many visitors can it accommodate?
4. Who can get a free room and board in the hotel?
5. What was the record like among the tourists?
6. Who is the manager in the hotel?
7. What campaign is promoted by the hotel administration?
8. What are the demands to the ecotourist (they are quite many)?
9. What is the way to mitigate the environmental assault from autos?
10. What is meant by the expression "environmental ethic inside the hotel"?
11. What should tourists try to avoid in local shops?
12. What does the future of the Alpine ecosystem depend on?
Topics to Discuss.
1. Environmental campaign in St.Moritz.
2. Demands to the visitors.
3. Ways of being a good "ecotourist".
Text 2
A WORKAHOLIC ECONOMY.
For the first century or so of the industrial revolution,
increased productivity led to decreases in working hours. Employees who
had been putting in 12-hour days, six days a week, found their time on
the job shrinking to 10 hours daily, then finally, to eight hours, five
days a week. Only a generation ago social planners worried about what
people would do with all this new-found free time. In the US, at least,
it seems they need not have bothered.
Although the output per hour of work has more than doubled
since 1945, leisure seems reserved largely for the unemployed. Those who
work full-time spend as much time on the job as they did at the end of
World War II. In fact, working hours have increased noticeably since
1970 - perhaps because real wages have stagnated since that year.
Bookstores now are full of manuals describing how to manage time and
cope with stress. There are several reasons for lost leisure. Since
1979, companies have responded to improvements in the business climate
by having employees work overtime rather than by hiring extra personnel,
says economist Juliet B. Schott of Harvard University. Indeed, the
current economic recovery has gained a certain amount of notoriety for
its "jobless" nature. Some firms are even downsizing as their profits
grow.
Yet a lot of factors push employers to hire fewer workers for
more hours and, at the same time, compel workers to spend more time on
the job. Most of those incentives involve what is called the "structure
of compensation": quirks in the way salaries and benefits are organised
that make it more profitable to ask 40 employees to labour an extra hour
each than to hire one more worker to do the same 40-hour job.
Professional and managerial employees supply the most obvious lesson
along these lines.
Once people are on salary, their cost to a firm is the same
whether they spend 35 hours a week in the office or 70. Diminishing
returns may eventually set in as overworked employees lose efficiency or
leave for more arable pastures. But in the short run, the employer's
incentive is clear. Even hourly employees receive benefits - such as
pension contributions and medical insurance - that are not tied to the
number of hours they work. Therefore, it is more profitable for
employers to work their existing employees harder.
For all that employees complain about long hours, they, too, have
reasons not to trade money for leisure.
On the other hand, companies that employ more workers for less
time also gain from the resulting redundancy. The extra people can cover
the contingencies that you know are going to happen, such as when crises
take people away from the workplace. Positive experiences with reduced
hours have begun to change the more-is-better culture at some companies:
larger firms, in particular, appear to be more willing to experiment
with flexible working arrangements....
It may take even more than changes in the financial and
cultural structures of employment for workers successfully to trade
increased productivity and money for leisure time, sociologists contend.
They say the U.S. market for goods has become skewed by the assumption
of full-time, two-career households. Automobile makers no longer
manufacture cheap models, and developers do not build the tiny bungalows
that served the first post--war generation of home buyers. Not even the
humblest household object is made without a microprocessor. The
situation is a curious inversion of the "appropriate technology" vision
that designers have had for developing countries: U.S. goods are
appropriate only for high incomes and long hours.
Paul Wallich
Note:
* workaholic - работоголик; человек, помешанный на работе
Vocabulary.
increase - возрастать
decrease - уменьшать
put* in - вкладывать
shrink* - сжиматься
generation - поколение
new-found - вновь найденный
bother - беспокоить, тревожить
output - производительность
leisure - досуг, свободное время
reserve - сохранять(ся)
unemployed - безработный
noticeably - заметно
wages - зарплата
stagnate - оставаться той же самой
manual - учеюник
manage - управлять, распоряжаться
cope with - справляться
respond - реагировать, отвечать
improvement - усовершенствование
overtime - сверхурочно
rather than - а не
extra - дополнительный
current - данный, текущий
recovery - выздоровление
gain - достичь, добиться
notoriety - известность, дурная слава
nature - природа, суть
entirely - полностью, целиком
downsizing - уменьшаться в размерах
profits - доходы
equal - равный
push - подталкивать, заставлять
employer - работодатель
compel - вынуждать, принуждать
incentives - побудительная
quirk - увертка, выкрутасы
obvious - видимый, очевидный
оnce - когда
diminish - уменьшать
eventually - в конечном итоге
efficiency - эффективность
arable - пахотный
pasture - пастбище
insurance - страхование
therefore - следовательно
profitable - выгодно
complain - жаловаться
trade - использовать в своих интересах
redundancy - избыток
contingency - случайность, непредвиденное обстоят-во
in particular - в частности
be* willing - желать
flexible - гибкий
contend - утверждать
skew - искажать
assumption - предположение
household - хозяйство; семья
tiny - крошечный
humble - скромный, простой, бедный
curious - любопытный
inversion - переход
appropriate - подходящий
vision - видение, восприятие
income - доход
Comprehension Check.
Answer the following questions.
1. What usually leads to decreasing of working hours?
2. Why have working hours increased since 1970?
3. What are the reasons for the lost leisure?
4. What factors push employers to make workers spend more time on the
job?
5. Can people with long working hours work efficienty?
6. What are U.S. goods appropriate for?
Topics to Discuss.
1. Job and leisure.
2. Experiences with reduced hours.
Text 3.
BALTIC SEA PROBLEMS.
Effects of human activities on the environment is not a new phenomenon. Serious overexploitation of natural resources has occurred throughout human history. Deleterious consequences of e.g. mining on the immediate environment were obvious at early stages. In particular, the unhealthy influence on workers in polluting factories were obvious even from the early development of industrialism. Large-scale effects are however more recent.
Around 1950 the Baltic Sea, although by no means unpolluted, was regarded as environmentally «healthy». Large-scale industrialization had not yet affected the environment as a whole, automobiles were few, and the modernisation of agriculture was only beginning. Forty years later the Baltic Sea has become one of the most polluted seas in the world. How could this happen?
In the 50s and 60s all countries around the Baltic Sea experienced rapid economic development. Industrial production has grown steadily and has been largely diversified. Industrial processes are never perfectly clean. There are always some waste products: in the form of smoke released into the air, polluted water to waterways or solid waste which is piled up on the ground. But industrial pollution does not only originate from industrial plants, but also from, e.g., mining and forest operations , energy production emissions from various means of transportation and, last but not least, from the product itself when it is used and thereafter disposed of by consumers. Knowing the pollutants and their environmental effects does not better the Baltic Sea very much. Only through action, be it technical, political or legal, can the condition of the Baltic Sea be improved.
One condition for survival in the Baltic region is that the ecological balance be restored: the Baltic Sea has to be cured from its serious illness. Restoring the ecological balance is a vital task. One part of the problem is refining technology and remedying the damage already done.
The second is stabilizing the national economics of the region so as to make proper investments in new technology, which is safer for the environment. The third has more to do with politics and public opinion, i.e. making politicians and the broad masses of the population aware of the present danger. Only a society that allows an open discussion and criticism of those who wield the economic and political power will be able to tackle the problems of the environment.
Environmental protection is one of several interests that have to be balanced against each other. Such other interests are national economics, unemployment, regional policy, etc. Since the problems are international, the solutions have to be international as well.
In 1974 The Convention on the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Baltic Sea Area, the Baltic (or Helsinki) Convention was signed in Helsinki which included several types of pollution (land-based pollution, pollution from ships, etc.).As a consequence of the growing international concern for the environment at the end of the 1970s, the environmental movement became politically established. Green parties were formed in many countries. Important questions on the Greenpeace agenda are e.g. the struggle against waste exports and selling old, dangerous technology to the third world, as well as an international campaign against chlorine and the risks connected with radioactive waste. There is a special
Greenpeace campaign in the Baltic region, which is called «The Baltic Sea-live or let die». Greenkids, the youth organization that started in 1989, is also involved in collecting facts, disseminating information and drawing people’s attention to environmental matters through various actions. SOS (Save Our Sea)! Throughout history the Baltic Sea has tied together the people living around its shores.
Now the Sea is in danger. It’s time to understand it and help to the Sea. Right now!
Vocabulary.
environment - окружающая среда
phenomenon - явление
occur - случаться, происходить
throughout - в продолжение (всего времени)
deleterious - вредный
consequence - последствие
mining - разработка, горное дело
immediate - здесь: непосредственный
obvious - очевидный
stage - стадия, этап
large-scale - крупномасштабный
recent - недавний, последний
by no means - ни в коем случае
unpolluted - незагрязненный
regard - рассматривать
environmentally - с экологич. точки зрения
agriculture - сельское хозяйство
happen - случаться, происходить
rapid - быстряй
steadily - устойчиво, непрерывно
diversified - разнообразный
waste products - отходы
release - сбрасывать, выпускать
water-way - водный путь, фарватер
solid - твердый
pile up - собирать, накапливать
originate (from) - происходить, возникать
emission - выделение
means of transportation - средства передвижения
thereafter - с тех пор, впоследствии
be disposed of - распорядиться (чем-то)
consumer - потребитель
pollutant - загрязняющее вещество
through - здесь: посредством
be it - будь то
improve - исправлять, улучшать
survival - выживание
restore - восстанавливать
cure - вылечить
vital - жизненный, жизненно важный
refining technology - технология очистки
remedy - средство
damage - здесь: вред, урон
proper - соответствующий
safe - безопасный
broad - широкий
population - население
be aware (of) - знать (о)
danger - опасность
wield - владеть, обладать
tackle - энергично взяться (за)
environmental protection - защита окр. cреды
unemployment - безработица
solution - решение
marine - морской
convention - амер. договор, соглашение
include - включать
concern - забота, беспокойство
movement - движение
establish - учреждать, основывать
agenda - повестка (дня, собрания)
be involved (in) - участвовать (в)
disseminate - распространять
draw* one's attention - привлекать внимание
matter - вопрос
tie together - связывать, соединять
shore - берег
Comprehension Check.
Answer the following questions.
1. What are the negative effects of human activities on the environment?
2. What was the state of the Baltic sea in 1950s?
3. How did it change by the end of the 20th century?
4. Are industrial processes perfectly clean?
5. What forms of waste products do you know?
6. What are the conditions of survival for the Baltic region?
7. What does Green Peace struggle against?
8. Why do people feel so anxious about the environment?
9. What are the main ecological problems?
10. What practical steps should be taken by the countries of the Baltic Sea area
to improve the situation?
11. In which way can everybody personally help protect nature?
Topics to Discuss.
1. Pollutants and their sources.
2. Conditions of survival for the Baltic region.
3. Green Peace agenda.
4. Green kids.
Text 4.
Whales
«The whale has no voice", wrote Melville in Moby Dick 'but then again what has the whale to say? Seldom have I known any profound being that had anything to say to this world, unless to stammer out something.' Whales may not sing for their suppers, but some of them certainly do sing. Melville failed to hear them because they sing underwater. Others have heard them without realising it. If whales sing near a wooden-bottomed boat, sailors in their may hear an eerie melodious wail from they know not where. Hence, perhaps, the many sea-tales of lullabies sung by drowned colleagues.
Why do they sing? First, we should say that there are two sorts of whales: the toothed whales - such as sperm, killer and pilot whales - who are close relatives of the dolphin; and the toothless 'baleen' whales - such as the humpback, right and minke. The toothed whales usually live in stable and organised groups: a gang of killer whales may stay together for years on end. Such creatures make sounds, but have not been known to sing.
Many dolphins produce 'signature' whistles - each one has a different call-sign from his neighbors. These seem to function as names: a dolphin will often produce his neighbor's whistle when nearby. Similarly, each sperm whale produces a distinctive series of clicks - known as his coda - arid will sometimes mimic a nearby whale's coda. Killer whales have identifiable dialects that are specific to each family. It is the baleen whales, especially the humpbacks, who break into song. At any one time, all the singing whales in a population sing the same song. It gradually changes over time and each whale learns and copies the new variations. This is wonderful, because the songs, which can last up to thirty minutes, are highly complex. It is only the males who sing, and they do so chiefly during the breeding season. The songs seem - like many bird songs - to be a sort of display that males use in competing with each other for females.
Singing humpbacks have a wide vocal range: the notes can vary from a high-pitched whistle to a reverberating fog-horn. Play back a recorded humpback song at fourteen times the correct speed and it sounds like a nightingale. But birdsong is shorter - and more significantly - not so structured as whale song. Whale song can be divided into regularly repeating phrases, which in turn are organised into themes that always occur in the same sequence. Unlike birds, whales appear to have studied some of the rules of classical composition.
By analysing these themes and phrases, two scientists have made conclusions about whale culture that would have struck Melville. Whales seem to use structure like rhyme in poetry. And, like people, they can put in the rhymes to help them remember their songs. The two scientists, Miss Linda Guinee of the Long Term Research Institute in Lincoln, Massachusetts, and Mrs Katharine Payne of Cornell University in Ithaca, New York, analysed 460 whale songs from the North Pacific and 88 from the North Atlantic. From their recordings they produced audio spectrograms, converting sounds into strings of squiggles which can be classified by shape.
Having a catalogue of whale songs helps marine biologists to track whale populations on their odysseys by showing where each singer comes from. It also lets them study the songs as they evolve. Since whales hear their songs, such songs are an example of culture; and the way they change is an example of cultural evolution.
It turns out that whales make much use of phrases with the same endings - i.e. rhymes. Miss Guinee and Mrs Payne found that songs with many differing themes were much more likely to contain plenty of rhymes. They found that rhymes were correlated not with the length of a song but with the amount of different material to be remembered. Simple songs did not contain any rhyming passages. The rhyming pattern then, could be a way to help the whale remember what comes next in a complicated song. A rhyming pattern helps people to learn and remember poetry by limiting the number of possible words in a given position. 'If you know that every third and fourth line of a stanza in a given poem rhyme, and that the third line of a stanza ends with 'love', you know that the next line might end with 'dove' but cannot end with 'sparrow'. Advertising jingles often use rhyme in the justified hope that people will remember the names of products. You do not have to know the meaning of a word or sign in order for rhyme to help you recall it (think of children's nonsense rhymes). Poets use rhyme for all sorts of reasons: because they are attractive, musical, create a pleasing rhythm, or are merely ingenious or funny.
Miss Guinee and Mrs Payne realise that their evidence if inconclusive, because they cannot ask the whales what they are up to. Some will doubt their conclusion because it makes whales seem implausibly human. Maybe they have not made whales 'human' enough. Perhaps the rhyming sirens of the deep are simply trying to please themselves and their audience.
Vocabulary.
whale - кит
seldom - редко
profound - мудрый, дальновидный
being - существо, человек
unless - если не
stammer out - произносить с запинкой
certainly - конечно
fail - не удаваться
realise - понимать, осознавать
bottom - дно
eerie - жуткий, мрачный
wail - выть, вопить
hence - здесь: отсюда
sea-tale - морские истории
lullaby - колыбельная (песня)
drown - тонуть
toothed - зубатый
close relative - близкий родственник
toothless - беззубый
baleen - китовый ус
stable - стабильный
gang - здесь: косяк (группа)
creature - существо
signature - подпись
whistle - свистеть
distinctive - отчетливый
mimic - подражать
click - щелчок
identifiable - различимый
gradually - постепенно
over time - со временем
male - мужская особь
chiefly - в основном
breeding - здесь: размножение
compete - состязаться
female - женская особь
range - диапазон
high-pitch - высокий (о голосе)
reverberate - отражаться, отдаваться (о звуке)
horn - рожок
nightingale - соловей
significantly - значительно
in turn - в свою очередь
occur - происходить, случаться
sequence - последовательность
conclusion - заключение
long-term - долгосрочный
convert - превращать
string - ряд, цепочка
squiggle - здесь: звук, мелодия
by shape - по размеру
marine - морской
track - отслеживать
evolve - эволюционировать, развиваться
likely - по всей вероятности
plenty - множество
correlate - соотносить(ся)
amount - количество
contain - содержать
pattern - образец
complicated - сложный
limit - ограничивать
stanza - строфа
dove - голубь
sparrow - воробей
jingles - мн.ч. созвучия
justified - оправданный
recall - вспоминать
nonsense - чепуха
attractive - привлекательный
create - создавать
merely - просто
ingenious - остроумный
evidence - доказатеьство, свидетельство
conclusive - заключительный, решающий
doubt - сомневаться
implausibly - невероятный, неправдоподобный
audience - аудитория
Comprehension Check.
Answer the following questions:
1. Who said that whales have no voice?
2. What is the author's opinion concerning this?
3. What kind of sounds do sperm whales produce?
4. Whay can you say about a song sang by one population of whales?
5. Who is considered to be able to sing - males or females?
6. What happens if to play back a recorded hampback song?
7. How do whales learn to sing?
8. What are the results of the scientific research done by Linda Guinee and
Katharine Payne?
Topics to Dicsuss.
1. Whales and singing.
2. Types of "songs".
3. The results of the two scientiscts' research.
Text 5.
THE RIGHT TIME AND PLACE
(Dealing With Stress)
How many of us have had unsatisfactory (or miserable) results because of
hurried conversations? Lots of us, I believe. It seems key to me to consider:
It's better not to have a conversation than to have a quickie that makes
things worse
Taking a moment to think if this is the best moment for me to talk; and asking the other person if it is good for them is always helpful.
Remembering that sensitive topics are best covered in private, and if conflict is involved, on "neutral turf" (not at either person's office).
Jointly selecting the time and place is a good beginning to a meeting.
* Collecting my thoughts and writing down the key points I want to cover will ensure that they get covered; and that the other person's time is not wasted.
* Listening attentively to both verbal and non-verbal language of the other person is the key to successful communication.
* If near-perfect clarity is desired, writing a letter to the other person
with your version of what was agreed upon will get best results.
Bruce Johnsen,
Management Consultant.
Text 6.
DEALING WITH STRESS
The word "stress" has become so commonplace and yet so vivid that it can
produce a painful reaction just to read it. And certain times of our
lives, of each year and in history are more full of stress. Maybe you're
in one of those periods.
I believe that a certain amount of unusual pressure or stress on us is
good.
Think about championship athletes and their training programs: each day,
they push their minds and bodies and ask for better performance. That's
a good kind of stress. Also having to deal with increasing levels of
responsibility or sticky interpersonal situations can result in a
healthy growth in our capabilities.
And then there's unhealthy stress. The kind that occurs when we have
choices, like unhealthy relationships, and the kind where we take what
comes, as in illness or injuries. Either way, it can seem overwhelming.
In these situations, sometimes the best we can do is to try to find
meaning for ourselves in overcoming and living through the difficulties.
Each day we face the varying levels of stress at work and home, which
can be dealt with a number of ways. Some proven, successful approaches
are
* Finding a few minutes alone for prayer, meditation or quiet time
before the busy day begins. This provides a calm, firm foundation for
the day's activities.
* Looking at stressful situations as challenges to be overcome. It
reminds me of going through the rapids in the Grand Canyon. I could
either keep my head up and enjoy the rough ride or crouch down and feel
sorry for myself. It's how I chose to respond that made the difference
in how I felt.
* Forgiving myself and others for mistakes. Instead of dwelling on what
a jerk that person was who ran the red light, shrug your shoulders,
laugh it off and move on. Saves alot of churning stomachaches and worry
wrinkles.
* Taking a time out when I begin to feel overwhelmed. There's nothing
that says I can't take a few moments for some deep breathing and
attitude adjustment when there's a break in the action.
* Engaging in regular exercise. This can range from simply walking (and
talking with the people we love, which is even better) to more strenuous
gym routines or sports. All of them result in better feelings and
reduced stress.
Don't take things too seriously. Deal with your stress in healthy ways
and enjoy the ride of your life.
Vocabulary.
deal* (with) - иметь дело (с)
unsatisfactory - неудовлетворительный
miserable - несчастный
hurried conversation - поспешная беседа
key - ключевой, важный
consider - рассмотреть
quickie - разг.: наспех сделанное дело, халтура
make* worse - ухудшить
sensitive - чувствиельный
topic - тема
cover - здесь: раскрывать
in private - при личной беседе
involve - вовлекатьd
on "neutral turf" - на нейтральной территории
jointly - совместно
select - выбирать
сollect one's thoughts - собраться с мыслями
key points - ключевые вопросы
cover - здесь: затронуть
ensure - обеспечить
waste - терять понапрасну
attentively - внимательно
verbal - вербальный, словесный
near-perfect - почти совершенный
clarity - ясность, четкость
desire - желать
agree (upon) - договориться (о)
commonplace - общепринятый
vivid - яркий, живой
painful - болезненный
certain - определенный
amount - количество, объем
pressure давление
championship - чемпионат
training - обучающий
push - подталкивать
performance - действие
increasing - увеличивающийся
level - уровень
of responsibility - ответственность
sticky - сленг: неприятный
result in - вызвать в результате
growth - рост
capabilities - способности
occur - случаться
injury - повреждение; оскорбление, обида
overwhelm - ошеломлять,
meaning - значение, смысл
overcoming - преодоление
face - сталкиваться (с)
vary - варьировать, различаться
number of ways - разные способы .
proven - опробированный, доказанный
approach - подход
alone - в одиночестве
prayer - молитва
provide - обеспечить
foundation - основа
activities - деятельность
challenge - вызов
remind - напоминать
rapids - пороги (речные)
rough ride - бурная поездка
crouch down - разг.: согнуться
respond - реагировать, отвечать (на)
forgive - прощать
dwel* (on) - здесь: зацикливаться (на)
jerk - сленг: придурок, идиот
shrug one's shoulders - пожать плечами
laugh it off - посмеяться над этим
stomachache - боль в желудке
wrinkle - морщинка
take* one's time - не спешить
overwhelmed - ошеломлен
deep breathing - глубокие вздохи
attitude adjustment - изменение отношения
break - перерыв, пауза
ingaging (in) - заниматься
range (from┘to) - варьитровать(от┘до┘)
strenuous - энергичный, напряженный
gym - спортзал
reduce - уменьшить
take* things seriously - принимать близко к сердцу
ride - здесь: ход
Text7
Pollution
If we continue to exploit the earth in the way we have been doing, the planet will soon be destroyed. Do you agree?
Man has always regarded himself as the most important species on earth and has used whatever the planet can provide for his own good. It is only recently that we have begun to question this behaviour and to realise that it cannot continue.
The second half of the twentieth century has seen many dramatic changes in the way we live, particularly in industrialised countries, and our environment is now paying the price for this. Scientists tell us that there are holes in the ozone layer caused by excessive production of CO2, and this is likely to lead to a warming of the earth's climate. It is quite conceivable that the polar ice caps will begin to melt and this might well result in large areas of land being flooded. Many people will, consequently, lose their homes and their livelihoods.
The dangers of the warming-up of the earth, or the greenhouse effect as it is called, is something which it is becoming 'fashionable' to discuss and worry about. However, there are other less fashionable aspects of the problem which, unless controlled, will lead to dramatic changes in the life of our planet. The destruction of large areas of forests is not only reducing the oxygen supply but destroying the natural habitat of thousands of different plants, animals, birds and insects.
Apart from these examples, the animal world has suffered greatly from man's greed. Our attitude seems to be: if we can use an animal either to make money from or to use for our own benefit, then we have the right to do so regardless of whether this causes the species to become extinct.
In my view, we will have to reassess our way of living and question whether continued growth at the expense of other creatures and of the planet itself is acceptable. Personally, I believe that the worsening situation will in all probability force us to change our behaviour both at an individual and a national level. The developed world, which is responsible for the majority of the environmental problems we are now facing, also has a responsibility to help the underdeveloped countries not make the same mistakes.
It is my opinion that our exploitation of the earth has already put its survival at risk; but I think there is a chance that, if we all work together, we will be able to save our planet from destruction.
How long can we continue polluting and destroying our planet before even those who benefit most from the ransacking of its resources realise that time is running but? The average global temperature is now almost one degree Fahrenheit higher than a century ago, and the number of natural disasters - floods, storms, drought, famine - has risen appreciably even in the last thirty years.
Global warming is largely the result of what is called 'the greenhouse effect'. This term describes the absorption of solar heat - which should naturally be re-radiated into space after striking the earth's surface - by various gases of which carbon dioxide (CO2) is the commonest. Every litre of petrol used - whether lead-free or not - represents the emission of 2.5 kilos of CO2 from your car exhaust. Burning fossil fuels - oil, coal, wood - to produce energy in power stations results in the release not only of CO2 but also of sulphur dioxide, the principal cause of acid rain.
As far as the destruction of our immediate environment is concerned, the effects of 'progress without responsibility' are there for all to see: chemical fertilisers and pesticides pollute our rivers, untreated sewage and radioactive waste are discharged into the sea to contaminate beaches and disrupt marine food chains, acid rain from industrial activity kills forests and lakes, and in some pans of the world widespread burning of forests catastrophically depletes the oxygen supply and accelerates the release of CO2 into the atmosphere.
But it is no use the rich nations of the world trying to moralise: they themselves are the countries that have produced the greenhouse effect. Our dun- to the huge and expanding populations of the Third World is to pass on the bitter lessons we have learnt, to implement our own programmes of energy saving, and to help others develop the alternative low-energy technologies on which human survival will depend.
Vocabulary to the Text.
regard - рассматривать, считать
species - вид
earth - (планета) Земля
provide - обеспечивать, предоставлять
recently - недавно
particularly - в частность
hole - дыра
layer - слой
cause - вызывать
excessive - избыточный
likely - вероятно, по-видимому
warming - потепление
conceivable - воображаемый
melt - таять
result (in) - дать в результате
flood - потоп
consequently - соответственно
livelihood - средство к существованию
greenhouse - теплица
fashionable - модный
unless - если не
destruction - разрушение
reduce - сокращать
oxygen - кислород
supply - запас
habitat - место проживания/произрастания
apart (from) - помимо
suffer (from) - страдать (от)
greed - жадность, алчность
attitude - отношение
benefit - прибыль
regardless - несмотря на
extinct - вымерший
reassess - здесь: пересмотреть
at the expense of - за счет
creature - создание
acceptable - приемлемый
worsen - ухудшать
probability - вероятность
be responsible for - быть ответственным за
majority - большинство
envoironmental - экологический
face - сталкиваться
survival - выживание
pollute - загрязнять
destroy - разрушать
ransack - искать
run out - истекать
average - средний
disaster - катастрофа, бедствие
flood - наводнение
drought - засуха
famine - голод
rise* - поднимать
appreciably - заметно, ощутимо
absorbtion - поглощение
solar - солнечный
heat - тепло
radiate - излучать, испускать
carbon - углерод
dioxide - двуокись
common - общепринятый
petrol - бензин
lead-free - без свинца
emission - излучение, выделение
exhaust - здесь: выхлоп
fossil - ископаемый
fuel - топливо
oil - нефть
coal - уголь
release - высвобождать
sulphure - сера
acid rain - кислотный дождь
immediate - непосредственный
environment - окружающая среда
as for... concerned - что касается...
fertiliser - удобрение
untreated - необработанный
sewage - сточные воды
waste - отходы
discharge - выливать
contaminate - загрязнять, портить
beach - пляж
disrupt - разрывать, разрушать
marine - морской
chain - цепочка
widespread - широкораспространенный
deplete - истощать, исчерпывать
accelerate - ускорять(ся)
moralise - читать нотации
duty - долг, обязанность
huge - огромный
expanding - здесь: растущий
bitter - горький
implement - осуществлять, выполнять
saving - экономия
survival - выживание
Comprehension Check.
Ex. Answer the following questions:
1. How has the man always regarded himself?
2. What are holes in the ozone layer caused by?
3. What can it lead to?
4. What is another name for the warming-up of the earth?
5. What is caused by the destruction of large areas of forests?
6. What did the animal world greatly suffer from?
7. What must people do in order to protect their immediate environment?
8. What is the average global temperature now in comparison with the last century?
9. What is caused by the "greenhouse effect"?
10. How much CO2 is emitted by the car exhaust?
11. What are the effects of "Progress without responsibility"?
12. How can the mankind protect itself from catastrofic damage?
Topics to discuss.
1. Greehhouse effect.
2. Dramatic changes in our life.
3. Actions to be taken by people.
4. "Progress without responsibility"
5. The duty of the mankind
QUATATIONS AND JOKES
ENVIRONMENT.
- The environment is everything that isn't me.
- Albert Einstein.
The most important thing about Spaceship Earth - an instruction book doesn't come with it.
Buckminster Fuller.
- Air pollution is turning Mother Nature prematurely grey.
- Irv.Kupcinet.
PROGRESS.
- Today every invention is received with a cry of triumph which soon turns into a cry of fear.
- Bertold Brecht.
-
- NATURE.
- Nature thrives on patience; man on impatience.
- Paul Boese.
- The universe is like a safe to which there is a combination, but the combination is locked up in the safe.
- Peter de Vries.
- Man is a complex being: he makes deserted bloom and lakes die.
- Gil Stern.
- Nature never did betray the heart that loved her.
- William Wordsworth.
JOKES
*- The best defence against the atomic bomb is not to be there when it goes off.
The British Army Journal.
*- Whenever science makes a discovery, the devil grabs it while the angels are debating the best way to use it.
Alen Valentine.
- Research is to see what everybody has seen, and to think what nobody else has thought.
- Albert Szent-Gyorgyi.
- - Computers can figure out all kinds of problems, except the things in the world that just don't add up.
- James Magary.
- *- If the human race wants to go to Hell in a basket, technology can help it get there by jet.
- Charles M.Allen.
- - Light is the ultimate messenger of the universe.
- BBC World Service.
-
- EXPERIENCE.
- - What you really value is what you miss, not what you have.
- Jorge Luis Borges.
- - Experience enables you to recognize a mistake when you make it again.
- Franklin P.Jones.
- - From error to error one discovers the entire truth.
- Sigmund Freud.
- - Experience teaches only teachable.
- Aldous Huxley.
- - Experience is a good teacher, but she sends in terrible bills.
- Minna Antrim.
CIVILIZATION (* - jokes)
- Each new generation is a fresh invasion of savages.
- Harvey Allen.
- - The human race has improved everything except the human race.
- Adlai Stevenson.
- - Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
- Arthur C.Clarke
- - Our lifetime may be the last that will be lived out in a technological society.
- Isaac Asimov.
- - Civilization is just a slow process of learning to be kind.
- Charles L.Lucas.
CREATION AND CREATIVITY.
- In creating, the only hard thing is to begin.
- James Russell Lowell.
- - Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils.
- Hector Berlioz.
- - The future is purchased by the present.
- Samuel Johnson.
Unit VIII
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