М. М. Кутепова The World of Chemistry Мир

(1)
wrote me a letter to say; asked me to write a letter of recommendation; asked me if 1 could be a referee for...


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displayed accuracy, thoroughness and initiative; possesses excellent (word processing) skills; worked harmoniously and effectively with others; was an important contributer to the success of the department
(3)
it’s a pleasure to recommend (name) for... ; I believe (name) would be a valuable contribution to your (college, university, company); I’m absolutely sure that (name) will (work, study, serve you) well and will also mix well with other (students, researchers, colleagues)
For more information on useful expressions see Appendix 3

REVISION AND DEVELOPMENT

UNITS 8 and 9

1. 
   Look through the following text and entitle it.
   

Once came into being from inorganic environment, the living matter has deeply altered the lifeless Earth, step by step changing the composition of the atmosphere, the sea, and the upper layers of the solid crust both on land and under the ocean. Since then, were one to find out a single objective to evolution it would be the perpetuation of life.
Though there are more than 100 chemical elements in the Periodic Table, only four prove to be essential for the biosphere. They are: hydrogen, carbon, nitrogen and oxygen. Ecologists define the biosphere as the part of the world where life can exist and as the point of interaction of these four essential elements. While the elements mentioned above go wonderfully with much of the chemistry life, the definition turns out to be a little too limited, ignoring as it does, the role of sulphur and phosphorus.
Consequently, it is a fact, that most of the problems of the environmental disturbance arise from the extraordinary reactivity of these six elements, with the first four actually building protein molecule, sulphur being the “fastening” in protein, and phosphorus supplying “high-energy bond” which is known to be universal fuel for biochemical work within the cell.
If the biosphere continues in running order, biologically important materials must undergo cyclic changes so that after utilization they are put back, at the expense of some solar energy, into a form in which they can be reused. So far nature itself saw to the whole arrangement go on smoothly, and all the cycles'be governed by complex mechanisms that were fitted together and held the whole in balance. Yet during the few last decades the man’s intervention into the natural cycling
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of the living matter has been going on on an unprecedented scale and at an unprecedented rate. Never before has nature been treated in such a drastic and often irreversible way, with both immediate consequences and ultimate incineration, not even vaguely foreseeable. For too little do we know for certain about the way nature has been self-regulating for millions of years since life began and too many variables are involved, to be able to foresee the final aftermath of our rapid technological development on the biosphere^ tfehome of life.
Thus, what is now recognized as a threat to our environment is caused first of all by disturbances either in natural cycles of the six essentials, or in the energy cycle of the biosphere, energy being the driving force of all life processes.

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