高级英语第一册lesson3shipsinthedesert课文之欧阳家百创编Word格式文档下载.docx
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ShipsintheDesert
ALGore
Iwasstandinginthesunonthehot
steeldeckofafishingshipcapableofprocessingafifty-toncatchonagoodday.Butitwasn'
tagoodday.WewereanchoredinwhatusedtobethemostproductivefishingsiteinallofcentralAsia,butasIlookedoutoverthebow,theprospectsofagoodcatchlookedbleak.Wherethereshouldhavebeengentleblue-greenwaveslappingagainstthesideoftheship,therewasnothingbuthotdrysand–asfarasIcouldseeinalldirections.Theothershipsofthefleetwerealsoatrestinthesand,scatteredinthedunesthatstretchedallthewaytothehorizon.TenyearsagotheAralwasthefourth-largestinlandseaintheworld,comparabletothelargestofNorthAmerica'
sGreatLakes.Nowitisdisappearingbecausethewaterthatusedtofeedithasbeendivertedinanill-consideredirrigationschemetogrowcottonIntheusert.Thenewshorelinewasalmostfortykilometersacrossthesandfromwherethefishingfleetwasnowpermanentlydocked.Meanwhile,inthenearbytownofMuynakthepeoplewerestillcanningfish–broughtnotfromtheAralSeabutshippedbyrailthroughSiberiafromthePacificOcean,morethanathousandmilesaway.
Mysearchfortheunderlyingcausesoftheenvironmentalcrisishasledmetotravelaroundtheworldtoexamineandstudymanyoftheseimagesofdestruction.Attheverybottomoftheearth,highintheTrans-AntarcticMountains,withthesunglaringatmidnightthroughaholeinthesky,Istoodintheunbelievablecoldnessandtalkedwithascientistinthelatetallof1988aboutthetunnelhewasdiggingthroughtime.Slippinghisparkabacktorevealabadlyburnedfacethatwascrackedandpeeling,hepointedtotheannuallayersoficeinacoresampledugfromtheglacieronwhichwewerestanding.Hemovedhisfingerbackintimetotheiceoftwodecadesago."
Here'
swheretheU.SCongresspassedtheCleanAirAct,”hesaid.Atthebottomoftheworld,twocontinentsawayfromWashington,D.C.,evenasmallreductioninonecountry'
semissionshadchangedtheamountofpollutionfoundintheremotestendleastaccessibleplaceonearth.
Butthemostsignificantchangethusfarintheearth'
satmosphereistheonethatbeganwiththeindustrialrevolutionearlyinthelastcenturyandhaspickedupspeedeversince.Industrymeantcoal,andlateroil,andwebegantoburnlotsofit–bringingrisinglevelsofcarbondioxide(CO2),withitsabilitytotrapmoreheatintheatmosphereandslowlywarmtheearth.FewerthanahundredyardsfromtheSouthPole,upwindfromtheicerunwaywheretheskiplanelandsandkeepsitsenginesrunningtopreventthemetalpartsfromfreeze-lockingtogether,scientistsmonitortheairseveraltimeseverydaytochartthecourseofthatinexorablechange.Duringmyvisit,Iwatchedonescientistdrawtheresultsofthatday'
smeasurements,pushingtheendofasteeplinestillhigheronthegraph.Hetoldmehoweasyitis–thereattheendoftheearth–toseethatthisenormouschangeintheglobalatmosphereisstillpickingupspeed.
TwoandahalfyearslaterIsleptunderthemidnightsunattheotherendofourplanet,inasmalltentpitchedonatwelve-toot-thickslaboficefloatinginthefrigidArcticOcean.Afteraheartybreakfast,mycompanionsandItraveledbysnowmobilesafewmilesfarthernorthtoarendezvouspointwheretheicewasthinner–onlythreeandahalffeetthick–andanuclearsubmarinehoveredinthewaterbelow.Afteritcrashedthroughtheice,tookonitsnewpassengers,andresubmerged,Italkedwithscientistswhoweretryingtomeasuremoreaccuratelythethicknessofthepolaricecap,whichmanybelieveisthinningasare-suitofglobalwarming.IhadjustnegotiatedanagreementbetweenicescientistsandtheU.S.Navytosecurethereleaseofpreviouslytopsecretdatafromsubmarinesonartracks,datathatcouldhelpthemlearnwhatishappeningtothenorthpolarcap.Now,Iwantedtoseethepoleit-self,andsomeeighthoursafterwemetthesubmarine,wewerecrashingthroughthatice,surfacing,andthenIwasstandinginaneerilybeautifulsnowcape,windsweptandsparklingwhite,withthehorizondefinedbylittlehummocks,or"
pressureridges"
oficethatarepushedupliketinymountainrangeswhenseparatesheetscollide.Butheretoo,CD,levelsarerisingjustasrapidly,andultimatelytemperaturewillrisewiththem–indeed,globalwarmingisexpectedtopushtemperaturesupmuchmorerapidlyinthepolarregionsthanintherestoftheworld.Asthepolarairwarms,theiceherewillthin;
andsincethepolarcapplayssuchacrucialroleintheworld'
sweathersystem,theconsequencesofathinningcapcouldbedisastrous.
Consideringsuchscenariosisnotapurelyspeculativeexercise.SixmonthsafterIreturnedfromtheNorthPole,ateamofscientistsreporteddramaticchangesinthepatternoficedistributionintheArctic,andasecondteamreportedastillcontroversialclaim(whichavarietyofdatanowsuggest)that,overall,thenorthpolarcaphasthinnedby2percentinjustthelastdecade.Moreover,scientistsestablishedseveralyearsagothatinmanylandareasnorthoftheArcticCircle,thespringsnowmeltnowcomesearliereveryyear,anddeepinthetundrabelow,thetemperatureeoftheearthissteadilyrising.
Asithappens,someofthemostdisturbingimagesofenvironmentaldestructioncanbefoundexactlyhalfwaybetweentheNorthandSouthpoles–preciselyattheequatorinBrazil–wherebillowingcloudsofsmokeregularlyblackentheskyabovetheimmensebutnowthreatenedAmazonrainforest.Acrebyacre,therainforestisbeingburnedtocreatefastpastureforfast-foodbeef;
asIlearnedwhenIwentthereinearly1989,thefiresaresetearlierandearlierinthedryseasonnow,withmorethanoneTennessee'
sworthofrainforestbeingslashedandburnedeachyear.Accordingtoourguide,thebiologistTomLovejoy,therearemoredifferentspeciesofbirdsineachsquaremileoftheAmazonthanexistinallofNorthAmerica–whichmeanswearesilencingthousandsofsongswehaveneverevenheard.
Butonedoesn'
thavetotravelaroundtheworldtowitnesshumankind'
sassaultontheearth.Imagesthatsignalthedistressofourglobalenvironmentarenowcommonlyseenalmostanywhere.Onsomenights,inhighnorthernlatitudes,theskyitselfoffersanotherghostlyimagethatsignalsthelossofecologicalbalancenowinprogress.Iftheskyisclearaftersunset--andifyouarewatchingfromaplacewherepollutionhasn'
tblottedoutthenightskyaltogether--youcansometimesseeastrangekindofcloudhighinthesky.This"
noctilucentcloud"
occasionallyappearswhentheearthisfirstcloakedintheeveningdarkness;
shimmeringaboveuswithatranslucentwhiteness,thesecloudsseemquiteunnatural.Andtheyshould:
noctilucentcloudshavebeguntoappearmoreoftenbecauseofahugebuildupofmethanegasintheatmosphere.(Alsocallednaturalgas,methaneisreleasedfromlandfills,fromcoalminesandricepaddies,frombillionsoftermitesthatswarmthroughthefreshlycutforestland,fromtheburningofbiomassandfromavarietyofotherhumanactivities.)Eventhoughnoctilucentcloudsweresometimesseeninthepast.,allthisextramethanecarriesmorewatervaporintotheupperatmosphere,whereitcondensesatmuchhigheraltitudestoformmorecloudsthatthesun'
sraysstillstrikelongaftersunsethasbroughtthebeginningofnighttothesurfacefarbeneaththem.
Whatshouldwefeeltowardtheseghostsinthesky?
Simplewonderorthemixofemotionswefeelatthezoo?
Perhapsweshouldfeelaweforourownpower:
justasmen"
teartusksfromelephants’headsinsuchquantityastothreatenthebeastwithextinction,wearerippingmatterfromitsplaceintheearthinsuchvolumeastoupsetthebalancebetweendaylightanddarkness.Intheprocess,weareonceagainaddingtothethreatofglobalwarming,becausemethanehasbeenoneofthefastest-growinggreen-housegases,andisthirdonlytocarbondioxideandwatervaporintotalvolume,changingthechemistryoftheupperatmosphere.But,withoutevenconsideringthatthreat,shouldn'
titstartleusthatwehavenowputthesecloudsintheeveningskywhichglistenwithaspectrallight?
Orhaveoureyesadjustedsocompletelytothebrightlightsofcivilizationthatwecan'
tseethesecloudsforwhattheyare–aphysicalmanifestationoftheviolentcollisionbetweenhumancivilizationandtheearth?
Eventhoughitissometimeshardtoseetheirmeaning,wehavebynowallwitnessedsurprisingexperiencesthatsignalthedamagefromourassaultontheenvironment--whetherit'
sthenewfrequencyofdayswhenthetemperatureexceeds100degrees,thenewspeedwithwhichthe-unburnsourskin,orthenewconstancyofpublicdebateoverwhattodowithgrowingmountainsofwaste.Butourresponsetothesesignalsispuzzling.Whyhaven'
twelaunchedamassiveefforttosaveourenvironment?
Tocomeatthequestionanotherway'
Whydosomeimagesstartleusintoimmediateactionandfocusourattentionorwaystorespondeffectively?
Andwhydootherimages,thoughsometimesequallydramatic,produceinsteadaKindofparalysis,focusingourattentionnotonwaystorespondbutratheronsomeconvenient,lesspainfuldistraction?
Still,therearesomanydistressingimagesofenvironmentaldestructionthatsometimesitseemsimpossibletoknowhowtoabsorborcomprehendthem.Beforeconsideringthethreatsthemselves,itmaybehelpfultoclassifythemandthusbegintoorganizeourthoughtsandfeelingssothatwemaybeable