Transcript Lesson 3

Lesson 3
 Ships
•
in the Desert
Al Gore
Objectives
To understand the text
 To learn the words and phrases
about environment
 To be familiar with the
environmental issue

Teaching Contents
1. Introduction (10 min.)
2. Detailed study of the text (140 min.)
3. Structure analysis (5 min.)
4. Language appreciation (5 min.)
5. Summary of words and phrases(5 min)
6. Exercises (15 min)
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 (19922000) 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?

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 farreaching, 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 season
similarly:
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.
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
“noctilucent cloud”
• 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:
nocti- means night; lucent means
shining, translucent
 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.
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….
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
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
cars, 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
sunk.
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）,
ultrashort （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
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
church
b) 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 time
e.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
Paraphrase:

11) we seem to be unaware of the fact that the earth’s
natural systems are very delicate and can easily be
disrupted

12) And this continuing revolution has also
suddenly developed at a speed that doubled
and tripled the original speed.