Ships in the Desert

Objectives To understand the text To learn the words and phrases about

environment To be familiar with the environmental issue

Pre-reading Questions

1.What’s the meaning of the title? Can you imagine there’re some ships in a desert rather than on the sea?

2.What do you expect to have when you read the title?

3. What’s the chief topic of the text?

4. According to the text, what solutions does the writer put forward to our ecological problems?

5. What do you think about the relationship between man and nature?

6. Can you list some of the largest environmental problems now affecting the world, i.e. the environmental problems our planet now is facing?

Acid Rain

Air Pollution

Global Warming

Hazardous Waste

Ozone Depletion

Water Pollution

Deforestation

Desertification

7. In your opinion, what can we do to reinforce environmental protection?

1. Introduction about the author

   Al Gore was born in 1948 in Washington D.C., U.S. He has been a Senator (1984-1992) representing the State of Tennessee, and U.S. Vice-President (1992-2000) under President Bill Clinton. He ran for the Presidency against George W. Bush jr. but the latter won the closely tied election and has become the 43rd American President. The text is taken from Al Gore’s book Earth in the Balance

Al Gore's profound analysis of where humanity has gone wrong ranges across history, politics, science, economics, psychology, philosophy, and religion.

Gore demonstrates that the quality of our air and water is urgently at risk. He clearly illustrates how problems that once were regional have now become global. Gore argues for a worldwide mobilization to save us from disaster.

The introduction of the text:

•

2. Detailed study of the text Ships in the Desert

 What’s the meaning of the title?

What does the author try to tell us through his article?

Compare the following:Compare the following:• Desert : n. [‘dezət] wildness; waste land; waterle

ss and treeless, often sand covered;

• Desert : v. [di ‘zə:t] abandon; give up; go away fr

om

• Deserts: n. [di ‘zə:ts] (usu.pl.) what sb. deserves

• Dessert: n. [di ‘zə:t] course of fruit, etc. at the e

nd of a meal; (U.S.A) any sweet dish (e.g. pie, p

udding, ice-cream) served at the end of a meal;

(Gr. Brit.) the sweet

For examples

• The Sahara Desert• The streets were deserted. • He deserted his wife and children and

went abroad.• They are rewarded (punished)

according to their deserts.• Some people failed to get their deserts.• He is a man of deserts.• Dessert fork \ knife \ spoon \ wine

Comprehensive Questions What’s the meaning of the title? Why are the ships in the desert? Where is the desert? Or Which desert is

referred to ? What caused that had happened? How did the author know that there were ships

in the desert? What does the author try to tell us through his

article? Who is the author? ( See Note 1 )

Para.1 typical example of environmental destruction

Why did the writer go to the Aral Sea? What did he see there?

the prospects of a good catch looked bleak: a good catch did not look promising / hopeful. an understatement  

the Aral sea The Aral Sea:

*located in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan *historically a saline lake *In 1960 the world’s fourth largest lake, the size of the entirety of Southern California*in the center of a large, flat desert basin•a prime example of a dynamic environment

America’s Great Lakes

* the group of five freshwater lakes, central North America, between the United States and Canada,

• largest body of fresh water in the world• From west to east, they are Lake Superior, Lake

Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario • HOMES—H stands for Huron, O for Ontario, M for

Michigan, E for Erie and S for Superior.

comparable:     something that is comparable to something else

is

a) as good as/ as big as/ as important as the other thing;

b) similar to the other thing

e.g. This dinner is comparable to the best French cooking.

to feed it has been diverted in an ill-considered irrigation scheme to grow cotton in the dessert:

to flow into the sea has been turned away to irrigate the land created in the desert to grow cotton.

The scheme was an ill-conceived one because it failed to take into consideration the ecological effect.

Para. 2 thesis statement:My search for the underlying causes of the

environmental crisis has let me to travel around the world to check and study cases in order to find out the basic causes behind the environmental crisis

What does it mean?

I traveled around the world because I wanted to

see, check and study cases of such destruction in order to find out the basic causes behind the environmental

crisis.

This sentence expresses the main idea and indicating the development of a causal essay.

Trans-Antarctic Mountains

Antarctica is icy cold. Trans-Antarctic Mountains divided it into the

East Antarctic and West Antarctic subcontinents.

China has set up two scientific research stations there: Zongshan Station in the East and Great Wall in the West.

the sun glaring at midnight through a hole in the sky

the sun shining at midnight through the ozone depletion

a hole: ozone depletion 臭氧层空洞

about the tunnel he was digging through time:

about the tunnel he was drilling for samples from the glacier, which estimates the time. The deeper he drilled, the farther the sample in time;

in other words, the surface of the glacier is an indication of recent time while the deeper part of the glacier tells of situation of a much more remote period.

He moved his finger back in time to the ice of two decades ago:

Following the layers of ice in the core sample, his finger came to the place where the layer of ice was formed 20 years ago.

Clean Air Act:

  American Congress passed the Clean Air Act in 1970, which is one of the oldest environmental laws of the U.S. as well as the most far-reaching, the costliest, and the most controversial.

two continents

South America and Antarctica

  least accessible place on earth: the place which is the

most difficult to get to in the world 

Para. 3 the global warming seen in the Antarctic

What’s Paragraph 3 talking about?

What’s the cause of the global warming?

Began with the industrial revolution,

Industry meant coal:

the development of industry meant the use of large amount of coal as fuel to generate power.

--bringing rising…with its ability …warm the earth:

adverbial of result: making the amount of carbon dioxide in the

atmosphere grow; heat cannot easily get through carbon dioxide

and go into the high altitude so carbon dioxide plays the role of a cover, keeping the heat near the earth.

 upwind from the ice runaway…scientists monitor the air…to chart the course of that inexorable change:

upwind from the ice runaway where the ski plane lands and keeps its engines running so that the metal parts will not be frozen solid, scientists watch the air several times every day to mark the course of that unalterable change.

upwind: in the direction from which the wind is blowing or usually blows

to chart the course: to show the onward movement on an outline

map

graph: usually a mathematical diagram

Para. 4 a thinning cap as the result of Arctic air warms

What caused the thinning of the polar ice cap?

global warming

snowmobile a kind of motor vehicle for traveling over snow,

usually with steer able runners at the front and tractor treads at the rear

rendezvous point: the place where a submarine was to pick them up

A rendezvous is a place where you have arranged to meet somebody often secretly.

to secure the release of previously top secret data:

to ensure the making public of data which was originally classified as top secret .

sonar: [U] (an acronym for sound navigation ranging)

an apparatus using sound waves for finding the position of underwater objects, such as mines or submarines 声纳（利用声波探测如水雷或潜艇等的水底目标的仪器）

Baiqi dolphins have sonar. Bats have sonar.

I was standing …when separate sheets collide:

I was standing in the vast scene of snow which was fearfully beautiful, windswept and shining white, with the stretch of ice field characterized by small ridges because of the force of the collision of the separate layers.

eerily: mysteriously, especially in such a way as to frighten or disturb

snowscape: scene of snow. cf. landscape and seascape.  

the consequences of a thinning cap could be disastrous:

the result of a thinning cap may indicate the possibilities of disasters

could: the word indicates “possibilities”

And why could the thinning of the polar ice cap be disastrous to the world?

Because the polar cap plays an important role in the world’s weather system, the consequences of a thinning cap could bring about dramatic changes in the ecological pattern. For example, it will bring large amount of water which will raise the ocean level and cause some floods.

Para. 5 the rising temperature of the earth

.     Considering such scenarios is not a purely speculative exercise:

Thinking about how a series of events might happen as a consequence of the thinning of the Polar cap is not just a kind of practice in speculation, it has got practical value.

the pattern of ice distribution… controversial claim:

the regular way ice is distributed…

a statement which some scientists still do not completely accept

the Arctic Circle

an imaginary line drawn round the world at a certain distance from the most northern point (the North Pole), north of which there is no darkness for six months of each year and almost no light for the other six months. cf. the Antarctic Circle

  tundra: any of the vast, nearly level, treeless plains of

the Arctic regions

Para. 6 the images of destruction at the equator

billowing:    large swelling mass of

billow v. When smoke or cloud billows, it moves slowly upwards or across the sky

Amazon rain forest

The Brazilian Amazon contains about a third of the Earth's remaining tropical forest and a very high portion of its biological diversity. One hectare (2.47 acres) of Amazonian moist forest contains more plant species than all of Europe. Yet still it is being destroyed just like other rainforests around the world.

  fast pasture for fast-food beef:

Bit by bit trees in the rain forest are felled and the land is cleared and turned into pasture where cattle can be raised quickly and slaughtered and the beef can be used in hamburgers.

fast pasture for fast-food beef: alliteration Pay attention to the connection of the two “fasts” in fast

pasture and fast food. With that comes the “fast” disappearance of the rain forest.

the dry season:

ant. in the wet season—the rainy seasonsimilarly: the football season, the breeding season, the planting season, the holiday season, the harvest season, the cold season, the tourist season, the game season, a season of film in season: Ant. be out of season season v. e.g. season the food with salt

with more than one Tennessee’s worth of rain forest

the area of rain forest burned in one year is bigger than the state of Tennessee.

worth: equal in area or size slash: cut with a sweeping stroke

we are silencing thousands of songs we have never even heard:

Since miles of forest are being destroyed and the habitat for these rare birds no longer exists, thousands of birds which we have not even had a chance to see will become extinct.

How will the destruction of the Amazon rain forest affect the earth’s ecological balance?

Fewer rainforests mean less rain, less oxygen for us to breathe, and an increased threat from global warming.

agonyagony侧重指精神或身体痛苦的剧烈程度。侧重指精神或身体痛苦的剧烈程度。anguishanguish指精神方面令人难以忍受的极度痛苦；用于指精神方面令人难以忍受的极度痛苦；用于身体时，多指局部或暂时的痛苦。身体时，多指局部或暂时的痛苦。tormenttorment强调烦恼或痛苦的长期性。强调烦恼或痛苦的长期性。torturetorture语气比语气比 tomenttoment 强，指在精神或肉体上受到的强，指在精神或肉体上受到的折磨所产生的痛苦。折磨所产生的痛苦。griefgrief指由某种特殊处境或原因造成的强烈的感情上指由某种特殊处境或原因造成的强烈的感情上的苦恼与悲痛。的苦恼与悲痛。miserymisery着重痛苦的可悲状态，多含不幸、可怜或悲着重痛苦的可悲状态，多含不幸、可怜或悲哀的意味。哀的意味。distressdistress多指因思想上的压力紧张、恐惧、忧虑等所多指因思想上的压力紧张、恐惧、忧虑等所引起的精神上的痛苦，也可指某种灾难带来的痛苦。引起的精神上的痛苦，也可指某种灾难带来的痛苦。

sorrowsorrow语气比语气比 griefgrief 弱，指因不幸、损失或失望等所弱，指因不幸、损失或失望等所产生的悲伤。 产生的悲伤。

Para. 7 images of destruction seen almost anywhere

What does the writer call “ghosts in the sky”?

“noctilucent clouds”

How are they formed?

They are formed because of the huge buildup of methane gas in the atmosphere, released from landfills, from coal mines and rice paddies, from billions of termites that swarm through the freshly cut forestland, from the burning of biomass and from a variety of other human activities.

On some nights … that signals the loss of ecological balance now in progress:

On some nights, in the area at a high northern latitude, the sky alone presents another example of ill omen showing. There is ecological imbalance and this kind of imbalance is developing.

in high northern latitude 在北纬高纬度地区 cf. longitude 经度

This “luminous cloud” occasionally appears when the earth is first hidden in the evening darkness; shining unsteadily above us with a partially transparent whiteness, these clouds don’t seem natural

“noctilucent cloud”

noctilucent cloud: nocti- means night; lucent means shining, tr

anslucent designating or of a luminous cloud visible at

night translucent: partially transparent

landfills: garbage disposal

methane is emitted from garbage disposal, from coal mines and rice fields, from billions of termites （白蚁）moving in large numbers through the freshly cut forestland, from the burning of amount of living organism in a particular area and from a variety of other human activities.

Even though noctilucent clouds … to the surface far beneath them

The implication is that the night comes earlier than the upper part. The balance between day and night is broken.

altitudes: a high area e.g. At high altitudes it is difficult to breathe.

这些动词均含“收缩，压缩”之意。condense指将东西压缩得更紧密、紧凑，但不失去原有的内容。compress指把乱而不成形的东西压成一定形状。contract主要指以内、外部力量进行紧缩，也可用作引申。shrink侧重指因收缩而达不到原有的长度、体积或容积。

Para. 8 human attitudes towards the images of destruction What should we feel toward these ghosts in the sky:

What should our attitude be toward these noctilucent clouds in the sky?

the mix of emotions we feel at the zoo:

the mix of emotions we feel at the zoo: on the one hand we feel excited about seeing those animals, but on the other hand, we feel sorry for them because they have been deprived of freedom.

Should it only be a feeling of surprise and admiration or a combination of different feelings we experience in the zoo?

feel awe for our own power:

feel amazed and frightened at our own power.

upset the balance between daylight and darkness

Just as men are killing such large number of elephants for their tusks that the species will soon extinguish, we are using and destroying resources in such a big amount that we are disturbing the balance between daylight and darkness.

  greenhouse gases gases that will trap heat at the surface of the earth

like a greenhouse and ranks third only to carbon dioxide and water vapor in total volume.

This means of all the gases, water vapor occupies the largest portion, carbon dioxide the second. Methane-natural gas, greenhouse gases- the third

the chemistry of the upper atmosphere:

the chemical composition of the upper atmosphere

shouldn’t it startle us… with a spectral light? Or have our eyes … human civilization and the earth?

two rhetorical questions it should startle us…; our eyes should not haven adjusted so completely to the

bright lights of civilization that we can’t see….

alarm着重指某人意识到危险而突然产生的惊恐。frighten普通用词，使用广泛，指产生突然、短暂的惊慌、恐怖感。startle强调突然使人惊骇或震惊。terrify语气最强，指惊骇得六神无主，魂飞魄散。scare指非正式文体中可与 frighten 换用，但语气较重，侧重人受惊吓后立即停下正在干的事或跑掉。intimidate特指恐吓某人，迫使其做某事。

what they are

Or have we been so accustomed to the bright electric lights that we fail to understand the threatening implication of these clouds

—a physical manifestation of the violent collision between human civilization and the earth?

we fail to understand that it is a glaring sign of the violent clash between human activity and nature?

Para 9. human’s puzzling response Even though it is sometimes hard to see their meaning,

we have by now all witnessed surprising experiences:

to understand the threat of these clouds

huge含义广，强调体积或容积的庞大。也可用于引申意义。enormous指体积、数量或程度远远超过一般标准。immense正式用词，侧重空间的广阔，也指面积或分量的巨大。giant非正式用词，多为褒义。指如巨人般的庞大体积。gigantic指面积或体积的巨大，但多用于引申意义。colossal侧重尺寸、规模和体积的无比巨大。vast多指空间、面积、范围的巨大，不涉及重量。

massive指大的体积、数量和重量，侧重庞大而笨重。tremendous指某物很大，大得惊人；也可用作引申意义。

What are the surprising experiences that signal the damage from our assault on the environment mentioned

in the paragraph?

more hot days, quicker sunburn, and more debate on garbage disposing matter.

--whether it’s the frequency…with growing mountains of waste:

whether it is the fact that recently there are more hot days when the temperature is over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (=38 degree Celsius), or the fact the sun burns our skin more quickly in recent times, or the fact that the debate over the way of disposing of the growing amount of waste matter comes up more frequently.

But our response to these signals is puzzling:

But our reaction to these signals is so baffling that it is difficult to understand.

To come at the question another way:

To approach the question in a different way; to put the question differently

Why haven’t we launched a massive effort to save our environment?

Why haven’t we started a large-scale movement to save our environment?

some images

Why do some signs so alarm us that we immediately take action and concentrate on ways of dealing with them effectively?

some images:

e.g. white pollution, (immediate action: stop producing

sandstorm (immediate action: plant grass and trees)

other images... less painful distraction

And why do other signs, though sometimes no less striking, only cause a kind of loss and inactivity and we concentrate our attention not on the ways to deal with them but instead, on some other substitutes which are easy to get and less painful?

other images: e.g. gases from cars (distraction: people still want car

s, and have an easy and less painful way to deal with this issue, say, it’s a natural cycle, not because of human activities)

Para.10 the importance of organizing our thoughts

it may be helpful to classify them and thus begin to organize our thoughts and feelings so that we may be able to respond appropriately:

to arrange them into different groups so that we will be able to take the most suitable

action.

Para. 11 the military system: “local” skirmishes, “regional” battles, and “strategic” conflicts

theater: scene of operation e.g. This was the Pacific theatre of World

War II. 这里是第二次世界大战的太平洋战区。 lecture theatre 阶梯教室

A useful system comes from the military A useful way of classifying comes from fighting. They are: “local” skirmish, “regional” battles,

and “strategic” conflict. A skirmish is a minor battle

a global context:

This third kind is reserved for struggles that can endanger a nation’s existence and must be viewed against the background of the world.

What kind of conflict will be considered as “strategic” conflict?

Only struggle that can threaten a nation’s survival and must be understood in a global context will be considered as “strategic” conflict..

Para 12. the same case with the images of destruction

illegal waste dumping: the disposal of waste in a way that violates the law

Problems like acid rain, the contamination of underground aquifers, and large oil spills are fundamentally regional: basically belong to regional category.

Acid rain （酸雨） :

rain with a high concentration of acids produced by sulfur dioxide ( 二氧化硫 ), nitrogen oxide ( 氧化氮 ), etc. emitted during the combustion （氧化） of fossil fuels; it has a destructive effect on plant and aquatic ( 水中的 ) life, buildings, etc.

contamination: cf. pollution: Pollution is a term to describe the

degrading of the environment in some way—the air we breathe or the water we drink or wash in can be polluted when it is contaminated by some foreign or unwanted material, e.g. engine oil or chemicals in water, smoke, or car exhaust in the air. We talk about air pollution or water pollution—not water contamination but “pollution” is the more common term.

Contamination is a more scientific term

used to describe a substance contaminating or spoiling something such as an experiment, e.g. the water purity experiment was contaminated by an outside chemical. We would not say “polluted” in this case.

aquifer: an underground layer of porous ( 多孔的 )rock, sand, etc, containing water, into which wells can be sun

k.

the pattern appears to be global:

It seems that the problem has acquired a global nature since so many similar things occur at the same time all over the world.

Para.13 a new class of environmental problems affecting the global ecological system: chlorine氯

The 600 percent increase … countries producing the chlorofluorocarbons responsible

There have been 600 percent increase in the amount of chlorine in the atmosphere during the last forty years not only in those countries which are mainly responsible for the production of CFC

chlorofluorocarbons: CFC 氟里昂

The increased levels… radiation from the sun:

The increase of the amount of chlorine disturbs the usual way of handling and controlling the amount of ultraviolet radiation the earth receives from the sun.

ultraviolet: (of light) that is beyond the purple end of the range

of colors (spectrum) that make up light that can be seen by human beings

ultraviolet rays: 紫外线 ultra-: beyond e.g. ultrared （红外线的） , u

ltrashort （超短波的） , ultrasonic （超音波的） , ultramodern （极其现代化的）

Para.14 another strategic threat—global warming

Why?Because this increase in heat seriously threatens the global climate equilibrium that determines the pattern of winds, rainfall, surface temperatures, ocean currents and sea level, and these in turn determine the distribution of vegetative and animal life on land and sea and have a great effect on the location and pattern of human societies, so it is considered a strategic threat.

equilibrium that determines the pattern of :

balance that decides the regular way of ….equilibrium: a state of balance between

opposing forces

pattern: a regular, mainly unvarying way of movement

Para. 15 the transformed relationship between humankind and the earth

in our own time we have reshaped a large part of the earth’s face with concrete in our cities:

in the modern time we have given a new shape or form to a large part of the earth’s surface by building paved roads, bridges, buildings etc.

concrete: metonymy

change指任何变化，完全改变，强调与原先的情况有明显的不同。alter常指轻微的改变，强调基本上保持原物、原状的情况下所进行的部分改变。vary暗示不规则或断断续续地变。convert指进行全部或局部改变以适应新的功能或用途。指信仰或态度时，强调较激烈、大的改变。modify强调起限定作用的变化或变更。指细小的变化，常含“缓和、降调”的意味。transform指人或物在形状、外观、形式、性质等方面发生的彻底变化，失去原状成为全新的东西。turn指外形、颜色、气味、性质等方面的变化，比 change 更通俗。

But these changes… have, until recently, been relatively

trivial factors in the global ecological system: Although sometimes these changes seem to be taking

place everywhere in the world they have, until recently, been relatively insignificant in their influence on the ecological system of the world.

pervasive: prevailing; spreading

that assumption… so that …: What we should get rid of is exactly that kind of view

which has been taken for granted. Only when we have dropped such a view can we think in a long term, overall way about our relationship to the environment.

Para. 16 the dominant cause of change in the global environment—human civilization

What caused the change of the entire relationship between humankind and the earth?

human civilization

Yet we resist this truth… against the mountains: Yet we refuse to accept this true fact and find it difficult

to think that we should treat our effect on the earth the same way as the moon’s gravitational pull on the oceans or the wind’s effect on the mountains and measure our effect in the same way as we measure the effect of natural forces.

use that power wisely

of cause we must recognize that we have the responsibility to use the newly acquired capability in a prudent way and with proper restraint.

the fragility of the earth’s natural systems:

the earth’s natural systems are very delicate and can easily be disrupted.

Para. 17 dramatic changes in two key factors

a sudden and startling surge in human population a sudden acceleration of the scientific and technological

revolution

that define the physical reality of our relationship to the earth:

that determine the actual state of our relationship with nature.

with the addition one China’s worth of people

Every ten years the newly-added population will equal the population of China;

Every ten years, one more China’s population will be added to the population of the world. Worth: equal in size or number e.g. The storm did thousands of pounds’ worth of damage

(=did damage worth thousands of pounds). I bought 10 pounds worth of food. He bought 10 dollars worth of postage stamps.

magnification

which has increased our power to influence the world around us to such a degree that can hardly be conceived magnification: the act of magnifying; the

power of magnifying

physical matter:

material substance

Para 18. the surge in population

when viewed in a historical context: when we look at the matter from a historical point of view

Julius Caesar : (102? B.C.- 44 B.C.), Roman statesman and general

Christopher Columbus: (1451- 1506), discoverer of America, born Genoa, Italy

Thomas Jefferson: [1743-1826) third President of the U.S. (1801-9), author of the Declaration of Independence.

Declaration of Independence:

full and formal declaration adopted July 4, 1776, by representatives of the thirteen colonies in North America announcing the separation of those colonies from Great Britain and making them into the United States

Para. 19 the present faster increasing population

in the course of one human life—mine: during the life span of an individual –my

lifetime

it is already more than half way there: the world population is already more than half

of that figure.

Para. 20 the scientific and technological revolution

And this ongoing revolution has also suddenly accelerated exponentially:

And this continuing revolution has also suddenly developed at a speed that doubled and tripled the original speed.

exponential: ( 指数的 )of or relating to an exponent ( 数学中的指数 )

While no single discovery… it is nevertheless true…

While no single discover has had the kind of effect on our relationship to the earth (that…), it is nevertheless true that taken together, they have completely transformed our cumulative ability to exploit the earth for sustenance—making the consequence of unrestrained exploitation every bit as unthinkable as the consequences of unrestrained nuclear war [adverbial].

While no single discover has had the kind of effect on our relationship to the earth

Although no individual discovery has changed human relationship to the earth so much that it is comparable to the nuclear weapons which have brought tremendous change to the relationship between man and warfare

taken together, they have completely transformed our cumulative ability to exploit the earth for sustenance:

put all the discoveries together, they have completely changed our ability to utilize the earth productively for survival

Originally, our ability to utilize the earth productively for survival grew by gradual addition but now these discoveries have changed the ability fundamentally

making the consequence of … every bit as unthinkable as

the consequences of unrestrained nuclear war: this increased ability has made the results

of unlimited use of global resources altogether as terrible as the results of full-scale nuclear war

Para. 21 our challenge to recognize that startling images of destruction

Our challenge is to recognize that the startling images of environmental destruction now occurring all over the world have much more in common than their ability to shock and awaken us: Our task is to see and to understand that those frightening examples of environmental destruction that are happening all over the world are so much the same in nature that they surprise us no longer.

… are so frequently/ become so common that they don’t shock and arouse us any more.

Symptoms of an underlying problem broader in scope …

signs and indications showing that there exists a much greater and more serious problem which we have never encountered.

deforestation: disappearance of forest

Para. 22 two aspects to this challenge: our power to

harm the earth and our role as co-architect of nature

What are the two aspects to help people recognize the images of environmental destruction?

to see ourselves as … we are used to:

to regard ourselves as part of a complicated system which does not function according to the rule of cause-effect we are familiar with

The problem is not …so much as our relationship with the environment

The point is that our effect on the environment is not the same as our relationship with the environment.

What is involved is a matter of human relations with nature, rather than how mankind will affect nature;

As a result, … the earth’s ecological system: As a result, if we want to solve the problem, we will have

to carefully weigh and determine how important that relationship is and how important is the complicated interconnection among factors inside human society and between these factors and the main natural parts of global ecological system.

relation: relative; relationship relationship: friendship; connection interrelationship: interrelation; a (close) connection,

relation of dependence

Para. 23 one precedent for this kind of challenge to our thinking: military one again

one example in the past which posed similar demand on us for a change in our way of looking at things.

precedent: a former action or case that may be used as an example or rule for present

forced a slow and painful recognition:

(the situation) compelled us to accept as a fact gradually and with difficulty

institution of warfare: practice of armed conflict

institution: a) a large organization for a university, bank, or churchb) a building where certain people are kept or looked

after e.g He may end up in a mental institution.c) a system, rule or a system that is considered an

important or typical feature of a society, usually because it has existed for a long timee.g. the institution of marriage

all-out war:

armed fighting between nations using all possible strength and effort all-out: using all possible strength and effort e.g. We made an all-out effort to finish the job by

Christmas.

That sobering realization:

Once you know how serious and terrible a nuclear war will be, you become more clear-headed, more balanced in your reasoning and judgment sober: adj. not drunk; serious v. to make or become serious or thoughtful e.g. a sobering thought

the prospect of such a war: the expected outcome of such a war

the veil of illusion that has so long obscured the reality of the change in warfare:

the wrong thinking people entertain which have made them fail to see the change in the nature of armed conflict. veil: covering of thin material; a metaphor

Para. 24 arms race

For decades, each new advance... But each such deployment led… a more advanced deployment of its own:

For decades, the two super powers had been competing in the research, production and deployment of more sophisticated, more advanced weapons, hoping that in this the other side would be deterred not to launch a first strike in nuclear weapons. But the result was just the opposite. Each advance in weaponry led to a new round of arms race, a race of a much more destructive level.

leapfrog: n. [U] a game in which one person bends down and

another jumps over them from behind v. to jump or skip over; to advance well by

missing out (sth.) on the way e.g. He leapfrogged two ranks and was promoted

directly to colonel.

It is complicated … what war is all about:

No doubt that the advance in technology has made the problem more difficult to solve but technology is not the real cause. The real cause lies in the kind of relationship between the Soviet Union and the United States and the theoretical basis for this kind of relationship is their outdated concept of war. obsolete: out-of-date, no longer used

Para. 25 the eventual solution to the arms race: new understandings and a mutual transformation of the

relationship itself

unilateral: adj. done by or having an effect on only one side, esp. one of the political groups in an agreement

the denial of nuclear technology to rogue states:

stopping rogue countries using nuclear technology or stopping sending nuclear technology to rogue countries.

rogue: adj. not following the usual or accepted

standards, esp. in an uncontrollable or troublesome way countries e.g. rogue politicians who go against the party line rogue states: states which do not observe or follow

the established international norms and practices, which can be considered as rascals /dishonest among states.

Para. 26 the real solution: reinventing and finally healing

the relationship between civilization and the earth

he strategic nature of the threat now posed by human civilization to the global environment and the strategic nature of the threat to human civilization now posed by changes in the global environment present us with a similar set of challenges and false hopes.

The important/basic nature of the threat now brought about by human civilization to the global environment and the important/basic nature of threat to human civilization now

What false hopes do some people have?

Some people hope a new ultimate technology, whether nuclear power or genetic engineering, will solve the problem. Others hope that a drastic reduction of our reliance on technology can improve the conditions of life.

a simplistic notion at best:

a simple view at most

What is the real solution to the environmental destruction according to the author?

The real solution will be found in reinventing and finally healing the relationship between civilization and the earth. This can only be accomplished by undertaking a careful reassessment of all the factors that led to the relatively recent dramatic change in the relationship. The transformation of the way we relate to the earth will of cause involve new technologies, but the key changes will involve new ways of thinking about the relationship itself.

3. Structure Analysis 1.Para. 1: Effects of environmental crises (The Aral) 2. Paras. 2-20: Causes of environmental crises A. The destruction around the world -Antarctic, the Arctic, the equator, around us B. Classification of the images of destruction -Local - Regional- Strategic /global context C. The dominant cause of the change -Human civilization 3. Paras. 21-26: Solution A. Recognizing the starling images of destruction B. Understanding the two aspects C. Changing the view of the relationship-Educate people

4. Language appreciation

The author developed this exposition by the cause and effect method.

He chose typical examples to support his ideas. To make his writing clear, vivid and forceful, he

used figures of speech such as understatement, alliteration, metaphor, rhetorical question and metonymy.

Language appreciation

His formal style, serious tone as well as military metaphors indicated that environmental protection is a kind of war.

Although this writing is about a scientific research on the environment, the writer uses very few technical terms so that ordinary people can understand it easily.

5. Summary of the words and phrases: Words of general use a good catch divert comparable to dock at rest underlying cause, dominant cause

sample remotest and least accessible place inexorable change in such quantities, in such volume

threat, threaten, buildup, increase, acceleration of accelerate exponentially at stake transform, reshape, pervasive, spreading , prevailing, prevalent discard assumption yardstick

Words of Area

The Aral Antarctica frigid Arctic Ocean North and South Poles The equator Amazon rain forest local, regional, global (context)

Words of Environmental crisis images of destruction, distressing images pollution, contamination monitor the air chart the course measurements graph pick up speed global warming polar ice cap, thinning cap hole, ozone depletion the loss of living species deforestation

acid rain the temperature rising billowing clouds of smoke humankind’s assault on the earth the distress of our global environment ghostly image, noctiluncent clouds , transparent whiteness frequency, constancy threaten the beast with extinction precedent: one example in the past

Words of the temperature

exceeds 100 degrees[Fahrenheit degrees 38 Celsius degrees]

Words of the loss of ecological balance upset the balance the global climate equilibrium the global ecological system the earth’s ecological system the earth’s natural balance a physical manifestation of the violent collision between human

civilization and the earth the pattern of winds, rainfall, surface temperatures, ocean

currents, and sea level the distribution of vegetative and animal life on land and sea

Words of chemistry of the upper atmosphere

water vapor carbon dioxide methane, natural gas growing green-house gases chlorine—chlorofluorocarbons ultraviolet radiation

6. Exercises: Paraphrase

1) a good catch did not look promising / hopeful 2) Following the layers of ice in the core sample, his

finger came to the place where the layer of ice was formed 20 years ago.

3) keep its engines working so that the metal parts would not be frozen solid

4) Bit by bit trees in the rain forest are felled and the land is cleared and turned into pasture where cattle can be raised quickly and slaughtered and the beef can be used in hamburgers.

Paraphrase:

5) Since miles of forest are being destroyed and the habitat for these rare birds no longer exists, thousands of birds which we have not even had a chance to see will become extinct.

6) Thinking about how a series of events might happen as a consequence of the thinning of the Polar cap is not just a kind of practice in speculation, it has got practical value.

Paraphrase:

7) we are using and destroying resources in such a big amount that we are disturbing the balance between daylight and darkness

8) Or have we been so accustomed to the bright electric lights that we fail to understand the threatening implication of these clouds

Paraphrase:

9) To approach the question in a different way; to put the question differently

10) and have a great influence on the human residence and the way they are living

（一） 操 作 方 法

Thank you