Transcript Document

Unit 8
Protecting Our Environment
Objectives
• Students will be able to:
• grasp the main idea and the structure of
the text
• Appreciate the various argumentative skills
employed in the text
• master the key language points and
grammatical structures in the text;
• conduct a series of reading, listening,
• speaking and writing activities related to
the theme of the unit.
Contents
1
Warm-up activity
2
Cultural Notes
3
Reading: Text A
4
Writing strategy
5
Assignment
Warm-up Activity
Word-web
Global
warming
Flood
sea level
rising
greenhouse
effect
drought
ecocrisis
• Word-web
Air pollution
Water pollution
nuclear pollution
Pollution types
noise pollution
Text
Word -web
Environmental
protection
recycling
center
afforest
Greenpeace
National
Tree
Planting Day
What should we do?
Film Recommended
• 在一个缺乏英雄的世界，艾琳·布劳克维奇（Erin
Brockovich）的故事就显得特别刺激、有趣而不俗。这部
影片是在真实事件的基础上拍成的。获两届奥斯卡奖提名
的大牌明星朱莉娅·罗伯茨出演片中一个离过两次婚、带
着三个孩子的母亲，这个英雄的母亲面对逆境毫无惧色，
成功地打败了一个大型公用事业公司。
艾琳是一个
小法律公司的文员，一次在一个废弃社区中不小心绊倒在
一个不易被发现的小水坑中。水坑中被污染的水中含有能
引起毁灭性疾病的病菌。因受骗而被激怒的艾琳说服自己
的老板同意让她调查事情真相。
开始时镇上的人对
艾琳的做法抱怀疑态度，但艾琳的勇敢行为和颇具说服力
的言词最终赢得了他们的信任。由600多名原告签名起诉
的官司最终赢得了胜利，而在这个过程中，艾琳也改写了
自己的人生。
Cultural Notes
• Greenhouse effect:
• Greenhouse effect means the retention
of heat by the lower layers of the
Earth’s atmosphere, which, it is believed,
will cause a rise in temperature of the
Earth and its atmosphere, known as
global warming.
Green Party
A British political party that aims to
protect the environment. It is against
the use of nuclear power and other
forms of industry and transport which
it considers harmful. It was formed in
1973 as the Ecology Party, and changed
its name to the Green Party in 1985.
Other countries also have parties that
share the same name and ideals.
Green Peace
• A large international pressure group
that aims to protect the environment.
Its members are well known for
protecting the environment. They often
go out in small boats to stop people
from killing whales or throwing
poisonous materials into the sea.
The Environmental Protection Agency
A US government organization that
established rules and standards for
protecting the environment, e.g. against
pollution.
Quotations
 1. The nation that destroys its soil destroys itself.
-- Franklin D. Roosevelt, American president
一个破坏它自己土地的国家，毁灭的也就是它本身。
-- 美国总统 富兰克林•罗斯福
 2. Nature never did betray the heart that loved her.
-- William Wordsworth, British poet
大自然永远不会背叛爱她的那颗心。
-- 英国诗人 威廉姆•华尔华斯
 3. Nature, to be commanded, must be obeyed.
-- Francis Bacon, British philosopher
想支配大自然，就必须遵守大自然的规律。
-- 英国哲学家 弗朗西斯•培根
www.themegallery.com
Company Logo
 4. One touch of nature makes the whole world kin.
-- Shakespeare, British poet and playwright
自然界的一个轻轻触摸，就使得整个世界都有了亲情。
-- 英国诗人，剧作家 莎士比亚
www.themegallery.com
Company Logo
Reading: Text A
Before we go into the text, let’s
look at the following two question
Which type will you choose?
Preserve spotted owl
A: variety of nature
B: the loss of livelihood for
30,000 logging family
•
A:
• Saving oil or energy
•
B:
• Drill for oil or energy
• Attain oil through war
• Peaceful attainable
• Cost life and money
• Disturb the breeding
ground of Arctic
reindeer
• The above two situations, if you choose B
type, you are a sensible environmentalism
or non-sentimental environmentalism. You
believe that “ man is the measure of all
things”; saving nature not for nature’s sake
but for our human own.
•
Main idea
• We should adopt a sensible
environmentalism
• (you will find more explanation about
sensible environmentalism in para 2,5, 6, 8,
14, try to sum up them)
Part division of the text
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
line 1-30
line31-69
line 70-85
It is important to
distinguish
between
environmental
necessities and
environmental
luxuries and apply
the fundamental
principle of
sensible
environmentalism.
•A sensible
environmentalism
does not
sentimentalize the
earth.
•Man is the
master of
nature
The supporting detail for each part
Part 1
The ozone layer:
skin caner; eye cataracts
plankton;
The greenhouse effect:
melting icecaps; disturbed
climate; dried up plains;
empty breadbaskets
Man’s self-preservation
True or False
1. Environmental sensitivity is compared to belief in
democracy or aversion to nylon. ( T )
2. Those things that would be nice to have if costless
are environmental necessities.
(F)
Those things that would be nice to have if costless
are environmental luxuries.
3. Those things that we must have regardless are
environmental luxuries.
(F)
Those things that we must have regardless are
environmental necessities.
4. The fundamental principle of sensible environmentalism
is to combat ecological change that directly threatens
the health and safety of people.
(T)
5. To protect the ozone layer and to halt the greenhouse
effect are regarded as environmental luxuries. ( F )
They are regarded as environmental necessities.
6. Ozone reduction is very harmful to our earth and
our life.
(T)
7. If the greenhouse effect can’t be checked, we are
going to see Albuquerque’s climate in Iowa and
Iowa’s climate in Siberia.
(T)
8. A sensible environmentalism declares that man
should serve nature.
(F)
A sensible environmentalism declares that nature is
here to serve man.
Part 2
The so-called “Gaia
theory”
Protagoras’ principle
Oil war and the reindeer
The spotted owl and
logging families
Table completion
Sensible environmentalists and sentimental environmentalists may
have great disputes over some cases. Go over Part II carefully and
find out what their attitudes might be when the following events are
concerned and fill in the blanks with main ideas.
Events
Snail Darter
Event
Oil Drilling
in ANWR
Sensible Environmentalism
Hardworking voters are the
most important.
Country needs oil production;
the exploration is worthwhile.
Sentimental Environmentalism
Hardworking voters should
sacrifice for the good of the
snail darter.
No exploration in order to
protect the wildlife.
Sensible environmentalists and sentimental environmentalists
may have great disputes over some cases. Go over Part II
carefully and find out what their attitudes might be when the
following events are concerned and fill in the blanks with main
ideas.
Attitude
Events
Spotted Owl
Event
Conclusion
Sensible Environmentalism
The livelihood of logging
families are more important.
Man-centered in preserving
nature.
Sentimental Environmentalism
The spotted owl should be
preserved even at the cost of
livelihood for 30,000 logging
families.
Nature should be preserved at
any cost, even at the cost of man
himself.
Part 3
Man’s well-being first
Who should accommodate
and how
Humanistic
environmentalism
Question and Answer
1. According to the author, what should be the relationship
between man and nature?
Nature is man’s charge. Man is nature’s master.
2. At what time will man have to accommodate to nature?
Man will have to accommodate to nature when his fate
and that of nature are bound up together.
3. What will the sentimental environmentalists think of the
writer’s way of saving nature?
Wrong frame of mind.
4. How does the writer respond?
We do that not for the nature’s sake but for our own.
Writing Strategy
• This essay is a piece of argumentative writing.
The ways of presenting an argument include
contrast, concession,
quotation, example, definition, cause and
effect, data and so on.
Task:
Students are required to form groups to find out
what kind of argumentative methods are used in
each part and then reported to the whole class.
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Contrast: see Text organization Exercise 2
Concession: Para 8,para 10, para 11
Quotation: para 8
Example:
para 3, para 13
Definition: para 2, para 5
Cause and effect: para 3, para 4
Data: para 7, para 8, para 11
Vocabulary and grammar
• Environmental sensitivity is now as
required an attitude in polite society as
is, say, belief in democracy or aversion
to nylon.
• 环境意识，就如同对民主制度的信奉，或
对尼龙的厌恶， 已成为当今上流社会一种
必备的态度。
Aversion: strongly dislike (followed by to)
• Eg: He took an immediate aversion to
his new teacher.
• Eg: Many people have a natural and
emotional aversion to insects.
Conflict: be in opposition, collision or disagreement
(followed by with)
• Eg: Our findings conflict with the results of
the government’s survey.
• Personal ethics and professional ethics
sometimes conflict.
In the name of:
for the reason of; using the excuse of;
as the representative of; by the authority of
• Eg: They arrested him in the name of the
safety of the country.
• Let me thank you in the name of my
parents.
Distinguish: recognize the
difference (between)
• Eg: He is too young to distinguish right
from wrong.
• Fingerprints can be used to distinguish the
two suspects.
• If costless: if those things don’t cost much
• Regardless: in spite of everything; anyway
• Eg: His parents objected to his marriage,
but he carried on regardless.
Fundamental: of the basis or
foundation of sth (followed by to)
• Eg: The fundamental problem lies in their
inability to distinguish between reality and
fantasy.
Combat: fight or struggle (against)
• Eg: Many politicians emphasized the
importance of combating international
terrorism.
• Doctors are still seeking ways to combat
AIDS.
Atmosphere
• 1) the mixture of gases that surrounds the
earth
• Eg: The treaty bans nuclear testing in the
atmosphere.
• 2) feeling in the mind that is created by a
group of people or a place
• Eg: Atmosphere over dinner was warm
and friendly.
Urgent
• After the earthquake, there was an urgent
need for food and medicines.
universal
• Of, belonging to, affecting or done by all
people or things in the world or in a
particular group
Call for: require, demand
• Facing with the threat of a civil war, the
President has called for self-control and
calm.
On the grounds of/on….grounds:
for reasons of
• She is suing the company on the grounds
of unfair dismissal.
• John was not employed by the company
on the grounds of his age.
Vote: express one’s choice in favor of (a
person, political party, etc) at an election
(vote on sth; vote for/against)
• If we can’t agree with each other about
the plan, let’s vote on it.
• They will vote for George Bush, I think.
Run/go against the grain: be
contrary to one’s desire or feeling
(followed by of sth / to do sth)
• Eg: It really goes against the grain to go to
school on National Day.
Excess: more than the reasonable
degree or amount of sth
• He smoked like a chimney. It was the
excess of cigarettes that caused his death.
Nothing more than: just the same
as; only
• Don’t be scared. It is nothing more than a
nightmare.
• You needn’t report to him. He is nothing
more than a clerk.
Rage: continue with great force; be
intense
• Price inflation still rages although the
government has taken some measures to
tackle the problem.
• Street fighting raged all over the city.
Work one’s way: manage to reach
or go through; make efforts to attain
one’s goal
• Eg: As my family couldn’t pay that much
for me to go to school, I have to work my
way through law school.
Come through: experience, survive
or overcome ( a difficulty, etc)
• The Chinese football team was in trouble
at the beginning of the match but in the
end come through.
• If we can come through this financial crisis
the company’s future will be bright.
In part: partly; to some extent
• Eg: His failure was due in part to his
laziness.
• Whether you will be sent to Yale University
for further study depends in part on how
well you perform in the exam.
Ridiculous: absurd
• It is ridiculous to spend all her salary
buying that so-called antique.
• It is ridiculous that they should want to wait
ten hours just to have a look at their
favorite film star.
• Deny: 1) refuse to grant or allow (used in
the pattern: deny sb sth)
• Eg: The kid was denied the chance of
going to school.
• 2) state sth is not true( deny sth, deny that;
deny doing sth)
• Eg: When the police asked her neighbors
questions, they all denied having seen her.
…as much as the next man: as
much as the average person
Accommodation: the process of
adapting; adjustment
• Mutual accommodation is of importance
especially to newly married couples.
• It is necessary to seek accommodation
from both sides in the dispute.
Threat: a danger that sth might happen to
sb( followed by to/from/of /against)
• There have death threats against the
witness.
• The Hurricane Center warns people not to
take the threat of tropical storms lightly.
• The president said that he would stand
firm and not give in to the threats from
terrorists.
• The newly built Wal-Mart will be a threat to
the local supermarkets.
Fatal: causing death; bringing ruin
• The doctor said the patient was suffering
from a fatal disease.
• He made a fatal mistake of giving her
telephone number.
• Concern: 1) thing that is important or
interesting to sb
• Eg: what are your main concern as a
college student?
• 2) worry, anxiety (followed by
for/about//over/that)
• There was growing concern over the rise
in unemployment.
Sake: purpose; benefit or wellbeing (for sb’s/sth’s sake, for the
sake of)
• He change into old shoes for the sake of
comfort.
• I’m studying history for its own sake, not
because it will help me get a job.
• She argues for the sake of arguing. (i.e,
because she likes arguing)
Practice and Answers
Multiple Choice
Choose one best answer for each of the following sentences.
1. Jenny has just changed her job, and she needs some time to
____ herself ____ the new circumstances.
A. change…for
B. adapt…with
C. accommodate…to
D. conform…to
2. Many Chinese don’t like cheese when they first eat it; it is a(n)
____ taste.
A. obtained
B. innate
C. acquired
D. inherited
Multiple Choice
Choose one best answer for each of the following sentences.
3. This plan was originally ________ in 1990s.
A. improved
B. put forward
C. published
D. carried away
4. The free ____ of class enables the students to communicate
with their teacher.
A. atmosphere
B. air
C. surroundings
D. settings
Multiple Choice
Choose one best answer for each of the following sentences.
5. He announced his engagement, but his parents had a strong
________ to the would-be daughter-in-law.
A. disagreement
B. prejudice
C. sympathy
D. aversion
6. The occasion____ a cool head.
A. calls on
B. calls off
C. calls for
D. calls out
Multiple Choice
Choose one best answer for each of the following sentences.
7. It is a shame that the committee ________ our proposal.
A. voted through
B. voted down
C. voted out
D. Voted for
8. She is such a spoiling mother that she can ____ her son
nothing.
A. deny
B. deprive
C. give
D. grant
Multiple Choice
Choose one best answer for each of the following sentences.
9. 1) He should ________ be allowed to get up until he has
completely recovered.
A. in any case
B. in no case
C. in case
D. in case of
2) ____ fire, please dial 911.
A. In any case
B. In no case
C. In case
D. In case of
Multiple Choice
Choose one best answer for each of the following sentences.
3) ________ he arrives before I get back, please ask him to wait.
A. In any case
B. In no case
C. In case
D. In case of
4) You have to be there by 8 o’clock ____.
A. in any case
B. in no case
C. in case
D. in case of
Key to Exercises
Vocabulary
I. 1. 1) universal
3) worked his way
5) melt
7) threat
9) in the name of
11) vote
13) in part
15) urgent
2) current
4) deny
6) came through
8) combat
10) raged
12) concerns
14) reality
Key to Exercises
2. 1) There has been much debate on the new
teaching method invented by a young
educationist.
2)Most kinds of cancer are fatal without
proper treatment.
3) John has submitted an application for
retirement at the age of 56 on the grounds
of ill health.
4) Can you draw a distinction between these
two approaches? They sound so similar to
me.
5) Cars should stop at red traffic lights.
Similarly, bicycles should stop, too.
Key to Exercises
3 3. 1) Ecologists constantly call for people to stop
cutting trees for the sake of man's own future. As
a matter of fact, more and more people have
realized that man's fate is closely bound up with his
environment.
2) We distinguish the excellent manager from the
common one by observing his human relations skills
to accommodate all kinds of conflicting interests
within his company. The excellent manager can
always create a lively atmosphere through various
proposals and suggestions while the common one can
do nothing more than complain about everything.
3) It goes against the grain of contemporary
concept of ecology ( 生态学 ) to overuse our natural
resources regardless of serious ecological
consequences. While it is ridiculous to worship the
earth to the point of excess, to ignore the
fundamental principles of ecological balance is
dangerous too.
Key to Exercises
II. Confusable Words
1. 1) sensible
3) sentimental
5) sensible
2. 1) conserve
3) conserve
2) sensitive
4) sensitive
6) sentimental
2) preserves
4) preserving
Key to Exercises
III. Word Formation
age-old 古老的
air force 空军
daughter-in-law 儿媳妇 first-rate 一流的
greenhouse 温室
half brother 同母异父(同父
异母)兄弟
ice-cream 冰激凌
lifelike 逼真的
light year 光年
salesperson 售货员；推销员
self-centered 自私的 threefold 三倍
overuse 过度使用
stone-still 石头似的一动不动
worldwide 全世界范围的；在全世界范围的
Key to Exercises
Structure
1. 1) Now that he has begun a new life in a foreign country,
everything seems so different and he is understandably excited.
2) The things I've worked so hard for appear to me so shallow and
worthless now that I've achieved them.
3) Now that the warmer months are coming, why don't you take the
opportunity to travel around Siberia?
4) Now that she knew the whole truth she realized how stupid she
had been not to suspect that her boyfriend was actually a spy.
2. 1) When Mount Qomolangma was remeasured in 1987 by a more
accurate method, it was found to be 24 meters higher than
previously believed.
2) The central heating system has proved less effective than
originally hoped for.
3) The new electronic dictionary is sold at a much lower price than
predicted.
4) Totally fed up with the noise in the surroundings of the hotel,
Prof. Sherrington said he'd leave as soon as he finished his work
and wouldn't stay there a moment longer than necessary.
Key to Exercises
Comprehensive Exercises
I.
1.
3.
5.
7.
9.
Cloze
(A)
concern
excess
consequences
distinguish
distinctions
2. environment
4. regardless
6. fatal
8. urgent
10.fundamental
Key to Exercises
(B)
1. between
3. conserving
5. concern
7. own
9. use
11. as
13. lower
2. than
4. less
6. that
8. more
10. mankind/man
12. which
14. differences
Key to Exercises
II. Translation
It is relatively more difficult to call for poorly
educated people to conserve resources because they
tend to view resources as nothing more than handy
materials, which they can never overuse to the point
of excess. They are seldom aware of the fatal
consequences of the ruin of nature. In contrast, most
educated people bind their own well-being to that of
nature and try to preserve nature on the grounds of
self-preservation. Though it may be difficult to
distinguish a good proposal from a bad one in our
current debate on environmental issues, one
contemporary commentator has argued that
protecting the environment in the name of man should
be our guiding principle.
Text B An Ugly New Footprint
in the Sand
Useful Expressions
1. nothing but：only
2. litter about: throw away rubbish
carelessly
3. wash up: bring in or be brought to the
shore
3. get away from: go away
4. for all: in spite of
Comprehension Check
Choose the best answer for each
of the following:
1. A
2. B
3. D
4. A
5. D
6. C
Language Practice
Fill in the gaps with words or phrases.
1. nothing but
2. patches
3. get away from
4. spoil
5. Pollute
6. explosion
7. assumptions
8. enables
9. has rusted
10. washed up
11. dump
12. stained
13. substance
14. destruction
15. triumph
16.
17.
18.
19.
20.
pinched
hardens
For all
Uttered
mankind
Thank you very much！