3 At War with the Planet.docx

3 At War with the Planet.docx

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3AtWarwiththePlanet

LessonThreeAtWarwiththePlanet

BarryCommner

●Objectives

Studentswillbeableto:

1.learnthedifferentlawsgoverningthenaturalworldandtheman-madeworldsoastounderstandbetterthenatureoftheconflictbetweenmanandthenature；

2.linkwhatwearefacinginrealitywithwhatisdiscussedintheessay;

3.graspthecharacteristicsoftheessay（itsformalchoiceofwords,complicatedsentencestructure,clearorganizationandtheuseofcontrastinpresentingtheargument）;

4.enlargetheirvocabularybypickingupthosespecialterminologyemployedintheessay;

5.conductaseriesofreading,listening,speakingandwritingactivitiesrelatedtothethemeoftheunit.

●Timeallotment:

Theteachingplanistobecarriedoutwith8periods.

Aboutthetitle:

Doesthistitleappearstrikingtoyou?

Itisimportantforanessay,ashortstoryoranoveltohaveaninterestingandinvitingtitle,atitlethatcanarousereaders’interestandcuriositytoreadon.Forinstance,uponseeingthistitle,onecan’thelpwondering:

whoisatwarwiththeplanet?

Whatkindofwarthatcanbe?

Isthethirdworldwargoingtohappen?

Fromtheguidetoreading,welearnthatthisistheopeningchapterofMakingPeacewiththePlanet,abookwithasameinterestingtitlebyBarryCommoner.FromGuidetoReadingandnote1,weknowthatCommonerisaleadingenvironmentalistintheUnitedStates.Sothisessayisabouttheenvironmentalproblems.Let’sgorighttothetextbody.

GeneralStructure:

PartI（Para.1）

Thisistheintroductorypartinwhichtheauthorraisesthethemethatpeopleliveintwoworlds.Likeinlessonone,theauthorcomestothepointrightway.

PartIII（Paras.6-9）

Thefirstlawoftheecosphereandthelawgoverningtherelationshipbetweenman-madeobjectsandthesurroundings

PartIV（Paras.10-11）

theclosedcyclicalprocessofecosphereandthelinearprocessoftechnosphere

PartV（Paras.12-14）

theconsistentandharmoniousnatureoftheecosphereascontrastedtotherapidchangeandvariationofthetechnosphere

PartVI.（Paras.15-16）

comparisonbetweentheconsequencesoffailureortheecosphereandthatofthetechnosphere

PartVII（Paras.17-21）

thedangeroftakingsideinthewarofthetwoworlds

PartVIII.（Paras.22-23）

Conclusion:

theauthoronceagainstressestheimportanceofunderstandingtheinterplayofthetwoworldsandonthebasisofthisunderstanding,makingitourtasktofindwaystomakepeacewiththeplanet.

Detailedstudyofthetext

PartI（Para.1）

Para.1

Thisfirstsentencehasalreadykeptusinsuspense.Whydopeopleliveintwoworlds,whatkindofworldsarethey,thisworldandthenext?

Couldwelivehereandthereatthesametime?

1.Accordingtotheauthor,whatarethetwoworldsthatpeoplelivein?

●Thetwoworldsrefertothenaturalworldandtheworldofhumancreation,thatis,man-madeworld.

2.Whatarethedifferencesbetweenthesetwoworlds?

Howdopeoplethinkofthesetwoworlds?

●Thenaturalworldisbeyondhumancontrol.Generallywethinkthatweareresponsibleforeventsofourownworld,butnotforwhatoccursinthenaturalworld.

●Exemptfrom:

freefromanobligation,dutyorpayment

e.g.goodsexemptfromtax

Thehandicappedareexemptfrommilitaryservice.

Whatisthefunctionofthefirstparagraph?

Itservesasanintroduction.Inthispart,theauthorraisesthethemethatpeopleliveintwoworlds.

PartII（Paras.2-5）inparttwo,theauthorexplainswhythetwoworldsareatwar

Para.2

3.now,onaplanetaryscale,thisdivisionhasbeenbreached

●breach:

break,tomakeagapinawallsorbarrier,etc.

●Thisisatransitionalsentence,linkingupthefollowingpartwiththefirstparagraph.Italsoleadstofurtherexplanationoftheinteractionbetweenthetwoworlds.

●Globally,thedivisionbetweenthetwoworldshasbeenbroken.Theyarenolongerseparated.Theimpliedmeaningiswhathumansdointhetechnospherewillhaveeffectontheecosphere.

4.…evendroughts,floods,andheatwavesmaybecomeunwittingactsofman.

●Boththeholeinozonelayerandglobalwarmingareconsequencesofhumandeeds.Theyinturnwillcauseothernaturaldisasterslikedroughts,floodsandheatwaves.Inthissense,whatpeopledointhetechnospheremayunintentionallyhaveadverseeffectsontheecosphere.

●Doyouthinkitacorrectstatement?

Ifyes,couldyougiveanexampleofthiskind?

Forexample,inordertoreclaimland,ortogatherfirewood,peoplewouldcutdowntreesandbushes,thuscausingdeforestation.Withouttheprotectionofforests,therewillbefloods,droughtsandlandslides.Inhistory,ourloessplateauwasoncecoveredwiththickforestandthesoilwasfertile.Withforestgone,ithasturnedintoabarrenland

Para.3

5.LiketheCreation,theportendingglobaleventsarecosmic…

●toportend:

tobeanomenorwarningof

portending:

ominous,threatening

●globalevents:

refertoeventssuchastheholeintheozonelayerandglobalwarming

●likethecreationoftheuniverse,eventsthathappenontheearthmayhavevasteffects,especiallyontherelationshipbetweentheplanetearthandthesun

6.Thesun’spowerfulinfluenceontheearthisexertedbytwoforces

●exert:

touseorapplyaquality,skill,pressure,etc施加

e.g.heexertedallhisinfluencetomakethemaccepthisplan.

Sheexertedalotofpressureonherchildrentosucceed.

●Thesunexertsit’spowerfulinfluenceontheearththroughtwoforces.

7.Solarenergyfuelstheenergy-requiringprocessesoflife;itcreatestheplanet’sclimateandgovernsthegradualevolutionandthecurrentbehaviorofitshugeandvariedpopulationoflivingthings

●..solarenergyfuelstheenergy-requiringprocessesoflife…

Tofuel:

toprovidefuel,togivepowerto

Thephotosynthesisofplantsisacaseinpoint.

●Thecurrentbehaviorofmanyanimalsandplantsistheresultofclimatechangeovermillionsofyears.

8.Wehavebeentamperingwiththispowerfulforce,unaware,liketheSorcerer’sapprentice,ofthepotentiallydisastrousconsequencesofouraction.

●tamperwithsth:

tointerferewithoraltersthwithoutauthority

●sorcerer’sapprentice:

seenote2.It’saninterestingfolklore.

●WhydoestheauthorsaythatwehavebeenbehavingliketheSorcerer’sApprentice?

---BecausewehavebeendoingthingswithoutknowingthattheymayhaveseriouseffectsontheplanetEarth

Para.4

9.WehavebecomeaccustomedtothenowmundaneimageoftheEarthasseenfrom….ismisleading.

●mundane:

commonplace,ordinary

●swirl:

v.（ofair,water,etc.）tomoveorflowwithtwistsandturnsandwithvaryingspeed.

Swirlofsth:

aswirlingmovementofsth

●fleecy:

oforlikethewoolcoatofasheeporgoat;softandlight

10.Eveniftheglobalwarmingcatastrophenevermaterializes,andtheozoneholeremainsanesoteric,polarphenomenon,alreadyhumanactivityhasprofoundlyalteredglobalconditionsinwaysthatmaynotregisteronthecamera

●esoteric:

adj.（fml）likelytobeunderstoodonlybypeoplewithaspecialknowledgeorinterest;mysterious,obscure;

●register:

becaptured,appearapparent

●humanactivityhasalreadygreatlychangedglobalconditionsinhidden/covertwaysthatarehardtodiscover

Thefollowingsentencegivesussupportingexamples:

radioactivityhaschangedglobalconditionsyetitishardtocaptureradioactivitywithacamera,right?

11.…noxiousflamesofsmogblanketovermajorcities…

●flame:

brightlight

●smog:

alow-lying,perceptiblelayerofpollutedair

●blanket:

tocoverwithathicklayer

12.…carcinogenicsyntheticpesticideshavebeendetestedinmother’smilkallovertheworld…

●carcinogenic:

causingorproducingcancer

●Testsofmother’smilkallovertheworldshowtheexistenceofsyntheticpesticidewhichmightcausecancer.Thisindicatesthatmothershaveeatenfoodwithresiduesofsyntheticpesticide.

13.…greatforestshavenbeencutdown,destroyingecologicalnichesandtheirresidentspecies.

●niche:

（biology）theconditionsinwhichaspeciescanlivesuccessfully

●ecologicalnichesandtheirresidentspecies:

生态小环境及生活在其中的物种。

Para.5

14.Clearly,weneedtounderstandtheinteractionbetweenourtwoworlds:

thenaturalecosphere,thethinglobalskinofair,water,andsoilandtheplantsandanimalsthatliveinit,andtheman-madetechnosphere---powerfulenoughtodeservesograndioseaterm.

●-sphere:

suffix.（formingns）aregionsurroundingaplanet,esptheEarth

●whatistheecosphere?

（生态圈）

Accordingtotheauthor,theecospherereferstoair,waterandsoilthatcovertheearthandtheplantsandanimalsthatliveinit.

15.thetechnospherehasbecomesufficientlylargeandintensetoalterthenaturalprocessesthatgoverntheecosphere

●Humanactivitieshavetakenplaceoversuchlargeareasandwithsuchintensitythattheyhavealreadycauseddisastrouseffectsonecology.

16.…catastrophicallydiminishingourabilitytoprovideforbasichumanneeds.

●Frequentnaturaldisasters（causedbyorworsenedbyhumandisruptionoftheecologicalsystem）havereducedourabilitytosatisfytheneedsofpeopleonearth.

17.Thehumanattackontheecospherehasinstigatedanecologicalcounterattack.Thetwoworldsareatwar.

●Thisisthethemeoftheessay.Itsumsuptheargumentsinthepreviousparagraphs.

●Instigate:

tomakesthbeginorhappen;initiate;touchoff;triggeroff;sparkoff

e.g.toinstigateastrike/anattack

Thepolicehaveinstigatedanofficialinquiryintotheincident

PartIII（Paras.6-9）

Thispartdealswiththefirslawoftheecosphereandthelawgoverningtherelationshipbetweenman-madeobjectsandthesurroundings

Para.6

18.Thetwos