高级英语Unit 03.docx

高级英语Unit 03.docx

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高级英语Unit03

ShipsintheDesert

ALGore

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Iwasstandinginthesunonthehotsteeldeckofafishingshipcapableofprocessingafifty-toncatchonagoodday.Butitwasn'tagoodday.WewereanchoredinwhatusedtobethemostproductivefishingsiteinallofcentralAsia,butasIlookedoutoverthebow,theprospectsofagoodcatchlookedbleak.Wherethereshouldhavebeengentleblue-greenwaveslappingagainstthesideoftheship,therewasnothingbuthotdrysand–asfarasIcouldseeinalldirections.Theothershipsofthefleetwerealsoatrestinthesand,scatteredinthedunesthatstretchedallthewaytothehorizon.TenyearsagotheAralwasthefourth-largestinlandseaintheworld,comparabletothelargestofNorthAmerica'sGreatLakes.Nowitisdisappearingbecausethewaterthatusedtofeedithasbeendivertedinanill-consideredirrigationschemetogrowcottoninthedesert.Thenewshorelinewasalmostfortykilometersacrossthesandfromwherethefishingfleetwasnowpermanentlydocked.Meanwhile,inthenearbytownofMuynakthepeoplewerestillcanningfish–broughtnotfromtheAralSeabutshippedbyrailthroughSiberiafromthePacificOcean,morethanathousandmilesaway.

Mysearchfortheunderlyingcausesoftheenvironmentalcrisishasledmetotravelaroundtheworldtoexamineandstudymanyoftheseimagesofdestruction.Attheverybottomoftheearth,highintheTrans-AntarcticMountains,withthesunglaringatmidnightthroughaholeinthesky,Istoodintheunbelievablecoldnessandtalkedwithascientistinthelatefallof1988aboutthetunnelhewasdiggingthroughtime.Slippinghisparkabacktorevealabadlyburnedfacethatwascrackedandpeeling,hepointedtotheannuallayersoficeinacoresampledugfromtheglacieronwhichwewerestanding.Hemovedhisfingerbackintimetotheiceoftwodecadesago."Here'swheretheU.SCongresspassedtheCleanAirAct,”hesaid.Atthebottomoftheworld,twocontinentsawayfromWashington,D.C.,evenasmallreductioninonecountry'semissionshadchangedtheamountofpollutionfoundintheremotestandleastaccessibleplaceonearth.

Butthemostsignificantchangethusfarintheearth’satmosphereistheonethatbeganwiththeindustrialrevolutionearlyinthelastcenturyandhaspickedupspeedeversince.Industrymeantcoal,andlateroil,andwebegantoburnlotsofit–bringingrisinglevelsofcarbondioxide（CO2）,withitsabilitytotrapmoreheatintheatmosphereandslowlywarmtheearth.FewerthanahundredyardsfromtheSouthPole,upwindfromtheicerunwaywheretheskiplanelandsandkeepsitsenginesrunningtopreventthemetalpartsfromfreeze-lockingtogether,scientistsmonitortheairseveraltimeseverydaytochartthecourseofthatinexorablechange.Duringmyvisit,Iwatchedonescientistdrawtheresultsofthatday'smeasurements,pushingtheendofasteeplinestillhigheronthegraph.Hetoldmehoweasyitis–thereattheendoftheearth–toseethatthisenormouschangeintheglobalatmosphereisstillpickingupspeed.

TwoandahalfyearslaterIsleptunderthemidnightsunattheotherendofourplanet,inasmalltentpitchedonatwelve-foot-thickslaboficefloatinginthefrigidArcticOcean.Afteraheartybreakfast,mycompanionsandItraveledbysnowmobilesafewmilesfarthernorthtoarendezvouspointwheretheicewasthinner–onlythreeandahalffeetthick–andanuclearsubmarinehoveredinthewaterbelow.Afteritcrashedthroughtheice,tookonitsnewpassengers,andresubmerged,Italkedwithscientistswhoweretryingtomeasuremoreaccuratelythethicknessofthepolaricecap,whichmanybelieveisthinningasaresultofglobalwarming.IhadjustnegotiatedanagreementbetweenicescientistsandtheU.S.Navytosecurethereleaseofpreviouslytopsecretdatafromsubmarinesonartracks,datathatcouldhelpthemlearnwhatishappeningtothenorthpolarcap.Now,Iwantedtoseethepoleitself,andsomeeighthoursafterwemetthesubmarine,wewerecrashingthroughthatice,surfacing,andthenIwasstandinginaneerilybeautifulsnowscape/snowcape,windsweptandsparklingwhite,withthehorizondefinedbylittlehummocks,or"pressureridges"oficethatarepushedupliketinymountainrangeswhenseparatesheetscollide.Butheretoo,CO2levelsarerisingjustasrapidly,andultimatelytemperaturewillrisewiththem–indeed,globalwarmingisexpectedtopushtemperaturesupmuchmorerapidlyinthepolarregionsthanintherestoftheworld.Asthepolarairwarms,theiceherewillthin;andsincethepolarcapplayssuchacrucialroleintheworld'sweathersystem,theconsequencesofathinningcapcouldbedisastrous.

Consideringsuchscenariosisnotapurelyspeculativeexercise.SixmonthsafterIreturnedfromtheNorthPole,ateamofscientistsreporteddramaticchangesinthepatternoficedistributionintheArctic,andasecondteamreportedastillcontroversialclaim（whichavarietyofdatanowsuggest）that,overall,thenorthpolarcaphasthinnedby2percentinjustthelastdecade.Moreover,scientistsestablishedseveralyearsagothatinmanylandareasnorthoftheArcticCircle,thespringsnowmeltnowcomesearliereveryyear,anddeepinthetundrabelow,thetemperatureoftheearthissteadilyrising.

Asithappens,someofthemostdisturbingimagesofenvironmentaldestructioncanbefoundexactlyhalfwaybetweentheNorthandSouthpoles–preciselyattheequatorinBrazil–wherebillowingcloudsofsmokeregularlyblackentheskyabovetheimmensebutnowthreatenedAmazonrainforest.Acrebyacre,therainforestisbeingburnedtocreatefastpastureforfast-foodbeef;asIlearnedwhenIwentthereinearly1989,thefiresaresetearlierandearlierinthedryseasonnow,withmorethanoneTennessee'sworthofrainforestbeingslashedandburnedeachyear.Accordingtoourguide,thebiologistTomLovejoy,therearemoredifferentspeciesofbirdsineachsquaremileoftheAmazonthanexistinallofNorthAmerica–whichmeanswearesilencingthousandsofsongswehaveneverevenheard.

Butonedoesn'thavetotravelaroundtheworldtowitnesshumankind'sassaultontheearth.Imagesthatsignalthedistressofourglobalenvironmentarenowcommonlyseenalmostanywhere.Onsomenights,inhighnorthernlatitudes,theskyitselfoffersanotherghostlyimagethatsignalsthelossofecologicalbalancenowinprogress.Iftheskyisclearaftersunset--andityouarewatchingfromaplacewherepollutionhasn'tblottedoutthenightskyaltogether--youcansometimesseeastrangekindofcloudhighinthesky.This"noctilucentcloud"occasionallyappearswhentheearthisfirstcloakedintheeveningdarkness;shimmeringaboveuswithatranslucentwhiteness,thesecloudsseemquiteunnatural.Andtheyshould:

noctilucentcloudshavebeguntoappearmoreoftenbecauseofahugebuildupofmethanegasintheatmosphere.（Alsocallednaturalgas,methaneisreleasedfromlandfills,fromcoalminesandricepaddies,frombillionsoftermitesthatswarmthroughthefreshlycutforestland,fromtheburningofbiomassandfromavarietyofotherhumanactivities.）Eventhoughnoctilucentcloudsweresometimesseeninthepast,allthisextramethanecarriesmorewatervaporintotheupperatmosphere,whereitcondensesatmuchhigheraltitudestoformmorecloudsthatthesun'sraysstillstrikelongaftersunsethasbroughtthebeginningofnighttothesurfacefarbeneaththem.

Whatshouldwefeeltowardtheseghostsinthesky?

Simplewonderorthemixofemotionswefeelatthezoo?

Perhapsweshouldfeelaweforourownpower:

justasmenteartusksfromelephants’headsinsuchquantityastothreatenthebeastwithextinction,wearerippingmatterfromitsplaceintheearthinsuchvolumeastoupsetthebalancebetweendaylightanddarkness.Intheprocess,weareonceagainaddingtothethreatofglobalwarming,becausemethanehasbeenoneofthefastest-growinggreen-housegases,andisthirdonlytocarbondioxideandwatervaporintotalvolume,changingthechemistryoftheupperatmosphere.But,withoutevenconsideringthatthreat,shouldn'titstartleusthatwehavenowputthesecloudsintheeveningskywhichglistenwithaspectrallight?

Orhaveoureyesadjustedsocompletelytothebrightlightsofcivilizationthatwecan'tseethesecloudsforwhattheyare–aphysicalmanifestationoftheviolentcollisionbetweenhumancivilizationandtheearth?

Eventhoughitissometimeshardtoseetheirmeaning,wehavebynowallwitnessedsurprisingexperiencesthatsignalthedamagefromourassaultontheenvironment--whetherit'sthenewfrequencyofdayswhenthetemperatureexceeds100degrees,thenewspeedwithwhichthesunburnsourskin,orthenewconstancyofpublicdebateoverwhattodowithgrowingmountainsofwaste.Butourresponsetothesesignalsispuzzling.Whyhaven'twelaunchedamassiveefforttosaveourenvironment?

Tocomeatthequestionanotherway:

Whydosomeimagesstartleusintoimmediateactionandfocusourattentiononwaystorespondeffectively?

Andwhydootherimages,thoughsometimesequallydramatic,produceinsteadakindofparalysis,focusingourattentionnotonwaystorespondbutratheronsomeconvenient,lesspainfuldistraction?

Still,therearesomanydistressingimagesofenvironmentaldestructionthatsometimesitseemsimpossibletoknowhowtoabsorborcomprehendthem.Beforeconsideringthethreatsthemselves,itmaybehelpfultoclassifythemandthusbegintoorganizeourthoughtsandfeelingssothatwemaybeabletorespo