Environmental Protection and Rational Use of Nature Resources

I am a first-year student of the Ufa Oil University. I wish to become a specialist in environmental protection and rational use of nature resources1.

Environmental protection attracts2 keen3 and apprehensive attention all over the world now. Engineers can not stay apart4 when there is a dangerous5 evolution of the environment. The ecological crisis which takes place6 all around is the result and price7 which man has to pay for scientific and technological progress. At the same time it should be noted8 that ecological disbalance is determined9 by social, historical, natural and economic specifics10, by the level of development in the economy, science and technology. And to go on11, some economic managers are passive, negligent12 or simply reluctant13 to abide14 by the scientifically substantiated15 nature protection measures. So our task as engineers in ecology is to control their actions in this respect16, first, and in more wide sense17, to master modern scientific basis of links between enterprises and environment. In 4 years I will become a full-fledged18 specialist and I will try to do my best to care about protection of the atmospheric air, health, mineral wealth, forests, waters, and land, animal and plant kingdoms19.

After graduation from the University I can work in research and design offices, plants, practically in all fields of industry, and first of all20, in chemical and petrochemical ones.

In order to become a highly qualified specialist I must work hard and perfectly know the fundamental engineering disciplines, I should have sound21 knowledge of special subjects such as ecology, ecological monitoring of environmental surroundings, foundations of chemical toxicology, design and ecological analysis, economics, technology of industrial ecology.

VOCABULARY

1) resources-ресурсы

2) to attract-привлекать

3) keen-острый

4) stay apart-оставаться в стороне

5) dangerous-опасный

6) to take place-происходить

7) price-цена

8) should be noted-нужно отметить

9) determine-определять

10) specifics-особенности

11) to go on-продолжая

12) negligent-небрежный

13) reluctant-неохотный (нежелающий)

14) to abide-соблюдать

15) substantiated-обоснованный

16) in this respect-в этом отношении

17) wide sense-широкий смысл

18) full-fledged – состоявшийся

19) kingdoms-церковь

20) first of all-прежде всего

21) sound-глубокий

Текст № 13.

OIL AND OIL INDUSTRY

Petroleum is the name of a mineral oil. Oil comes from under the ground. Crude oil comes from the wells or boreholes1. Boreholes are often very deep. The steel framework2 over the well is the derrick3. From the derrick the machinery drills4 holes through rock5, earth or sand. Oil usually flows freely but men control its natural flow6. The natural flow of oil is the result of the pressure of the natural gas in oil or the result of the pressure between the petroleum and the roof of the rock above it.

Crude oil contains various materials, liquids7. By the process of refining we obtain petrol, paraffin, and other products from crude oil. We obtain9 various fuels from it too. Fuels10 drive ships, planes, buses and so on. Diesel engines burn11 oil fuel. Many tractors burn diesel oil. Jet 12engines burn kerosene (paraffin oil).

Nowadays oil industry is an advanced, highly mechanized and reliable sector of the economy. It has highly productive rigs13 that can drill down to oil and gas deposits lying at depths of more than six kilometers. Today more than 2,000 products are made from oil: fuel for aircraft and for internal combustion engines14, fuel for boilers and furnaces15, lubricants16, bitumen for the manufacture of asphalt, lacquers, solvents17, and so on. Oil byproducts18 are used in making plastics and synthetic substances.

Work is in progress to set up a19 major oil industry center in Western Siberia, to raise oil extraction20, to contract 21gas pipelines to deliver gas to the Urals and the European part of the Russia and also pipelines to oil refineries in Siberia, Kazakhstan and the European part of the country.

Regular oil prospecting22 throughout the country began in the thirties. Geologists discovered deposits23 in the Ural-Volga area. In 1932 discoveries followed one after another in this large area. A new oil center “The Second Baku” arose between the Volga and the Urals in 1939.

The rapid24 development of the Ural-Volga resources made it possible to supply the Russian Army with fuel and lubricants in the difficult years of the Great Patriotic War.

The Ural-Volga field comprises more than 350 deposits and accounts for over half of the Russia oil production.

The expansion of the Ural-Volga extraction industry was particularly rapid in the post-war years.

In the sixties, geologists discovered rich deposits of oil on the vast area of West Siberia, in the Tyumen and Tomsk regions.

Despite25 the rigorous climate, the oilmen and builders harnesses26 the West Siberia deposits to the national economy in a short space of time.

Dozens of27big research institutes and design organizations appeared to solve important scientific problems, to plan and analyse the exploitation of the deposits, and to improve drilling and pumping techniques. The oil districts have their own research institutes and design offices.

VOCABULARY

1) wells or boreholes – скважина

2) framework – конструкция

3) the derrick – буровая вышка

4) to drill – бурить, сверлить

5) rock – горная порода

6) natural flow – естественное течение

7) liquids – жидкости

8) to contain – содержать

9) obtain – получать

10) fuels – топливо

11) burn – снимать

12) jet – реактивный

13) rigs – снаряжение, оборудование

14) internal combustion engines– двигатель внутреннего сгорания

15) furnaces – печи

16) lubricants – смазки

17) solvents – растворители

18) byproducts – побочные продукты

19) to set up – учреждать

20) extraction – добывание, добыча

21) to contract – приобретать

22) (to) prospect – (исследовать) , разведка

23) deposits – залежи

24) rapid – быстрый

25) despite – несмотря на

26) harness – использовать

27) dozens of – дюжины (чего-либо)

Текст № 14.