An Inconvenient Truth: Warning and Hope 不愿面对的真相
- 详细资料
- 创建于 2008年1月09日
- 最后更新于 2024年5月25日
- 发布于 2012年2月10日
- 作者:Mike Lee
- 点击数:257
课文朗读
课文讲解
New York cherry blossoms bloom in winter. Inhabited islands in India disappear under the ocean. Hurricane Katrina nearly destroyed New Orleans. The Earth is facing a time of great change and the climate is warming. In An Inconvenient Truth, former U.S. Vice President Al Gore explains the causes, the consequences and the solutions to global warming.
纽约的樱花在冬季绽放,印度有住人的岛屿遭海水淹没,卡翠娜飓风几乎摧毁整个纽奥良市。整个地球正面临巨大的转变,气候也逐渐暖化。在《不愿面对的真相》中,美国前副总统高尔解释地球暖化的成因、后果及因应之道。
The Earth seems so enormous and invincible that humans can’t affect it. However, the atmosphere that covers our planet is actually quite thin and fragile, and the human production of carbon dioxide is altering its composition.
地球看似庞大无敌,非人类所能左右。但事实上,包覆地球的大气层十分薄弱,而人类制造的二氧化碳正逐步改变其成份。
Every day, the planet is warmed by the sun as the atmosphere traps some of the sun’s radiation. However, as cars, factories, and fires pump more CO2 into the atmosphere, it traps more of the sun’s radiation. This causes the global climate to warm up. Today, CO2 levels are much higher than they have ever been in the past 650,000 years.
每天,大气层保留部分的太阳辐射能,让地球保持温暖。但随着汽车、工厂及火灾排放更多的二氧化碳到大气中,大气层保存的太阳辐射能也因而增多,导致地球气候暖化。今天,地球的二氧化碳浓度远高于过去65万年。
Recent rises in temperature have already had some effects. Glaciers around the world are disappearing. Lake Chad in Africa used to be one of the largest lakes in the world. Now it has dried up, leaving the people there without a source of water.
近来气温上升的现象已造成一些影响,全球各地的冰河逐渐消失。曾是全世界最大湖泊之一的非洲查德湖,现已完全干涸,当地居民也因而失去水源。
Vocabulary
单词发音
inhabited [ɪnˋhæbɪtɪd] adj. 有居民的
consequence [ˋkɑnsə͵kwɛns] n. 结果,后果
fragile [ˋfrædʒəl] adj. 脆弱的
alter [ˋɔltɚ] v. 改变
composition [͵kɑmpəˋzɪʃən] n. 组成;成分
radiation [͵redɪˋeʃən] n. 辐射
More Information
单词发音
inconvenient [͵ɪnkənˋvinjənt] adj. 带来麻烦的; 不方便的
blossom [ˋblɑsəm] n.(尤指果树的)花
bloom [blum] v. 开花; n.(尤指观赏的)花
invincible [ɪnˋvɪnsəb!] adj. 无敌的
carbon dioxide【化】二氧化碳
trap [træp] v. 困住﹐关住
pump [pʌmp] v. 排出
glacier [ˋgleʃɚ] n. 冰河
课文朗读
课文讲解
Much larger problems are predicted for the future. The ice in the Arctic and on Antarctica is melting. If the Arctic ice disappeared, many species like the polar bear would have nowhere to go. If the ice on Antarctica melted, sea levels would rise by six meters, and cities like New York, Shanghai, and San Francisco would be partially underwater.
而未来预料会有更严重的问题。南北极的冰层正在融化中,假如北极的冰层消失,许多生物如北极熊将无处可去。假如南极的冰层融化,海平面将上升六公尺。纽约、上海及旧金山等都市将被淹没一部分。
Warmer temperatures also result in warmer oceans. Warmer oceans cause stronger and more frequent hurricanes and typhoons. One hurricane, Hurricane Katrina, brought the city of New Orleans to its knees. It used to be impossible for hurricanes to form in the South Atlantic, but the first one ever hit Brazil in 2004.
气温升高也导致海水温度上升,带来更多更强烈的飓风与台风,如飓风卡翠娜瘫痪整座纽奥良市。从前,南大西洋不可能产生飓风,但在2004年,巴西遭逢史上第一个飓风。
There is hope, however. We have the technology and the ability now to stop the process. Through actions such as efficient energy use and recycling, we can return CO2 levels to what they were before 1970. We have solved environmental problems in the past. The hole in the ozone layer, for instance, is no longer a threat. All it takes is the will to change, but we need to do it quickly. Time is running out for the world we know.
不过,人类仍有希望。我们现在拥有科技与能力来终止暖化现象。透过有效利用能源与资源回收,我们能让二氧化碳的浓度回复到公元1970年以前。以前我们曾解决过环境问题,譬如臭氧层的破洞已不再对人类构成威胁。我们所需的只是改善的决心,但我们得立即付诸行动,因为对现今的世界而言,时间已经不多。
−by Alan Campana
Vocabulary
单词发音
predict [prɪˋdɪkt] v. 预言;预料
partially [ˋpɑrʃəlɪ] adv. 部分地
hurricane [ˋhɝɪ͵ken] n.〔尤指大西洋西部的〕飓风
efficient [ɪˋfɪʃənt] adj. 有效率的; 高效能的
threat [θrɛt] n. 威胁
More Information
单词发音
Arctic [ˋɑrktɪk] adj. 北极的; n. 北极地带;北极圈
Antarctica [ænˋtɑrktɪkə] n. 南极洲
bring someone to one's knees 迫使某人屈服 to destroy or defeat something
ozone [ˋozon] n. 臭氧
Reading Questions
1. What does CO2 do in the atmosphere?
A. It creates fire which warms the Earth.
B. It catches some of the heat from the sun.
C. It prevents the composition of the atmosphere from changing.
D. It causes lakes and rivers to dry up.
2. According to the article, which of the following is true?
A. The increase in hurricanes has resulted in the melting of ice in the Arctic.
B. Lower CO2 levels in the atmosphere will lead to more hurricanes.
C. Warmer oceans cause an increase in hurricane.
D. South America has experienced many hurricanes.
3. What can humans do to slow global warming?
A. Reduce the amount of ozone they produce.
B. Stop making use of recycled materials.
C. Enlarge the hole in the ozone layer.
D. Devise efficient ways of using energy.
4. What would be another good title for this article?
A. The Disappearance of Global Warming.
B. Understanding Global Warming
C. Global Warming: Rumor and Reality
D. Technological Solutions to Global Warming
An Inconvenient Truth (1-10) Movie CLIP - Science of Global Warming (2006)
An Inconvenient Truth (2-10) Movie CLIP - None Like it Hot (2006)
An Inconvenient Truth (3-10) Movie CLIP - Weather Balloons (2006)
An Inconvenient Truth (4-10) Movie CLIP - Glaciers (2006)
An Inconvenient Truth (5-10) Movie CLIP - Drastic Rise in CO2 Concentration (2006)
more videos
An Inconvenient Truth (6-10) Movie CLIP - Hurricane Katrina (2006)
An Inconvenient Truth (7-10) Movie CLIP - Arctic Ice Caps (2006)
An Inconvenient Truth (8-10) Movie CLIP - Disease Emergence (2006)
An Inconvenient Truth (9-10) Movie CLIP - Greenland (2006)
An Inconvenient Truth (10-10) Movie CLIP - U.S. Contribution to Global Warming (2006)
Answer
1. ( B ) |
2. ( C ) |
3. ( D ) |
4. ( B ) |