高级英语第一册Unit 3 文章结构+课文讲解+课文翻译+课后练习+答案文档格式.docx

高级英语第一册Unit 3 文章结构+课文讲解+课文翻译+课后练习+答案文档格式.docx

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　　Iwasstandinginthesunonthehotsteeldeckofafishingshipcapableofprocessingafifty-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.Navytosecurethere-leaseofpreviouslytopsecretdatafromsubmarinesonartracks,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–wherebillowingcloudsofsmokeregularlyblack-entheskyabovetheimmensebutnowthreatenedAmazonrainforest.Acrebyacre,therainforestisbeingburnedtocreatefastpastureforfast-foodbeef;

asIlearnedwhenIwentthereinearly1989,thefiresaresetearlierandearlierinthedryseasonnow,withmorethanoneTennessee'

sworthofrainforestbeingslashedandburnedeachyear.Accordingtoourguide,thebiologistTomLovejoy,therearemoredifferentspeciesofbirdsineachsquaremileoftheAmazonthanexistinallofNorthAmerica–whichmeanswearesilencingthousandsofsongswehaveneverevenheard.

　　Butonedoesn'

thavetotravelaroundtheworldtowit-nesshumankind'

sassaultontheearth.Imagesthatsignalthedistressofourglobalenvironmentarenowcommonlyseenalmostanywhere.Onsomenights,inhighnorthernlatitudes,theskyitselfoffersanotherghostlyimagethatsignalsthelossofecologicalbalancenowinprogress.Iftheskyisclearaftersunset--andityouarewatchingfromaplacewherepollutionhasn'

tblottedoutthenightskyaltogether--youcansometimesseeastrangekindofcloudhighinthesky.This"

noctilucentcloud"

occasionallyappearswhentheearthisfirstcloakedintheeveningdark-ness;

shimmeringaboveuswithatranslucentwhiteness,thesecloudsseemquiteunnatural.Andtheyshould:

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

sraysstillstrikelongaftersunsethasbroughtthebeginningofnighttothesurfacefarbeneaththem.

　　Whatshouldwefeeltowardtheseghostsinthesky?

Simplewonderorthemixofemotionswefeelatthezoo?

Perhapsweshouldfeelaweforourownpower:

justasmen"

eartusksfromelephants’headsinsuchquantityastothreatenthebeastwithextinction,wearerippingmatterfromitsplaceintheearthinsuchvolumeastoupsetthebalancebetweendaylightanddarkness.Intheprocess,weareonceagainaddingtothethreatofglobalwarming,be-causemethanehasbeenoneofthefastest-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,produceinsteadaKin.ofparalysis,focusingourattentionnotonwaystorespondbutratheronsomeconvenient,lesspainfuldistraction?

　　Still,therearesomanydistressingimagesofenviron-mentaldestructionthatsometimesitseemsimpossibletoknowhowtoabsorborcomprehendthem.Beforeconsideringthethreatsthemselves,itmaybehelpf