EXERCISE 2 Look through the text again and say in what context these figures are mentioned in the text. Work in pairs.

1 200 000, 3, 20,14, 28, 645 000, 50, 250 000, 1988.

EXERCISE 3 Complete the sentences, using the information from the text.

1. We now also have new techniques to collect oil at sea, using ... , but …. .

2. Now It seems that natural soil bacteria are capable of ... .

3. Oil and natural gas burn cleaner than coal but ... .

4. A thick substance that comes out of the ground from a typical oil well is … .

5. A famous example of oil pollution during delivery is ... .

6. Oil and gas are preferred fuels because ... .

7. There is no evidence that....

8. Of the 11 million gallons of spilled oil, about 20% ... and 50% ... .

EXERCISE 4 Discuss with your group mates the following quotation from the standpoint of the ecological problems in mining and oil production.

1.One of the first laws against air pollution came in 1300 when King Edward I decreed the death penalty for burning of coal. At least one execution for that offense is recorded. But economics triumphed over health considerations, and air pollution became an appalling problem in England.

2. The system of nature, of which man is a part, tends to be self-balancing, self-adjusting, self-cleansing. Not so with technology.

3. When some high-sounding institute states that a compound is harmless or a process free of risk, it is wise to know whence the institute or the scientists who work there obtain their financial support.

EXERCISE 5 Make a presentation on one of the topics, be ready to discuss it in your group.

1.The Mining extraction and the Human health;

2. The Oil Production and the Human health;

3. Is it possible to develop the civilization without mining industry?

4. The development of society after depletion of mineral resources;

5. It has been known before that it is not advantageous for the Man to destroy the Nature. So, why does he do that?

CHAPTER VIII

COMPANIES AND PEOPLE THAT ARE INVOLVED IN A DRILLING PROCESS

EXERCISE 1 Read and translate the first text "Companies", using the words after the text.

Companies

The companies include operating companies, drilling contractors, and service and supply companies.

Operating company

An operating company, or an operator, has the right to drill and produce petroleum at a particular site. The operator buys or leases that right from the owner of the rights to the subterranean oil or gas. Rights can be owned by individuals, companies, or, in some cases, by the federal or state government.

An operator can be a major, such as Exxon, Mobil, British Petroleum, Shell, Chevron, or Texaco. A major oil company produces oil and gas and transports them from the field to the refinery and plant. It also refines or processes the oil and gas and sells the products to consumers.

An operator can also be an independent. An independent operator is an individual or a relatively small company that produces and sells, oil and gas but does not transport, refine, or market them. Operating companies, whether major or independent, pay for the drilling of a well. They usually hire a drilling contractor to drill it.