SPEECH I Introducing yourself 1 Good morning afternoon

SPEECH I. Introducing yourself 1. Good morning (afternoon), Ladies and Gentlemen! 2. We haven’t all met before, so I'd better introduce myself. I am … … from Siberian Federal University. 3. I should say before we start that I hope you’ll excuse my English. I’m a little out of practice.

TECHNICALITIES (спецтерминогогия) pollution – загрязнение water (air) pollution water supply – водоснабжение fossil fuels – ископаемые топлива chemicals - химикалии, химикаты harmful pollutants загрязняющие вещества sewage - сточные воды sewage treatment очистка сточных вод unabated неослабленный, нестихающий

II. Preparing the audience 4. Anyway, I'm going to be talking this morning about WATER POLLUTION. 5. Well, I'll start with the value of water as a vital resource for human beings. Then I'll move on to the water use increasing. Finally, I'm going to speak about some efforts to control water pollution. 6. I think, if you don't mind, we'll leave questions to the end.

III. Delivering the message 7. Now firstly, as you all know, water has always been a vital resource for human beings—at first just for drinking, later for washing, and eventually for irrigation. Secondly, with the power conferred by fossil fuels and modern technology, people have rerouted rivers, pumped up deep groundwater, and polluted the Earth’s water supply as never before. River water alone did not suffice to meet the water needs of agriculture and cities. Groundwater in many parts of the world became an essential source of water. By 1999 humanity was using about 20 times as much fresh water as was used in the year of 1800.

III. Delivering the message 8. This brings me to my next point which is DAMS. Between 1945 and 1995, most of the world's rivers that had met engineers’ criteria for suitability had acquired dams. Because they provided electric power as well as irrigation water, dams made life easier for millions of people. Convenience came at a price, however, as dams changed established water ecosystems that had developed over the course of centuries.

III. Delivering the message E. g. in Central Asia, the Aral Sea paid the price. It was formerly the fourth largest lake in the world. After 1960 the Aral Sea shrank because the waters that fed into it were diverted to irrigate cotton fields.

III. Delivering the message 9. I must emphasize that not only was the water use increasing, but more of it was becoming polluted by human use. For most of human history, water pollution was largely biological, caused mainly by human and animal wastes. However, industrialization introduced countless chemicals into the waters of the world, complicating pollution problems. As was the case with air pollution, the industrialization and technological advances of the 20 th century brought increasing varieties of water pollution. Scientists invented new chemicals that did not exist in nature, and a few of these chemicals turned out to be very useful in manufacturing and in agriculture. Unfortunately, a few of these also turned out to be harmful pollutants.

III. Delivering the message 10. At this point we must consider the importance of Efforts to Control Water Pollution. Until the early 20 th century, biological pollution of the world's lakes and rivers remained a problem. Then experiments in filtration and chemical treatment of water proved fruitful. In Europe and North America, sewage treatment and water filtration assured a cleaner and healthier water supply.

III. Delivering the message 11. Now to digress for just a moment. As U. S. vice-president Dan Quayle once said, “It isn't pollution that's harming the environment. It's the impurities in our water and air that are doing it. ”

III. Delivering the message 12. So, to go back to my earlier point. Many communities around the world, especially in poor countries such as India and Nigeria, could not afford to invest in sewage treatment and water filtration plants. The worst water pollution prevailed in poorer countries where biological pollution continued unabated, while chemical pollution from industry or agriculture emerged to complement the biological pollution.

III. Delivering the message 13. Finally one more example. In the late 1900 s, China probably suffered the most from the widest variety of water pollution problems.

IV. Winding-up 14. O. K. , so just before closing, I'd like to summarize my main points again. 1) Water has always been a vital resource for human beings. 2) By 1999 humanity was using about 20 times as much fresh water as was used in 1800. 3) In advanced countries, sewage treatment and water filtration assure a cleaner and healthier water supply. 15. Well, that's all I have today for the moment. 16. Thank you for listening! 17. Now if there any questions, I'll be happy to answer them.