Read and translate the text into Russian (study reading).
Laptops for the hungry
One of the problems faced by the poorest countries in the world is that of child labour. Children who ought to be at school getting an education are out working because there is no other way for their families to earn enough to make ends meet.
This is the world in which the United Nations announced in 2005 that it was setting a goal according to which every child in the developing world would have a laptop by 2015. A company had designed a very simple and robust laptop that would be powered by a wind-up mechanism so it could be used in areas that don't yet have electricity, and assuming at least 100 million would be ordered, the final price tag would be no more than 100 dollars. The plan is for governments and charities to buy these laptops and distribute them to children in the poorest areas of the world.
When hearing announcements like this it is not easy to avoid being cynical. At a time when the New World Order (or the New American Century, as it has also been called) is becoming the focus for a violent reaction from other social groups perhaps the laptops and their software can subtly persuade the youngest and poorest kids in the world that the West is unquestionably the best.
http://fullspate.digitalcounterrevolution.co.uk
Read the text and render its content in Russian (average reading).
Parks Instead of Cars for the World's Cities
More than half of the world’s population lives in urban areas. Traffic and pollution are becoming a big problem in big cities all over the world. In megacities like Mexico City, Shanghai or Cairo the quality of the air is getting worse every day. In the United States commuters spend more time sitting in traffic jams.
Some of the world’s cities have already reacted to the crisis. In Bogota, the capital of Columbia, the mayor has taken measures to improve the quality of life for the city’s 8 million people. He created over a thousand new parks, created a new public transport system, built hundreds of cycling paths and pedestrian zones. The citizens of the city also participated in making their city one of the most livable places in South America.
Today city planners around the world are looking for ways to provide more room for living and less room for cars. Through traffic jams people do not only lose time in getting to work, cities become dirtier too. Too much space is taken away from nature and used for streets and parking areas. In the past city governments have not been spending enough money on public transport systems that work.
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However , there are signs of change. In America public transport has increased over 2 % nationwide since the mid 1990s- not much but a start. More and more people leave their cars at home and get on buses, trains or even ride a bike to work. Some cities are far better at planning than others. In Amsterdam, for example, only 40 % of the population uses their car to get to work, 35 % ride a bike while 25% use public transport. In Paris about half of the city’s commuters drive their car to work while on the other side of the Atlantic 95% of Atlanta’s workers go by car. For Third World cities the problems have just started. Traffic is getting worse as more and more people can afford to buy a car.
http://www.english-online.at
Вариант 11.
Read the text out loud.
Read and translate the text into Russian (study reading).
The Environment is a Global Security Issue
Environmental challenges have received international attention that has never before been witnessed. There are however still a number of countries and groups that refuse to provide environmental issues the recognition they deserve, and this is to the detriment of the rest of the world. This short essay will strongly argue that environmental threats justify an increase to the concept of global security. The definition of global security is complex and multi-faceted and is constantly being debated. Environmental issues are security threats, as they cross borders, have serious consequences, are connected to other issues and can result in military consequences.
Firstly, environmental issues are inherently global in nature. Issues such as pollution, decreased water supply, global warming and acid rain all impact on nations around and have no respect for the notion of sovereignty. Secondly, environmental issues are serious and have significant consequences. Whilst the impact of issues such as global warming are highly contestable, the Bruntland Report outlined the consequences of environmental degradation, including depleting resources and lack of water. Thirdly, environmental issues are connected to other security threats. For example, rising sea levels are threatening to submerge a number of Pacific islands, causing an environmental refugee problem …
http://www.english-online.at
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