English in biology and ecology (Английский язык в сфере Биологии и Экологии)

МИНИСТЕРСТВО НАУКИ И ВЫСШЕГО ОБРАЗОВАНИЯ РОССИЙСКОЙ ФЕДЕРАЦИИ 
НАЦИОНАЛЬНЫЙ ИССЛЕДОВАТЕЛЬСКИЙ  
ТОМСКИЙ ГОСУДАРСТВЕННЫЙ УНИВЕРСИТЕТ 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Л.Ю. Минакова, А.В. Пилюкова 
 
 
ENGLISH IN BIOLOGY AND ECOLOGY 
 
(АНГЛИЙСКИЙ ЯЗЫК В СФЕРЕ БИОЛОГИИ И ЭКОЛОГИИ) 
 
 
 
Учебное пособие 
для студентов естественных специальностей 
 
2-е издание, переработанное 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Томск 
Издательский Дом Томского государственного университета 
2018 
 

УДК 378.14 : 811.111 (075.8) 
ББК 74. 261 Англ. 
         М62 
 
 
 
Р е ц е н з е н т ы: 
С.К. Гураль – д-р пед. наук, профессор, почетный декан факультета иностранных языков  
Национального исследовательского Томского государственного университета; 
В.М. Смокотин – д-р философ. наук, доцент, профессор кафедры английского языка естественно-научных  
и физико-математических факультетов Национального исследовательского  
Томского государственного университета; 
П.Д. Митчелл – Doctor of Education, доцент кафедры английской филологии  
Национального исследовательского Томского государственного университета 
 
 
 
Минакова Л. Ю., Пилюкова А. В. 
М62  ENGLISH IN BIOLOGY AND ECOLOGY (АНГЛИЙСКИЙ В СФЕРЕ БИОЛОГИИ  
И ЭКОЛОГИИ) : учеб. пособие для студентов естественных специальностей. – 2-е изд., 
перераб. – Томск : Издательский Дом Томского государственного университета,  
2018. – 152 с. 
 
ISBN 978-5-94621-746-0 
 
Пособие предназначено для студентов высших учебных заведений, обучающихся по естественным направлениям подготовки для изучения английского языка в сфере профессиональной коммуникации. 
 
УДК 378.14 : 811.111 (075.8) 
ББК 74. 261 Англ. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
ISBN 978-5-94621-746-0  
 
 
 
© Минакова Л.Ю., Пилюкова А.В., 2018 
© Томский государственный университет, 2018 
 
 

CONTENTS

Предисловие ..............................................................................................................................................   4
Unit 1...........................................................................................................................................................   5
Unit 2...........................................................................................................................................................  18
Unit 3...........................................................................................................................................................  31
Module Self-Assessment (units 1–3).............................................................................................................  44
Unit 4...........................................................................................................................................................  46
Unit 5...........................................................................................................................................................  60
Unit 6...........................................................................................................................................................  74
Module Self-Assessment (units 4–6).............................................................................................................  88
Unit 7...........................................................................................................................................................  91
Unit 8........................................................................................................................................................... 102
Unit 9........................................................................................................................................................... 116
Module Self-Assessment (units 7–9)............................................................................................................. 133
Ecology Glossary.......................................................................................................................................... 137
Section 1. Project Work................................................................................................................................ 143
Section 2. How to make a good presentation................................................................................................. 144
Section 3. Useful phrases to be used while making a presentation................................................................. 146
Section 4. Primary criteria for evaluation of presentation.............................................................................. 148
Bibliography ................................................................................................................................................ 149

ПРЕДИСЛОВИЕ

Основной целью данного пособия является обучение основам профессионального иноязычного общения студентов естественных факультетов. Пособие нацелено на обучение студентов  базовому курсу профессионального иностранного языка и его использованию
в ситуациях коммуникации. Учебное пособие способствует формированию профессионального тезауруса студентов естественных специальностей на основе экологического знания по
разработанному алгоритму. Пошаговая реализация обучения определенной терминосистеме
и умениям представлять и обсуждать результаты анализа аутентичных профессиональных
текстов составляет суть разработанного алгоритма обучения иноязычному профессиональному дискурсу.
В пособие включены аутентичные тексты на английском языке по широкому кругу
вопросов, связанных с защитой человека и окружающей среды от опасных техногенных
воздействий. Тексты снабжены упражнениями и заданиями, направленными на развитие
умений анализировать прочитанное, выделять основные идеи в тексте и прорабатывать
отдельные детали. Кроме того, комплекс заданий, включающий в себя дотекстовые и послетекстовые упражнения, позволит формировать умения обсуждать прочитанное, что способствует обучению иноязычному профессиональному дискурсу и развитию устной иноязычной профессиональной речи.
Проектная деятельность включена во все уроки пособия, основывается на их материале,
предполагает задания для самостоятельной работы в ходе реализации  проекта, обучает работе с
аутентичными профессиональными материалами, оперированию определенными фразами и выражениями в процессе обсуждения результатов проектов. Подготовка презентаций по результатам работы в проекте, дискуссия по материалам проекта способствуют максимальному приближению учебной ситуации к реальной коммуникации и готовят студентов к осуществлению иноязычного профессионального общения в рамках предложенных тем.
Структура пособия представлена отдельными уроками, построение которых может рассматриваться как самостоятельный комплекс, состоящий из следующих частей:  Warm-Up
Activities, Reading Comprehension, Language Development, Focus on Grammar, Focus on Business, Talking Points, Project Work.
Разделы Warm-Up Activities и Reading Comprehension знакомят студентов с общей тематикой и проблематикой урока, позволяют усвоить определенную профессиональную терминологию.
Каждый урок включает в себя разделы Language Development, Focus on Grammar, что
позволяет отработать умения употребления профессиональных терминов в различных предложениях, а также усвоить определенный грамматический материал, способствующий формированию правильности высказываний.
Раздел Focus on Business развивает умения делового профессионального общения и
знакомит студентов с различными типами делового письма.
В каждом уроке находятся разделы Talking Points и Project Work, которые содержат
учебно-речевые ситуации, активизирующие употребление речевых образцов для решения
задач профессиональной коммуникации. Задания по выполнению коллективных и индивидуальных проектов основаны на материале урока, имеют инструкции для работы в проекте,
содержат правила оформления и представления результатов.
В учебном пособии представлены аутентичные тексты по тематике, связанной с экологическим знанием. Комплекс условно-коммуникативных упражнений и задания по участию в проекте позволяют обучать иноязычному профессиональному дискурсу студентов естественных факультетов. Работа с материалом, представленным в пособии, способствует формированию иноязычного профессионального дискурса на основе овладения терминологией на английском
языке из области защиты окружающей среды и безопасности жизнедеятельности.

UNIT 1

Learn how to…
1. Define the term “ecology” and some basic notions connected with this branch of science.
2. Identify some important environmental problems that we face today.
3. Describe the characteristics of living things.
Focus on Grammar
Present simple / Progressive / Perfect / Perfect Progressive tenses.
The article
Four types of questions
Functions of the word “one”
Words of Latin and Greek origin
Language development
Vocabulary focus
Phrasal verb: bring
Speaking: tell other students about the past, present and future of ecology in Russia and
England
Focus on Business: letter layout
Talking points: our attitude to nature
Project work: objects of Ecology

Warm-Up Activities

1.1. Answer the following questions:
1. What is ecology? Give your definition of this branch of science.
2. What specialists are called ecologists?
3. Can you explain the main problems ecologists deal with?
4. Which branches of science is ecology connected with?

1.2. Read the following definitions of ecology and choose the most suitable one from your
point of view:
Ecology is a branch of science dealing with the relations of plants and living things to each
other and to their environment.
Ecology is the natural relationship between plants, animals and people, and the places where
they live.

1.3.  Study the difference between these words:
Ecology, ecological, environment, environmental.
These words are sometimes used in the same way although they have different meanings. We
have already defined the term “ecology”, and the adjective connected with ecology is ecological. Environment refers to the places or situations in which plants, animals and people live. The adjective
“environmental” has the same meaning. Sometimes “ecological” and “environmental” are used with
the same nouns and have the similar meaning.

Exercise
1.4. Fill in the blanks using the words according to their meaning:
 1. Tourists are damaging the ________________ by leaving their rubbish in the forests.
 2. Ship crashes often lead to the disruption of marine _____________.
 3. The oil spill was ______________disaster for thousands of birds.
 4. Water pollution causes an _______________disaster in this area.

1.5. Guide to reading. Read and translate the text. Summarize some of the major principles of
ecological science.

Text 1

Ecology

Ecology is a branch of science that integrates organisms, the physical environment and humans.
This word comes from Greek “oikos” which means home and “logos” that means science. The idea
of home includes our whole planet, its population, nature, animals, birds, fish, insects and all other
living beings and even the atmosphere around our planet. Accordingly ecology is defined as the scientific study of the distribution and abundance of living things and how the distribution and abundance are affected by interactions between the organisms and their environment.
Since ancient times nature has served a man giving everything he needs: air to breathe, food to
eat, water to drink, wood for building and fuel for his home, for thousands of years people lived in
harmony with the environment and it seemed to them that the resources of nature had no end or
limit. The industrial development has changed the situation and its negative influence on nature can
be observed in all parts of the world. The by-products of industry pollute the air we breathe, the water we drink the fields where our crops are grown. So, pollution is one of the most important problems nowadays and it concerns not only particular objects in definite regions but all constituents of
life called an ecosystem.
At present ecologists tend to identify themselves as ecosystems ecologists who focus on large
units (lakes, forests, watersheds, landscapes) as systems or communities of species. Because of the
fact that the discipline is so broad, it tends to fragment into numerous subdivisions or interfaces, with
their own organizations, meetings, and journals. Examples are conservation ecology, restoration
ecology, systems ecology, population genetics, ecological economics and many more. Environmental
studies, being taught in many schools and colleges, deal with ecological concepts in relation to economic, legal, ethical, historical, social and demographic considerations, in other words, the interface
between environmental sciences and the humanity.
The major principles of ecological sciences can be summarized under the following headings:
ecological energetics, material recycling, ecosystem development or ecological succession, food
chains and food webs, biodiversity, evolutionary ecology.
Ecological energetics considers the ecosystem as a thermodynamically open system. For example, a city is not a self-contained unit ecologically and economically, its well-being depends not
only on what goes on within city limits, but even more on the external life-support environment that:
1) provides air, water, food, fuel and minerals;
2) processes outgoing wastes generated by the intense consumption of resources imported
from outside.
Material recycling of human-made things becomes appropriate when supplies or landfills become limited or when the value of the recycled product equals or doesn’t exceed the cost of collection and remanufacture.
During the ecosystem development species composition changes with time as opportunistic
species with high reproductive rates that colonize the early stages are replaced by species which are
specially adapted to the crowded conditions of the mature stages. When ecosystems are destroyed
either by natural events (such as storms) or by human abuses of the environment (such as severe erosion or pollution) the biotic community is often set back to an earlier stage of development. Succession then becomes nature’s repair process.
As energy passes along a food chain, it decreases in quantity but increases in quality at each successive transfer. Thus, predators are less numerous than herbivores but they have greater influence on the
function and species composition of the ecosystem. There are two main food chains: (a) the food chain
beginning with particulate organic matter such as dead leaves and (b) the food chain beginning with dissolved organic material exuded or extracted from cells or vascular systems.

Biodiversity may be defined as the variety of life forms, the ecological roles they play, and the
genetic diversity they contain. Diversity of life forms is considered to be important not only because
of the direct or indirect importance of individual species to society, but because of the redundancy
and stability that diversity of ecological roles contributes to the ecosystem. Loss of genetic biodiversity can result in rapid extinction of different species, while the variety of life forms in any region depends on the size and dynamics of interconnection between inhabitants. Accordingly, efforts to preserve biodiversity must focus on the landscape level of organization.
Evolutionary Ecology considers the process of surviving different organisms in their struggle
for energy and space. They have to adapt to their environment and their community in a cooperative
manner. Interaction of unrelated species for mutual benefit has special survival value when resources
become scarce, or where soil or water is nutrient poor.
So, as we can see that ecology is concerned with different spheres of living nature and has its
manifestation in conservation of all the varieties existing in ecosystems.

1.6. Look through the text again to focus on the particular facts and the details you need.
a) Make up several questions you would like to ask the students in your group.
b) Explain the meaning of new words from the text. Try to make up some sentences using
them.
c) Ask your partner about some facts you have learned from the text.
d) Try to analyse what facts were familiar to you and what facts are new.
e) Define the main concepts of the text and tell your partner about the main problems
ecologists deal with.
Vocabulary Focus

1.7. Find Russian equivalents for the following English words and expressions:
argument
cell
cellular
despite/in spite of
diverse
efficient
living things
photosynthesis
substance
surroundings

survival
to argue for centuries
to be accepted
to be capable of
to be unresolved
to capture the energy
to convert the energy
to reproduce
to respond to

Reading Comprehension

1.8. Guide to Reading: Read the text and determine the main characteristics of living things
according to the following plan.
1. All living things have got some similarities.
2. The cell is the smallest unit of a living thing.
3. Basic kinds of reproduction.
4. The process of obtaining the energy.
5. Living things and their environment.
In order to connect your ideas remember to use the following linking words: furthermore,
moreover, similarly, what is more, also.

Text 2

Characteristics of Living Things

Making up a list of the characteristics of living things is not as easy as it might sound. In fact,
scientists have argued for centuries over the basic characteristics that separate life and nonlife. Some
of these arguments are still unresolved. Despite these arguments, there do seem to be some generally
accepted characteristics common to all living things. We can state with some confidence that all living things:
·are made up of one or more units called cells,
·reproduce,
·grow and develop,
·obtain and use energy,
·respond to their environment.

Living Things Are Made Up of Cells

Living things are made up of small self-contained units called cells. The cell is the structural
and functional unit of most living organisms. Cell size varies, but most cells are microscopic (average
diameter 0.01-0.1 mm). Cells are remarkably diverse. A single cell itself can form an entire living organism. Organisms consisting of only a single cell are called unicellular. Most of the organisms we
are familiar with such as dogs and trees, are multicellular. Multicellular organisms contain hundreds,
thousands, even trillions of cells or even more.
Each cell consists of a mass of protein material that is differentiated into the cytoplasm and the
nucleus, which contains DNA. The cell is bounded by a plasma membrane, which in the cells of
plants, fungi, algae, and bacteria is limited by a cell wall. There are two types of cells. They are called
prokaryotic cells and eukaryotic cells.

Living Things Reproduction

Living things can reproduce, or produce new organisms of the same type. There are two basic
kinds of reproduction: sexual and asexual. Sexual reproduction requires that two cells from different
individuals unite to produce the first cell of a new organism. For example, most familiar organisms –
from maple trees to birds and bees – reproduce sexually. In asexual reproduction, a single organism
can reproduce without the aid of another. This kind of reproduction can be very simple. Some singlecelled organisms merely divide in two to form two organisms.

Living Things Growth and Development

All living things, at one stage or another in their lives, are capable of growth. An acorn, when it
sprouts, produces roots, stems, a trunk, and leaves that continue to grow for years. As it grows, the
plant takes in substances from the air and soil and transforms these substances into living tissue.
During growth, most living things go through a cycle of change called development. The single
cell that starts an organism’s life divides and changes again and again to form the many and varied
cells of an adult organism. As development continues, organisms experience a process called aging.
During aging, an organism becomes less efficient in the process of life. The ability to reproduce
comes to an end. For virtually all organisms, death is the inevitable end of the life span of every individual. Death, too, is a process of change that separates living and nonliving things.

Living Things Obtaining and Using Energy

Living things obtain energy from their environment, or their surroundings, and use that energy to
grow, develop, and reproduce. All organisms require energy to build the substances that make up their
cells. Any process in a living thing that involves putting together or synthesizing complex substances from

simpler substances is called anabolism. Plants obtain their energy from sunlight in a process called photosynthesis. In the process of photosynthesis, green plants capture the energy in sunlight and convert it into
chemical energy. Thus, the term photosynthesis means put together with light.
Animals cannot perform photosynthesis. Animals take in energy in the form of food. Food is
broken down during a process called digestion. The final breakdown of complex substances into
simple ones, usually resulting in the release of energy, is called catabolism.
It should be noted that the total sum of all chemical reactions in the body – the balance of
anabolism and catabolism – is called metabolism. The various compounds that take part in or are
formed by these reactions are called metabolites. The synthesis (anabolism) and breakdown (catabolism) of most compounds occur by a number of reaction steps, the reaction sequence being termed a
metabolic pathway. Some pathways are linear, others are cyclic. The changes at each step in a pathway are usually small and are promoted by efficient biological catalysts called the enzymes.

Living Things Respondent to Their Environment

Living things respond to their environment. Such responses can be rapid, usually through
changes in behaviour, or slow, usually through changes in metabolic processes or through growth.
Anything in the environment that causes an organism to react is called a stimulus. Organisms react to
many stimuli, including light, temperature, odour, sound, gravity, heat, water, and pressure.
The ability of living things to react to stimuli is known as irritability. Both plants and animals
exhibit irritability and can react to a variety of stimuli. Plants, however, usually respond to stimuli
more slowly than animals.
In general, living things respond to stimuli in ways that improve their chances for survival. The
process by which organisms respond to stimuli in order to keep conditions in their body suitable for
life is called homeostasis. Homeostasis refers to an ability of an organism to maintain constant or
stable conditions that are necessary for life. It should be noted that nonliving things also respond to
the environment. However, the responses of nonliving things are purely mechanical (like a spring that
jumps, when compressed and released) and are not related to survival.

Language Development

1.9. Work with vocabulary related to ecological and biological problems. Identify any words
that are new to you, memorize them and make up your own sentences.

1.10. Fill in the correct word(s) from the list below:
a body of knowledge
carrying out research
an invaluable tool
to bring about
to keep healthy
fruitful
an entire living organism
despite different arguments
comes to an end
1. The whole course in General Biology attempts … … an understanding of the terms
    “bios” (life) and “logos” (study or science).
2. Science is viewed as … … accumulated over centuries.
3. The knowledge of biology helps us … … and also enables people to solve many
    scientific and everyday problems.
4. In … … modern biologists use the scientific method that covers several stages.
5. In almost all areas of biology the computer has become … … that can be used to
    perform complex tasks and analyse quantities of data.
6. The symbiosis of sciences is extremely … ….
7. … … there do seem to be some generally accepted characteristics common to all
    living things.
8. A single cell itself can form  … ….
9. The ability to reproduce … ….

1.11. Match the following words with the definitions:
1. contribution
A  quality of not being the same
2. disease
B  plant with seeds in pods, used for food
3. explanation
C  science or practice of farming
4. variety
D  statement, fact, circumstance that make
                                                                   plain or clear
5. science
E  giving ideas, suggestions, helping to
                                                                   bring about
6. zoologist
F  tendency to pass characteristics on to
                                                                  offspring, etc.
7. heredity
G  illness; disorder of body or mind or of
                                                                   plants
8. inheritance
H  knowledge arranged in an orderly
                                                                   manner
9. pea
I   deriving qualities from ancestors
10. agriculture
J   expert in the science studying animals

1.12. Put each of the following words in its place in the passage below:
conservatism
stability
building
national               vision
associations
gardening 
living               
thatched              pond
opportunities
           privilege          common          health                 crime

The Love of Nature

Most of the British live in towns and cities. But they have an idealized _________ (1) of the
countryside. To the British, the countryside has almost none of the negative _________ (2) which it
has in some countries, such as poor facilities, lack of educational _________ (3), unemployment and
poverty. To them, the countryside means peace and quiet, beauty, good _________ (4) and no
_________ (5). Most of them would live in a country village if they thought that they could find a
way of earning a _________ (6) there. Ideally, this village would consist of _________ (7) cottages
built around an area of grass known as a “village green”. Nearby, there would be a _________ (8)
with ducks on it. Nowadays such a village is not actually very _________ (9), but it is a stereotypical
picture that is well-known to the British.
Perhaps this love of the countryside is another aspect of British _________ (10). The countryside represents _________ (11). Those who live in towns and cities take an active interest in country
matters and the British regard it as both a right and a _________ (12) to be able to go “into the
country” whenever they want to. Large areas of the country are official “_________ (13) parks”
where almost no _________ (14) is allowed.
Even if they cannot get into the countryside, many British people still spend a lot of their time
with “nature”. They grow plants. _________ (15) is one of the most popular hobbies in the country.

1.13. Talking points: Say a few words about the attitude of British people to nature.
Remember to use the linking or sequence words:
·
however, but, in contrast to, nevertheless, on the other hand, but  are used to join
                       two contrasting ideas;
·
although, even though, despite, in spite of, while, whereas, nevertheless are used to
                       make a clause of concession.

Examples:
1. Most British people live in cities and towns. However, they have an idealized vision of the
countryside.