i | | i | News item 1: Forest fires Listening comprehension Tick the statements: true (T) or false (F)? 1. This year’s forest fires have brought several million dollars’ worth of losses. For the last three years there has been very little rain. No rains accompanied the storms which started the fires. Fire can spread faster than one can imagine. A oR oN Some firefighters died because of smoke inhalation. ‘The water-bombing aircraft dropped its load on the man by mistake. Ifa fire is put out, it no longer represents danger. Helicopters and planes are used only to spot new outbreaks of fire. Pr The fact that the conflagration is seen from space indicates the 4 scale of the disaster. 10. After the fire, the forests will soon look as before. Collocations Match the words from column A with those from column B to form collocations as they appear in the report. COLUMN A COLUMN B cause damage dense eyes eerie fire glow lightning fire reserves natural retardants raging satellites smouldering smoke swollen spot weather storms 11Forest fires More than one million acres of forests have gone up in flames this year. This represents the worst loss of timber in Norwood this century. Millions of dollars worth of damage has been caused, with beautiful woodland areas and natural reserves being reduced to ashes. Following a severe drought for the third year in succession, a series of lightning storms ignited a wave of fires which were almost impossible to contain, In just one National Park, the inferno got out of control and seared 700,000 acres in five months. When one raging fire is put out, firemen move on to another outbreak, often caused by airborne embers. “Fire spreads so quickly,” said one firefighter, his eyes swollen, his face covered with grime, “that you can easily be cut off by the flames.” Indeed, twenty firefighters have died battling this year’s forest fires: some were overcome by smoke and flames before they could reach the safety of fire-resistant shelters, while several were taken to hospital with burns and injuries from falling trees. One was killed when a water-bombing aircraft accidentally emptied its 1,000 gallon load over him. At the scene, it is impossible to endure the heat; in some areas the fire reaches 2,000 degrees Fahrenheit — hot enough to melt metal traffic signs and vaporize small streams. Dense smoke cuts visibility by half. The ashes at each smouldering spot have to be checked to make reignition impossible. In an effort lo prevent the fire from spreading further, helicopters and planes dump fire retardants. At night, an eerie orange glow can be seen in the sky from many miles away, and the conflagration was detected by weather satellites. Forests, with the exception of some very old and large trees, will regenerate quickly ~ although it could take three hundred years before the worst-burnt areas return to their full majesty.| | | | | j | timber 1 (wood suitable for building and carpentry) — drewno ashes n (powder that remains after burning) — popidt ignite v (inflame, set on fire) — zapalié, podpalié contain v (stop, keep under control) — tu: powstrzymaé, opanowaé inferno n (something burning fiercely) — morze ognia, #ar (pickielny) sear v (burn, scorch the surface) — przypalaé, osmalié rage v (burn fiercely) — szaleé embers n. (small pieces of burning wood) — zarzace sie wegle grime n (soot) — sadza endure v (stand, bear, put up with) — wytraymaé, zni vaporize v (become steam) — wyparowaé smoulder v (burn slowly without flame) — tli¢ sie retardant n (chemical which slows down burning) — srodek hamujacy rozprzestrzenianie sie ognia eerie adj (strange, unearthly) — dziwny, niesamowity glow n (radiance) — poswiata conflagration n (blaze, destructive fire) — pozoga Reading comprehension Answer the following questions. 1. What sort of damage has been caused by the fires? 2. What makes containing the fire so difficult? 3. What caused the casualties? 4, What is being done to prevent the fire from spreading? 5. Is the damage caused by the fire irreversible? Phrases to learn Complete the following phrases. Each line stands for one word. in f.. + stanowié strate — r. al. + sptonaé — * rozpalié ogien ~ + niemotliwy do opanowania — i. « wymknaé sig spod kontroli — g. * ugasié pozar ~ p. « zniesé goraco ~ e. + stopié sie i wyparowaé — m.. * ograniczyé widocznosé 0 polowe ~ e. + zapobiec rozprzestrzenianin sig ognia — Poi. the f. s « sprawdzié tlace sig miejsca ~ ¢. 13Headline Rearrange the words to form the headline to the report. IN * FOREST'S * DESTROYED * MORE * BLAZES * UNCONTROLLABLE Translation practice W tym roku wiele laséw poszto z dymem. Pozary powodujq straty na sume wielu milionéw dolaréw. Lasy zapalajg si¢ od piorunéw. Pozary laséw sq trudne do opanowania, Szalejacy ogien szybko sig rozprzestrzenia, Goraco jest nie do zniesienia, Dwudziestu strazakéw zgingto walezae z ogniem, ktéry nie daje sie ugasié. Stracili zycie, gdyz nie zdqzyli wrécié do ognioodpornego schronu. Samoloty zrzucaja srodki zapobiegajace szerzeniu sig ognia, Poswiata jest wi- doezna z odlegtosci wielu mil. Uplynie wiele lat, zanim najbardzie} wypalone obszary powrocq do dawnej swietnosci Discussion topics s? What can 1. Do forest fires occur naturally, regurdless of man’s activi start them? 2. If they occur naturally, why are people so desperate to fight them? 3. Why do so many young people choose the occupation of a firefighter despite its evident danger? Would you like to be one? Why? 4, Put yourself in the position of an officer in charge of putting out a forest fire. How would you organize the operation? What circumstances would affect your decisions? What methods do you believe to be the most effective? How would you protect the lives of the people under your command? 14