UNIT 21 Environmental engineering
Read, translate the following text and be ready to fulfil the tests:
Environmental engineering is the integration of science and engineering principles to improve the natural environment, to provide healthy water, air and land for human habitation and for other organisms, and to remediatepollution sites. Furthermore it is concerned with finding plausible solutions in the field of public health, implementing law, which promote adequate sanitation in urban, rural and recreational areas. It involves waste water management and air pollution control, recycling,waste disposal, radiation protection, industrial hygiene, environmental sustainability, and public health issues as well as knowledge of environmental engineering law. It also includes studies on the environmental impact of proposed construction projects.
Environmental engineers study the effect of technological advances on the environment. To do so, they conduct hazardous waste management studies to evaluate the significance of such hazards, advise on treatment and containment, and develop regulations to prevent mishaps. Environmental engineers also design municipal water supply and industrial wastewater treatment systems as well as address local and worldwide environmental issues such as the effects of acid rain, global warming, ozone depletion, water pollution and air pollution from automobile exhausts and industrial sources. The field emerged as a separate environmental discipline during the middle third of the 20th century in response to widespread public concern about water and pollution and increasingly extensive environmental quality degradation.
Mitsch and Jorgensen defined and characterized ecological engineering in a 1989 book and clarified it further in their 2004 book. They suggested the goal of ecological engineering as:
a) the restoration of ecosystems that have been substantially disturbed by human activities such as environmental pollution or land disturbance, and
b) the development of new sustainable ecosystems that have both human and ecological values.
They summarized the five concepts, key to ecological engineering as:
1. it is based on the self-designing capacity of ecosystems,
2. it can be a field test of ecological theory,
3. it relies on integrated system approaches,
4. it conserves non-renewable energy,
5. it supports biological conservation.
This engineering discipline combines basic and applied science from engineering, ecology, economics and natural sciences for the restoration and construction of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems. Scientists have developed air pollution dispersion models to evaluate the concentration of a pollutant at a receptor or the impact on overall air quality from vehicle exhausts and industrial flue gas stack emissions. To some extent, this field overlaps the desire to decrease carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions from combustion processes.
Read, listen to the pronunciation and memorize the active vocabulary to the text:
Active Vocabulary
1. environmental engineering инженерное обеспечение охраны окружающей среды, организация охраны окружающей среды; проектирование с учетом экологических требований, экологическая инженерия, экологическая технология
2. habitation жилище; жилье, дом, жилое помещение; место жительства; обитание; поселение
3. to remediate восстанавливать, поправлять, устранять дефекты, недостатки; ремонтировать
4. pollution загрязнение (окружающей среды)
5. plausible правдоподобный; состоятельный; аргументированный, вероятный
6. recreational развлекательный, относящийся к сфере развлечений и отдыха
7. recycling переработка, повторное использование, переработка отходов, утилизация отходов
8. disposal размещение, удаление; устранение, сброс, отведение (сточных вод), отвал (напр. грунта)
9. waste отходы, лом, потери, убыль; ущерб
10. environmental sustainability экологическая устойчивость; устойчивость с точки зрения окружающей среды
11. impact влияние, воздействие, последствия, результат
12. hazardous waste опасные высокотоксичные отходы
13. containment локализация, сдерживание распространения (напр. загрязняющих веществ)
14. mishap несчастный случай, катастрофа, авария
15. depletion истощение (запасов месторождения), обеднение, исчерпание
16. to emerge возникать, появиться
17. exhaust выхлоп; исчерпывать, выпускать, истощать
18. restoration восстановление, реставрация, ремонт
19. to disturb расстраивать, нарушать; срывать (планы)
20. non-renewable невозобновляемый
21. sustainable ecosystems устойчивые экосистемы
22. greenhouse gas emissions выбросы в атмосферу газов, создающих парниковый эффект
CONTROL TESTS
TEST I
Decide whether these statements are true or false:
1. a). Environmental engineering is water management and air pollution control.
b). Environmental engineering is radiation protection and procuring of environmental sustainability.
c). Environmental engineering is the integration of science and engineering principles to improve the natural environment.
2. a). Environmental engineers put forward modern substitutes for non-renewable energy.
b). Environmental engineers study the effect of technological advances on the environment.
c). Environmental engineers develop models of sustainable ecosystems.
3. a). Environmental engineering relies on integrated system approaches.
b). Environmental engineering relies on the restoration of ecosystems that have been substantially disturbed by human activities.
c). Environmental engineering relies on public concern about water and pollution.
4. a). Mitsch and Jorgensen suggested the goal of ecological engineering as biological conservation.
b). Mitsch and Jorgensen suggested the goal of ecological engineering as a field test of ecological theory.
c). Mitsch and Jorgensen suggested the goal of ecological engineering as restoration of ecosystems and development of new sustainable ecosystems.
5. a). Environmental engineering includes studies on the environmental impact of proposed construction projects.
b). Environmental engineering includes studies on the self-designing capacity of ecosystems.
c). Environmental engineering includes studies on environmental pollution or land disturbance.
TEST II
Match words in columns A and B (synonym match):
A B
1. habitation a). indication b). interpretation
c). dwelling d). elevation
2. to remediate a). to verify b). to amend
c). to correspond d). to orientate
3. solution a). decision b). displacement
c). compression d). deflection
4. to propose a). to decrease b). to prevent
c). to assess d). to suggest
5. to clarify a). to intensify b). to clear
c). to provide d). to require
6. to disturb a). to violate b). to report
c). to discuss d). to expect
7. treatment a). service b). adaptation
c). processing d). integration
8. approach a). method b). design
c). process d). record
9. dispersion a). presentation b). animation
c). visualization d). dissemination
10. to evaluate a). to increase b). to improve
c). to estimate d). to locate
TEST III
Select the best possible answer out of the choices from the list to the statements (multiple choice):
1. Environmental engineering … .
a. evaluates the impact on overall air quality from vehicle exhausts.
b. examines industrial flue gas stack emissions.
c. is concerned with finding plausible solutions in the field of public health.
d. seeks to decrease carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gas emissions.
2.Environmental engineers conduct … .
a. field tests of ecological theory.
b.hazardous waste management studies.
c. elaboration of integrated system approaches.
d. studies of the self-designing capacity of ecosystems.
3. The field emerged as … .
a. a separate environmental discipline.
b. waste water management and air pollution control.
c. support of biological conservation.
d. construction of aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems.
4. This engineering discipline combines … .
a. tests of ecological theory.
b. integrated system approaches.
c.worldwide environmental issues such as global warming and ozone depletion.
d. basic and applied science from engineering, ecology, economics and natural sciences.
5.In their booksMitsch and Jorgensen … .
a. developed air pollution dispersion models.
b.defined and characterized ecological engineering.
c. developed regulations to prevent mishaps.
d. designed municipal water supply and industrial wastewater treatment systems.
TEST IV