University “Alexandru Ioan Cuza”

Department of Geography
Iasi, Romania

ENGLISH LANGUAGE FOR GEOGRAPHERS

LECTURE 3

Daniela LARION
CONTENTS

QUIZ
Some
ATMOSPHERE Prepositions
1. Atmospheric Composition
Ordinal Numbers
2. Atmospheric structure
3. Greenhouse Effect European
Countries
BASIC ENGLISH GRAMMAR (OPTIONAL)
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 Let’s remember some of the things we discussed the previous class:

1. The earth system is considered:

a. An open system
b. A closed system
c. An isolated system
d. None of the above
2. The hydrosphere is an example of:
a. An isolated system
b. An open system
c. A closed system
d. None of the above
3. The earth completes its orbit around the sun in:
a. 365 days
b. 24 hours
c. 24 ¼ hours
d. 365 ¼ days
4. The predominant chemical element in the sun is:
a. Helium (75%)
b. Carbon (75%)
c. Oxygen (75%)
d. Hydrogen (75%)
5. If you are in Svalbard, the atmospheric
phenomenon you could see is:
a. Aurora Australis
b. Northern lights
c. Aurora Borealis
d. Southern lights
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 6. Every four years the year is one day longer, with 366 days. These years
leap years
are called: .............................
7. The length of day and night is equal at:
a. Winter Solstice
b. Spring Equinox
c. Summer Solstice
d. Autumnal Equinox
8. Earthquakes are generated by ......................... sources of energy:
a. endogenic
b. exogenic
c. Both endogenic and exogenic
d. None of the above
9. The shortest measurable time unit is:
a. Microsecond
b. Millisecond
c. Attosecond
d. Nanosecond
e. none of the above
9. Translate the following words into English:
a. Nucleu intern Inner core
b. Manta superioara Upper mantle
c. Scoarta Crust
d. Placi tectonice Tectonic plates
e. Expansiunea fundului oceanic Sea-floor spreading
f. Curbe de nivel Contour lines
g.Teledetectie Remote sensing
h. Meridianul de 0° Prime meridian
i. Cercul Polar de Nord Arctic Circle
j. Cel mai sudic ocean The Southernmost ocean
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 ATMOSPHERE
a dynamic mixture of gases

AIR COMPOSITION
Atmospheric composition is being regulated by the biotic elements, geological
processes, volcanic eruptions and human activity.

“CONSTANT GASES” “VARIABLE GASES”

NITROGEN, OXYGEN, ARGON CARBON DIOXIDE, METHANE, OZONE, WATER VAPOUR
(their concentration has remained virtually (they are present in small and variable amounts but
the same for much of recent earth history) they exert a great control over the environment)
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 NITROGEN
• a relatively inert gas produced
primarily by the volcanic
eruptions.
• it is an important component of
protein in meat, eggs and the
tissues of plants, especially
grains and members of the pea
family.
• it cannot be ingested directly by
organisms but made available to
plants, and than to animals, by
compounds in the soil.
• most atmospheric N2 enters the
soil by nitrogen-fixing
microorganisms
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ARGON
• a colourless, odourless
relatively inert gas
• used:
For electric light bulbs
For fluorescent tubes
to form inert atmosphere for
arc welding
for growing semiconductor
crystals
OXYGEN
• important for animal and plant
respiratory processes.
• generates chemical reactions
(oxidation) that breakdown rock
minerals (chemical weathering)
• without oxygen things cannot
burn either.
• Free oxygen in the atmosphere
is a product of plant
photosynthesis (plants take up
carbon dioxide and in the process
of photosynthesis release
oxygen).
 “FROM”
1. Care este distanta de la pamant la luna?
What is the distance from the Earth to the moon?
2. Ei s-au mutat din sat in sat in cautare de lucru.
They moved from village to village in search of work.
3. A lucrat de dimineata pana la pranz.
He has worked from morning till noon.
4. Am stiut chiar de la inceput ca ma va minti.
FROM I knew from the very beginning that he would lie to me.
(de la, din) 5. Magazinele sunt de obicei deschise de la 10 la 22.
SPATIU (1,2,3) The shops are usually open from 10 am till 10 pm.
6. A primit niste bani de la bunicii lui.
(from... to) He got some money from his grandparents.
TIMP (4,5) 7. Am avut de tradus un text din romana in franceza.
(from.. till) I had to translate one text from Romanian into French.
SURSA (6,7,8) 8. Paul e din Vaslui dar nevasta lui e de Iasi de loc.
Paul is from Vaslui but his wife comes from Iasi.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cartea din biblioteca este a mea.
ON, IN, UNDER..
The book IN the bookcase in mine.
Da-mi cartea din biblioteca. arata pozitia
Give me the book FROM the bookcase.
Laptopul de pe masa nu merge. FROM
The laptop ON the table doesn’t work. arata extragerea,
Adu-mi laptopul de pe masa. scoaterea
Bring me the laptop FROM the table, (din acea pozitie)
Sunt mai multe creioane sub scaun.
There are several pencils UNDER the chair.
Ia un creion de sub scaun.
Take one pencil FROM under the chair.
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 CARBON is the fourth most abundant element
in the Universe
(after Hydrogen, Helium, Oxygen)

In plant tissues
In deposits of coal, peat, oil and gas
WHERE IS CARBON STORED? In limestone rocks

IS CARBON DIOXIDE IN THE AIR CONSTANT?

It varies throughout the year (a natural process)
It varies from one year to another, with an increase trend nowadays
HOW IS CARBON DIOXIDE RELEASED BACK IN THE AIR?
Plants and animals (respiration, decomposition, fires, permafrost etc)
Fossil fuels burning etc

WHAT IS A CARBON SINK?

Reservoirs where carbon is accumulated

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 CO2 ANNUAL AND LONG TERM VARIATION

Why is CO2 concentration slightly lower in

summer than in winter?

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 THE GREENHOUSE EFFECT GREENHOUSE GASES
▲
CO2 (carbon dioxide)
CH4 (methane)
N2O (nitrous oxide)
CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJAbATJCugs

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 LAUGHING GAS
Nitrous oxide, commonly known as laughing gas, is a
chemical compound with the formula N2O.
At room temperature, it is a colourless, non-flammable
gas, with a slightly sweet odour and taste.
It is used in surgery and dentistry for anaesthetic and
analgesic effects.
It is known as "laughing gas" due to the euphoric effects
of inhaling it, a property that has led to its recreational
use as a dissociative anaesthetic.
It is also used an oxidiser in the launching of rockets and
in motor racing to increase the power output of the
engines.
At elevated temperatures, nitrous oxide is a powerful
oxidizer similar to molecular oxygen. (source: Wikipedia)

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 Elaborate an answer to this question – in minimum one page
(10 points reward – for a well documented essay,
using correct English)
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 Ordinal Cardinal numbers !!!
numbers
FOURTH One The first 1st
or
FORTH? Two The second 2nd
Three The third 3rd
Four The fourth 4th
1. Put a cherry on top the first cake, then the
second, and so forth / fourth Five The fifth 5th
2. Remember, our mission is to travel
forth / fourth into deep space and explore Six The sixth 6th
new galaxies
3. My forth / fourth point relates to the Seven The seventh 7th
students’ exams.
4. My son is the forth/fourth tallest in his Eight The eighth 8th
class.
-------------------------------------------------------------------- Nine The ninth 9th
In fiecare zi
Every day Ten The tenth 10th
O data la doua zile (din doua in doua zile)
Every second day/ every other day Eleven The eleventh 11th
O data la trei zile
Every third day Thirteen 13th
Cate unul
The thirteenth
One by one / one at a time Twenty 20th
The twentieth
Cate doi
Two by two / two at a time Twenty-one The twenty first 21st
Cinci milioane/mii/sute de copaci
Five million / thousand / hundred trees
Milioane/mii/sute de copaci Thirty - two The thirty -second 32nd
Millions / thousands / hundreds of trees
Forty - three The forty-third 43rd
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 ATMOSPHERIC STRUCTURE

Atmospheric layers
TROPOSPHERE
STRATOSPHERE
MESOSPHERE
THERMOSPHERE
EXOSPHERE
1. Describe air temperature
vertical variation.
2. Which is the most
important atmospheric
layer for human activity?

Temperature increases with

height
Temperature decreases
with height

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 WHAT IS THE ROLE OF THE OZONE LAYER?

READING:
In the past 60 years or so human activity has contributed to the deterioration of the
ozone layer. The ozone hole is defined geographically as the area wherein the total
ozone amount is less than 220 Dobson Units. The ozone hole has steadily grown in
size (up to 27 million sq. km.) and length of existence (from August till November)
over the past two decades. That is why consumption of ozone depleting
substances has largely been reduced in many countries.

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 Where? Why is it good/bad? Trend

“GOOD OZONE” Stratosphere Protects life on earth (UV filter) DECREASE (“ozone hole”

“BAD OZONE” Troposphere Air pollutant INCREASE (photochemical smog)

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 EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
28. Portugal 1. Romania
32 29. France 2. Moldova
3. Belarus
30. Great Britain (UK)
35 4. Ukraine
31. Ireland 5. Estonia
34
33 32. Iceland
6. Latvia
33. Norway
5 7. Lithuania
8 34. Sweden 8. Russia
6 35. Finland 9. Bulgaria
38 36. The Netherlands 10. Serbia
7
3 37. Belgium 11. Greece
31 38. Denmark
30
12. Macedonia
36 22
24
13. Albania
37 4 14. Kosovo
23 15. Montenegro
21
2 16. Bosnia Herzegovina
19
29 25 20 17. Croatia
1
18 17 18. Slovenia
10 19. Austria
16 20. Hungary
9
26 15 21. Slovakia
14
27 12 22. Poland
28
13 23. Czech Rep.
11 24. Germany
25. Switzerland
1 26. Italy
1 27. Spain
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 The Netherlands

ARTICLES AND GEOGRAPHY

The Hague

NU SE ARTICULEAZA PRIMESC ARTICOLUL THE

Nume de continente
Nume de tari 1.Tarile care au in denumirea lor prepozitia OF
The United States of America
The United Kingdom
2. The Netherlands
Nume de orase, sate The Hague
Nume de insule Grupuri de insule:
(individuale) The Cyclades

Nume de munti Lanturi muntoase:

(individuali) The Carpathians; The Himalayas

(Mount Everest)
Nume de lacuri Nume de oceane, mari, fluvii
Denumirile geografice compuse care contin
prepozitia OF
The Strait of Gibraltar; The Gulf of Mexico
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 EUROPEAN PEOPLE – I

The adjective forms for countries and the names

for citizens of countries are often confusing in
English. This happens for two reasons. First, there
European Albanian
is no easy way to change a country's name to its
adjective form because several different endings
are used for this purpose. Second, the words for
nationalities are often the same as the adjective
forms, but not always.
Austrian Belarusian
Here you have the ADJECTIVES!

Belgian Bosnian

Bulgarian Croatian Cypriot Czech Danish

Estonian Finnish French German Greek

Hungarian Icelandic Irish Italian Latvian

 EUROPEAN PEOPLE - II

The adjective forms for countries and the names

for citizens of countries are often confusing in Liechtenstein Lithuanian
English. This happens for two reasons. First, there
is no easy way to change a country's name to its
adjective form because several different endings
are used for this purpose. Second, the words for
nationalities are often the same as the adjective
forms, but not always. Luxembourg Macedonian
Here you have the ADJECTIVES!

Maltese Moldovan

Montenegrin Dutch Norwegian Polish Portuguese

Romanian Russian Serbian Slovak(ian) Slovene(ian)

Spanish Swedish Swiss Ukrainian British

Computer Science & Engineering Ph.D. student Olson typed 'Why is [country] so' into the Google search
bar - and here are the stereotypes it revealed about these European countries:

What can YOU

do to change
the way
Romania is
viewed
abroad?
 Troposphere
Tropopause
Mesosphere
Mesopause
Stratosphere
Stratopause
Thermosphere
Exosphere

Magnetosphere
Ionosphere
Greenhouse effect European Countries
Outer space
Greenhouse gases
Carbon sink European People
Nitrogen
Ozone layer
Oxygen
Ozone hole (see the previous slides)
Argon
Dobson Units (DU)
Ozone
Ultraviolet radiation
Carbon dioxide
Infrared radiation
Methane
Visible radiation
Nitrous oxide
CFCs
Hydrogen Recommended site for checking your pronunciation:
Helium
http://dictionary.cambridge.org/dictionary/british/uranus
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 The students who do not need this part of the
2 lecture may leave the room. THANK YOU!

• PAST TENSE (SIMPLE and CONTINUOUS)

• LIST OF IRREGULAR VERBS

• ARTICLES (basic rules)

• NOUNS (plural)
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 TIMPUL TRECUT
(Past Tense)

S + V + ed / sau V2*

Interogativ: Did + S + V
Negativ: S + did + NOT + V

Afirmativ Interogativ Negativ

I studied Did I study? I did not study /didn’t study
You studied Did you study? You did not study /didn’t study
He studied Did he study? He did not study /didn’t study
She studied Did she study? She did not study /didn’t study
We studied Did we study? We did not study /didn’t study
You studied Did you study? You did not study /didn’t study
They studied Did they study? They did not study /didn’t study
* V2 = forma a doua a verbului (trecut)
Reguli la adaugarea terminatiei ed:
1. Verbele terminate in e adauga doar d. (hoped, moved, arrived)
2. Verbele terminate in y: a) dupa vocala: play – played (y+ed);
b) dupa consoana: cry – cried (y devine i + ed)
3. Verbele terminate in l – dubleaza l in BE (fulfil – fulfilled; compel – compelled)

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 V V2 V3

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 V V2 V3

II

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 TIMPUL TRECUT CONTINUU
(Past Continuous)
S + To be (conjugat la trecut) V + ing

Interogativ: To be (conjugat la trecut) + S + V + ing

Negativ: S + To be (conjugat la trecut) + NOT + V + ing

O actiune in desfasurare intr-un

moment trecut

Afirmativ Interogativ Negativ Was not

(wasn’t)
I was studying Was I studying? I was not studying /
were not
You were studying Were you studying? You were not studying / (weren’t)
He was studying Was he studying? He was not studying /

She was studying Was she studying? She were not studying /

We were studying Were we studying? We were not studying /

You were studying Were you studying? You were not studying / Useful adverbs:
then
They were studying Were they studying? They were not studying / at that moment
while
when
Reguli la adaugarea terminatiei ing: vezi Prezent Continuu

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 ARTICOLUL (The Article)

Pozitie: in fata substantivului

Pronuntie:
/ðə/ inaintea substantivelor care incep cu consoana
/ðiː/ inaintea substantivelor care incep cu vocala

ARTICOLUL HOTARAT ATENTIE!!!

(Definite Article) In limba engleza articolul hotarat se foloseste si in
anumite situatii deosebite: de exemplu, INTRE
PREPOZITIE SI SUBSTANTIV!
RO: pe masa/ ENGL: on the table
RO: in camera/ ENGL: in the room

Pozitie: in fata substantivului

ARTICOLUL NEHOTARAT Utilizare:
(Indefinite Article) a/ə/ inaintea substantivelor care incep cu consoana
an/ən/ inaintea substantivelor care incep cu vocala

ATENTIE!!!
In limba engleza articolul nehotarat se foloseste si
in anumite situatii deosebite: de exemplu, inaintea
numelor predicative care desemneaza profesia,
sexul, calitatea cuiva..
RO: sunt student / ENGL: I am a student
RO: este crestin/ ENGL: He is a Christian

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 THE THOUGHTS OF THE DAY:

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 Thank you for your
participation and attention!
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