1、Unit 2Task 1:【答案】June 5th, the United Nations, 1972, world leaders and citizens how to protect the en vironment, San Fran cisco, California, Pla n the Pla net, Gree n Cities, most people now live,more tha n 75 perce nt , the former vice preside nt, music con certs, parades , tree pla ntin gs,represe

2、 ntatives from many en vir onmen tal orga ni zati ons【原文】Every year on June fifth many coun tries celebrate World En vir onment Day. The United Nati ons established this special day in nin etee n seve nty-two to get people to thi nkabout tak ing care of the pla net. Faith Lapidus tells us more.“Publ

3、ic eve nts for World En vir onment Day are tak ing place from June first throughJune fifth. The eve nts and conferen ces help teach world leaders and citize ns how to protectthe en vir onment.“Every year World Environment Day is celebrated in a different city. This year it isbeing held in San Fran c

4、isco, California. This is the first time since the beg inning of WorldEnvironment Day that the conference is being held in the United States. The main messageof World Environment Day this year is ,Plan for the Planet?. The events and conferences willshow how to have ,Green Cities?. This means that p

5、eople will talk about ways that cities canhave healthy en vir onmen ts.“Most people in the world lie in cities. This makes them especially important areas ofen vir onmen tal concern. Cities use more tha n seve nty-five perce nt of the worlds naturalresources such as water and gasoline. World Environ

6、ment Day will center on how people incities can work together to help save the pla net.San Fran cisco is holdi ng public talks to discuss polluti on reduct ion, clea n en ergysources and the importa nee of healthy parks and garde ns. Special experts are among thespeakers. For example, former vice-pr

7、eside nt Al Gore will talk about climate cha nge. Therealso are fun eve nts such as music con certs, movies, art shows, parades, bicycle rides andtree pla nti ngs. Local farmers and restaura nt owners will serve food that has bee n n aturallygrow n.“The Mayor of San Fran cisco, Ga Newsom, in vited c

8、ity leaders from all over theworld to atte nd this conference and share ideas. Represe ntatives from many en vir onmental orga ni zati ons also are atte nding. The Un ited Nati ons hopes to create an internationalagreement that countries and citizens will follow to help improve the Earths en vir onm

9、ent.”Task 2:【答案】A.1 d2 a3 b4 cB.1 Occupati onal no ise2 Aircraft no ise3 Traffic no ise【原文】The sense of sound is one of our most importa nt means of knowing what is going onaround us. Sound has a wasted product, too, in the form of no ise. Noise has bee n calledunwan ted sound. Noise is grow ing and

10、 it may get much worse before it gets and better.Scien tists, for several years, have bee n study ing how no ise affects people and animals. They are surprised by what they have lear ned. Peace and quiet are beco ming harderto find. Noise pollution the crashing, squeaking, banging, hammering of peop

11、le is nojoke. It is a threat that should be looked at carefully. Sound is measured in units called“decibels”. At a level of 140 decibels people feel pain in their ears.Automobiles, trucks, buses, motorcycles, airpla nes, boats, factories, ban all thesethi ngs make no ise. They bother not only our ea

12、rs, but our minds and bodies as well. There isa saying abot it being so noisy that you can?t hear yourself think. Doctors who study noisebelieve that we must sometimes hear ourselves think. If we don?t we may have headaches,other aches and pains, or eve n worse men tal problems. Noise adds more tens

13、ion to societythat already faces eno ugh stress. But no ise is not a new problem .In an cie nt Rome, peoplecompla ined so much about no ise that the gover nment stopped chariots from movingthrough the streets at ni ght!Noise can be separated into a few gen eral groups. The follow ing examples are ta

14、ke nfrom heari ngs before the US Sen ate Subcommittee on Air and Water Polluti on in 1970.Occupati onal no ise Factory workers who always hear no ise have poorer heari ngthan other groups.Aircraft noiseAround airports or on air routes the noise of airplanes taking off andlanding causes the greatest

15、compla in ts.Traffic noiseAway from the noise of planes, traffic sounds break in on our peace andquiet. Trucks and motorcycles cause the most problems.Task 3:【答案】1 F2 F3 T4 F5 T6 F7 F8 T9 T【原文】We usually think of pollution as a harmful waste substanee that threatens the air andwater. But some people

16、 have become concerned about another kind of pollution. It can beeverywhere, depending on the time of day. And it was not thought of as a substanee. It islight.The idea of light polluti on has developed with the in crease of lights in cities. In manyareas, this light makes it difficult or impossible

17、 to observe stars and in the night sky. In 1998,the International Dark-Sky Association formed. This organization wants to reduce lightpollution in the night sky. It also urges the effective use of electric lighting.There are a nu mber of reas ons why light polluti on is importa nt. One has become cl

18、earat the Mount Wils on n ear Los An geles, California. Mount Wils on Observatory was home tothe largest telescopes in the world duri ng the first half of 1900.During that period, Los An geles grew to become one of Americas biggest cities.Today, light from Los An geles makes the ni ght sky above Mou

19、nt Wils on very bright. Itis no Ion ger an importa nt research cen ter because of light pollutio n.Light pollution threatens to reduce the scientific value of research telescopes in otherimporta nt observatories. They in clude Lick Observatory n ear San Jose, California andYerkes Observatory n ear C

20、hicago, Illi no is.Light pollution is the result of wasted energy. Bright light shining into the sky is not beingused to provide light where it is needed on Earth. Poorly designed lighting causes a greatdeal of light polluti on. Lights that are brighter tha n n ecessary also cause light polluti on.R

21、ece ntly, two Italia n astr ono mers and an America n en vir onmen tal scie ntist createda world map of the ni ght sky. The map shows that North America, Western Europe and Japan have the greatest amount of light polluti on.Most people in America are surprised to find out that they are able to see o

22、ur own galaxy,the Milky Way, with their own eyes. But about three fourths of America ns cannot see theMilky Way because of man-made light.Objects in the ni ght sky are resources that provide every one with won der. And lightpolluti on threate ns to preve nt those won derful sights from being see n.T

23、ask 4:【答案】A.Israel and Jordan, 365, the lowest point, saltiest , are important to Jews, Christians andMuslims, Mi nerals , The stra nge beauty of the seaB.Message sent by this project:C.1 T2 T【原文】Israel and Jordan recently announced that they would work together to help save theDead Sea from shrinki

24、ng. Government officials said the joint project would help the sea,protect the areas unu sual wildlife and in crease the nu mber of visitors to the area. Theannoun ceme nt was made duri ng the Un ited Nati ons World Summit on Sustai nableDevelopme nt earlier this mon th in Joha nn esburg, South Afri

25、ca.The Dead Sea is on the border betwee n Israel and Jorda n. It is 365 meters below sealevel. That is the lowest point on Earth. The Dead Sea is the saltiest large body of water in theworld. The area around the Dead Sea has ancient places that are important to Jews,Christians and Muslims. Minerals

26、in the Dead Sea are used for health treatments. Thestrange beauty of the sea brings many visitors to the area.But the Dead Sea is shri nking by almost one meter each year. Most of the water thatflows into the Dead Sea comes from the Jorda n River. However, water flow ing from theJordan River has bee

27、n redirected for other uses in the area. Officials say within the next 50years, the Dead Sea could shrink to less than half of its current size.To preve nt that, Israel and Jorda n pla n to build a pipeli ne more tha n 300 kilometerslong. The pipeline would pump water from the Red Sea through both c

28、ountries into the DeadSea. After the pipeline is built, the officials hope to build a canal and a salt removal Systemthat will provide fresh water to Jordanians, Israelis and Palestinians.The pipeli ne will take at least three years to build. The project will cost as much as 1,000million dollars. Is

29、rael and Jordan hope to pay for it with help from other countries. The projectis expected to begi n after a nin e-m onth study is completed.Israel and Jorda n had hoped to cooperate closely on a nu mber of issues after they signed a peace agreeme nt in 1994. However, tensions have in creased betwee

30、n them sincethe curre nt Palesti nian upris ing bega n two years ago.Officials from Israel and Jorda n described the water project as a major step forward.Experts say the agreeme nt sends a message that the en vir onment, ecology and n ature aremore importa nt tha n borders or political con flicts.T

31、ask 5:【答案】A.1 27 perce nt, higher ocea n temperatures, activities by people, 60 perce nt2 develop ing coun tries, off the coast of n ortheasterin Australia, off the Philipp in es,the Caribbea n isla nds , South AmericaB.Coral reefs support many kinds of sea life.Coral reefs also protect coastal com

32、mun ities in storms.Coral reefs support fishi ng activities and protect inland waterways.Coral reefs also have become popular stops for travelers.Corals are eve n importa nt for medical research.C.1 F2 T3 T【原文】En vir onmen tal experts are concerned about the worlds coral reefs. A rece nt studyfound

33、that twen ty-seve n perce nt of all coral reef systems have bee n destroyed. Expertsbelieve higher ocea n temperatures and activities by people are to blame. The study warnsthat sixty percent of the reef systems could be permanently lost if nothing is done to stop theproblem.Corals are groups of sma

34、ll orga ni sms called polyps. These polyps live with in a skeleton made of a substa nee called limest one.Corals are found in warm waters. Millio ns of corals grow together to form coral reefs.Coral reefs are some of the oldest n atural systems in the world. The reefs support manykinds of sea life.

35、They can be to important to local and national economies. The reefs alsoprotect coastal com mun ities in storms.The World Wildlife Fund paid for the in depe ndent report. The group warns that thedestruction of coral reefs will result in severe losses to the world economy. Peter Bryantworks with the

36、Endan gered Seas Program of the World Wildlife Fund. Mister Brya nt no testhat most of the reef systems are in develop ing coun tries. He says the prese nee of coralreefs produces money for many econo mies.Coral reefs support fishi ng activities and protect in la nd waterways. They also havebecome p

37、opular stops for travelers. Many people like to swim un derwater to see coral reefs.Mister Brya nt estimates that the worlds coral reefs are worth thirty-thousa nd- milli on dollarsa year.The largest in the world is the Great Barrier Reef off the coast of n ortheasterin Australia.Coral reefs also ar

38、e found in waters off the Philipp in es, Indon esia, the Caribbea n isla nds,the Un ited States and South America.Corals are eve n importa nt for medical research. Mister Brya nt says more tha n half ofall new can cer drug studies invo Ive sea creatures. For example, he no tes there is a reef inthe

39、Caribbean with organisms that form the basis of the AIDS drug A-Z-T.The World Wildlife Fund say coral reefs should be declared protected areas. That way,huma n activities could be more closely supervised. The group says gover nments must takeresp on sibility for the future of their coastal com mun i

40、ties.Task 6:【答案】A.with the destruction estimated at Since 1996, members of the group have claimed tohave damaged or bur nedis to stop development and other activities they consider harmful to nature. They saytheir property attacks are aimed atits goals. But it says it is opposed to Traditional envir

41、onmentalB.1 a 17-year-old student, the state of New York, cooperate with officials investigating theEarth Liberation Front2 en vir onmen tal extremists, the group usually leaves very little evide nee behi nd【原文】For years, America n law en foreeme nt officials have bee n tryi ng to solve a series of

42、envir onmen tal crimes. The crimes are lin ked to a group known as the Earth Liberati on Front.The group claims responsibility for hundreds of acts of destruction in the United States duringthe past five years. The destruction has caused more than thirty million dollars worth ofdamage.Federal inv es

43、tigators say they are fin ally closer to sol ving the crimes. Rece ntly, a seventee n-year-old stude nt reportedly admitted sett ing a series of fires in the state of New York.He was charged in conn ecti on with acts of damage believed to be carried out by the EarthLiberation Front. The student is t

44、he son of a New York City police officer. He reportedly madethe admissi on duri ng a secret court heari ng. As part of a deal, the stude nt agreed tocooperate with officials inv estigat ing the Earth Liberati on Front. He could face up to twentyyears in prison. This is the first time that a member o

45、f the group has admitted beingresponsible for environmental crimes linked to the Earth Liberation Front. Three othersuspects in the property attacks were n egotiati ng with federal officials.Since Nineteen-Ninety-Six, members of the group have claimed to have damaged orburned hun dreds of new homes,

46、 tree-cutt ing compa ni es, federal offices and ani mal andpla nt research laboratories. They say their goal is to stop developme nt and other activitiesthey con sider harmful to n ature. They say their property attacks are aimed at in dustry andrich people who profit from the destructi on of the n

47、atural en vir onment.The Earth Liberation Front says it will use any direct action necessary to carry out itsgoals. But it says it is opposed to harming animals or humans. Traditional en vir onmen talgroups in the Un ited States reject the groups methods.The Earth Liberati on Front in cludes en vir

48、onmen tal extremists who operate in dependen tly of each other. Federal inv estigators say their lack of structure has made themdifficult to stop. And they say the group usually leaves very little evidence behind.A few weeks ago, the group claimed responsibility for burning several new homes inMount

49、 Sinai, New York. It has also claimed responsibility for destructive acts in Colorado, Arizona, Orego n and Wisc onsin.Task 7:【答案】A.ren ewable en ergy, the n ext ten years, 1 perce nt, 1,500 megawatts, past 20 years, 38cen ts, 3 cents , a 90 perce nt drop, gover nment supportB.A number of people who

50、 live on or visit the Cape say Cape Cod is a national treasureshould not be ope n to in dustry. They argue that build ing the win dmills would hurt fish andbirds in the area, and it would hurt tourism. They say the windmills will ruin the beauty of looking out to sea from the coast.C.1 T【原文】A study

51、says wind power will lead the growth in the use of ren ewable en ergy in the United States and Can ada over the next ten years. Ren ewable en ergy also in eludes formslike power from the sun. Navigant Consulting in the United States carried out the study. Energy compa nies helped pay for much of the

52、 research.The use of wind energy has grown in the United States, but remains less than oneperce nt of all the en ergy produced.Lisa Fran tzis led the study. She says the researchers expect additi ons of as much ason e-thousa nd-five-h un dred megawatts from wind power projects each year. That isabou

53、t equal to the en ergy producti on of one nu clear power stati on.The study says there have bee n major improveme nts in the performa nee of all renewable en ergy tech no logies in the past twenty years. For example, the study reports aninety percent drop in the price of electricity produced from wi

54、nd. In the nineteen- eighties akilowatt hour of wind power cost about thirty-eight cents. Now, a kilowatt hour is closer tothree cen ts.The study found that gover nment support must con ti nue and grow to permit renewable en ergies to compete in the power in dustry.However, some ren ewable en ergy c

55、ompa nies face criticism .In fact, wind en ergyproducers usually have to deal with opposition from communities they try to enter.Curren tly, a wind en ergy compa ny is trying to set up bus in ess in Cape Cod,Massachusetts, in the n ortheaster n Un ited States. The Cape Wind compa ny wants toplace mo

56、re tha n on e-h un dred wi ndmills in n earby waters. The win dmills are hun dreds ofmeters tall. Cape Wind says the project could provide Cape Cod with seve nty-five percentof its electricity needs. And, it would not create pollution.But, a nu mber of people who live on or visit the Cape say they d

57、o not want the windmills. They say Cape Cod is a n ati onal treasure that should not be ope n to in dustry. Theyargue that building the windmills would hurt fish and birds in the area. And, they say it wouldhurt tourism. They say the windmills will ruin the beauty of looking out to sea from the coas

58、t.En vir onmen tal groups, however, look at the situati on differe ntly. They ague that asource of en ergy that does not cause polluti on would protect n atural en vir onments likeCape Cod.Task 8:【答案】A.1 For him, pollution is the way environment is being misused, the actions which consume theenviron

59、ment, like the overuse of artificial fertilizers and over-cropping in develop ingagriculture. And the harmful substa nces like the waste from motor cars and factories areless importa nt. 2 They see pollutio n as a social problem, and the root cause of polluti on isthe way we orga nize our society an

60、d the in credible waste of resources.B.1 Housewives can avoid buying things that they dont n eed.2 They can also cut dow n on the amount of packag ing and try not to buy dyed toiletpaper to reduce water polluti on.3 People can avoid buying drinks in non-retur nable bottles.4 They can reduce con sump