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time. Thus, to understand ancient rocks, we must first understand present-day processes
and their results. This idea is commonly stated as the present is the key to the past.
Today the basic tenets of uniformitarianism are just as viable as in Hutton’s day.
We realize more strongly than ever that the present gives us insight into the past and
that the physical, chemical, and biological laws that govern geological processes remain
unchanged through time. However, we also understand that the doctrine should not be
taken too literally. To say that geological processes in the past were the same as those
occurring today is not to suggest that they always had the same relative importance or
operated at precisely the same rate. Moreover, some important geologic processes are
not currently observable, but evidence that they occur is well established. For example,
we know that Earth has experienced impacts from large meteorites even though we have
no human witnesses. Such events altered Earth’s crust, modified its climate, and
strongly influenced life on the planet. The acceptance of uniformitarianism meant the
acceptance of a very long history for Earth. Although processes vary in their intensity,
they still take a very long time to create or destroy major landscape features.

Grammar focus
The Noun in English

Task 1. Tell whether the following nouns can form plural, if not, try to
explain why. Do the nouns form the plural with the help of the ending –s? Consult
the dictionary for some help.
Rock, magma, lava, surface, gas, liquid, volatile, pressure, material,
metamorphism, ash, ore, road, resource, concentration, weapon, change, temperature,
process, evidence, arrangement, divergence, crust, luster, air.

Task 2. Divide the nouns into the following groups: those in which the
ending (s) is pronounced as [s], as [iz], as [z] and which form plural in some other
way.
A mineral, a cycle, a vent, a system, an appearance, a type, a multitude, a life, a
component, a zone, a part, a property, a formula, a top, a deposit.

Task 3. Try to form the plural of the following compounds:
An attorney-general, a passerby, an assistant director, a grown-up, a cover-up, a
summing-up, a notary public, a sit-in.

Discussion

Task 1. Read and memorize the following words:
envelope - конверт blanket – покривати, охоплювати
interact - взаємодіяти breathe дихати, вдихати
apparent - очевидний consist of – складатися з
respond to – реагувати на dangerous - небезпечний
influence – впливати на extend - простягатися
environment – навколишнє середовище glacier - льодовик
evaporate - випаровуватися obtain - отримати
divide into – бути поділеним на precipitate - осаджуватися
depend on –залежати від

Task 2. Read the text. Talk about major spheres of the Earth.
As we look more closely at our planet from space, it becomes apparent that
Earth is much more than rock and soil. The physical environment is traditionally

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