完整word版高级英语第三课ShipsintheDesert.docx

完整word版高级英语第三课ShipsintheDesert.docx

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完整word版高级英语第三课ShipsintheDesert

Lesson3ShipsintheDesert

ALGore

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

2.Mysearchfortheunderlyingcausesoftheenvironmentalcrisishasledmetotravelaroundtheworldtoexamineandstudymanyoftheseimagesofdestruction.Attheverybottomoftheearth,highintheTrans-AntarcticMountains,withthesunglaringatmidnightthroughaholeinthesky,Istoodintheunbelievablecoldnessandtalkedwithascientistinthelatetallof1988aboutthetunnelhewasdiggingthroughtime.Slippinghisparkabacktorevealabadlyburnedfacethatwascrackedandpeeling,hepointedtotheannuallayersoficeinacoresampledugfromtheglacieronwhichwewerestanding.Hemovedhisfingerbackintimetotheiceoftwodecadesago.“Here’swheretheU.SCongresspassedtheCleanAirAct,”hesaid.Atthebottomoftheworld,twocontinentsawayfromWashington,D.C.,evenasmallreductioninonecountry'semissionshadchangedtheamountofpollutionfoundintheremotestendleastaccessibleplaceonearth.

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

4.TwoandahalfyearslaterIsleptunderthemidnightsunattheotherendofourplanet,inasmalltentpitchedonatwelve-toot-thickslaboficefloatinginthefrigidArcticOcean.Afteraheartybreakfast,mycompanionsandItraveledbysnowmobilesafewmilesfarthernorthtoarendezvouspointwheretheicewasthinner——onlythreeandahalffeetthick——andanuclearsubmarinehoveredinthewaterbelow.Afteritcrashedthroughtheice,tookonitsnewpassengers,andresubmerged,Italkedwithscientistswhoweretryingtomeasuremoreaccuratelythethicknessofthepolaricecap,whichmanybelieveisthinningasaresultofglobalwarming.IhadjustnegotiatedanagreementbetweenicescientistsandtheU.S.Navytosecurethereleaseofpreviouslytopsecretdatafromsubmarinesonartracks,datathatcouldhelpthemlearnwhatishappeningtothenorthpolarcap.Now,Iwantedtoseethepoleit-self,andsomeeighthoursafterwemetthesubmarine,wewerecrashingthroughthatice,surfacing,andthenIwasstandinginaneerilybeautifulsnowscape,windsweptandsparklingwhite,withthehorizondefinedbylittlehummocks,or“pressureridges”oficethatarepushedupliketinymountainrangeswhenseparatesheetscollide.Butheretoo,CO2,levelsarerisingjustasrapidly,andultimatelytemperaturewillrisewiththem——indeed,globalwarmingisexpectedtopushtemperaturesupmuchmorerapidlyinthepolarregionsthanintherestoftheworld.Asthepolarairwarms,theiceherewillthin;andsincethepolarcapplayssuchacrucialroleintheworld’sweathersystem,theconsequencesofathinningcapcouldbedisastrous.

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

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6.Asithappens,someofthemostdisturbingimagesofenvironmentaldestructioncanbefoundexactlyhalfwaybetweentheNorthandSouthpoles——preciselyattheequatorinBrazil——wherebillowingcloudsofsmokeregularlyblackentheskyabovetheimmensebutnowthreatenedAmazonrainforest.Acrebyacre,therainforestisbeingburnedtocreatefastpastureforfast-foodbeef;asIlearnedwhenIwentthereinearly1989,thefiresaresetearlierandearlierinthedryseasonnow,withmorethanoneTennessee’sworthofrainforestbeingslashedandburnedeachyear.Accordingtoourguide,thebiologistTomLovejoy,therearemoredifferentspeciesofbirdsineachsquaremileoftheAmazonthanexistinallofNorthAmerica——whichmeanswearesilencingthousandsofsongswehaveneverevenheard.

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7.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.

8.Whatshouldwefeeltowardtheseghostsinthesky?

Simplewonderorthemixofemotionswefeelatthezoo?

Perhapsweshouldfeelaweforourownpower:

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

Orhaveoureyesadjustedsocompletelytothebrightlightsofcivilizationthatwecan’tseethesecloudsforwhattheyare——aphysicalmanifestationoftheviolentcollisionbetweenhumancivilizationandtheearth?

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9.Eventhoughitissometimeshardtoseetheirmeaning,wehavebynowallwitnessedsurprisingexperiencesthatsignalthedamagefromourassaultontheenvironment——whetherit'sthenewfrequencyofdayswhenthetemperatureexceeds100degrees,thenewspeedwithwhichthesunburnsourskin,orthenewconstancyofpublicdebateoverwhattodowithgrowingmountainsofwaste.Butourresponsetothesesignalsispuzzling.Whyhaven’twelaunchedamassiveefforttosaveourenvironment?

Tocomeatthequestionanotherway:

Whydosomeimagesstartleusintoimmediateactionandfocusourattentionorwaystorespondeffectively?

Andwhydootherimages,thoughsometimesequallydramatic,produceinsteadaKin.ofparalysis,focusingourattentionnotonwaystorespondbutratheronsomeconvenient,lesspainfuldistraction?

10.Still,therearesomanydistressingimagesofenvironmentaldestructionthatsometimesitseemsimpossibletoknowhowtoabsorborcomprehendthem.Beforeconsideringthethreatsthemselves,itmaybehelpfultoclassifythemandthusbegintoorganizeourthoughtsandfeelingssothatwemaybeabletorespondappropriately.

11.Ausefulsystemcomesfro