Our environment is vitally connected with the problem of peace on our planet.
The scientists consider that nuclear war could destroy mankind completely, for a large scale nuclear exchange could mean the extinction of the human race. The climatic, biological and environmental effects of a nuclear war might be horrible.
An exchange of only a small fraction of warheads would produce “nuclear winter” in which smoke and soot would obscure the sunlight; the temperature would fall below freezing levels and global toxic smog would be created. That’s why there is no more important task today than to safeguard peace and prevent a nuclear catastrophe on the Earth which is our one and only home.
In the world there have been stocked great masses of chemical and bacteriological weapons. Included are the most dreadful varieties — the bacilli of Siberian ulcer and the plague.
Vocabulary
nuclear — ядерный
a large scale nuclear exchange — зд. крупномасштабная ядерная война
extinction — уничтожение, вымирание
fraction — часть, доля
soot — сажа
obscure — затмить, закрывать
to stock — накапливать
bacteriological — бактериологический
bacillus — бацилла bacilli (pl.) — бациллы
ulcer — язва
plague — чума
