listen this way 3 unit 3.docx

1、listen this way 3 unit 3Unit 3El Nino? La Nina?Part ID. warmer/ green house effect/ sea levels/climate zonesAs 1998 ends and people look forward to the last year of the century, the World Almanac spoke with experts about what comes next. Almanac editorial director says the experts believe the next c

2、entury will bring lots of changes. Warm, of course, that our climate is going to continue getting warmer. Thats the subject, by the way, of another new article on the 1999 World Almanac. The greenhouse effect, exactly what causes it, and what steps to be taken to, perhaps to alleviate global warming

3、s. Ive seen recently that 1998 is going to go down as the warmest year ever on record. And so thats going to be a major issue of the next century, and possible tremendous consequences of the global warmings, whether it is rising sea levels affecting th coastal areas; changes in climate zones affecti

4、ng what crops can be grown, and in what regions. This is potentially a very significant trend to be watched. E. Cyclone: North or south of equator/Typhoon:/Hurricane: Eastern PacificMajor ocean storms in the northern part of the world usually develop in late summer or autumn over waters near the equ

5、ator. They are known by several different names. Scientists call these storms cyclones when they happen just north or south of the equator in the Indian Ocean. In the western Pacific Ocean or the China Sea, these storms are called typhoons. In the eastern Pacific and Atlantic Ocean, they are called

6、hurricanes. Part IIA. Outline1. A. weather pattern/global climateB. 1. twice a decade2. 12-18 monthsC. 1. warmer weather/2. wetter than usual/ drierD. the decline of windsII. 1. droughtsB. a cyclic weather pattern/ about twice a decade/ wetter/drier/ cold water away from South Americas west/ to expa

7、nd eastward toward the Americas / move eastward too/ the weather arond the world/ droughts/ rains and flooding/ on the South American fishing industry/ to become depletive/ the strength of it/ Satellite readings confirm that conditions are right for another El Nino, a cyclic weather pattern that aff

8、ects the global climate. El Ninos normally show up about twice a decade and it lasts about 12 to 18 months, bringing warmer weather to parts of the earth. Some regions become wetter than usual, others drier. The El Nino, which began in 1991 has lingered through this year. Although several years migh

9、t have been expected to pass before the next one, an American-French satellite observing the oceans has found a sign that El Nino may come back quicker than expected. These kinds of things still happen. This is Brig Jacker, an oceanographer of the US Naval Research Laboratory in Mississippi. Every y

10、ear is unpredictable. One year might be El Nino year, one year might not. Generally El Ninos come in four year cycles. But theres nothing to say that you cant have two El Nino years in a row. El Ninos begin with the decline of winds pulling cold water away from South Americas west coast to around th

11、e equator. This allows warm water in the western Pacific Ocean to expand eastward toward the Americas. At the same time, the clouds and rain over the warm water move eastward too. Radar aboard the American-French satellite detected the hint that such water movement began in early August and reached

12、South America two months later. It saw a ripple called a “Calvin wave” moving slowly eastward. Such pulses sometimes give rise to El Nino conditions in the eastern equatorial Pacific. El Ninos can change the weather around the world, but how much depends on its strength. A strong one in 1982 and 198

13、3 has been linked to droughts in Australia and Indonesia, rains and flooding in South America, and unseasonably in 1991 has caused trouble. It has been associated with devastating floods in the US southeast last year and in the US Midwest this year. El Ninos are hard on the South American fishing in

14、dustry. The warm waters prevent nutrients rich cold water from rising to the surface, causing fish stocks to become depletive. Mr. Jacker said a new El Nino apparently would be mild but he is not betting onit yet. The US Naval oceanographer says predictions are difficult because the strength of El N

15、ino depends on how winds affect the Calvin wave that has moved across the Pacific. Part IIILick ObservatoryB. location: an hours drive/ summit/ Origin of the name: a wealthy businessmanSize: one meter diameter/ secondTime: 1888Present function: research/ an educational toolC. way of observation: hum

16、an eyes;in the cold/TV screenGains and losses: Romance/ the sky/ efficiency/ reality/ universeQuestions: Because lick Observatory is near “Silicon Valley”, a region of the states high-technology. Because Lick Observatory was built on his estate and he was buried at the base of the telescope at this

17、won request. By using the 19th century telescope, you have a feeling of romance with direct viewing with the human eyes. By sing the modern devices, you lose that romance but gain the efficiency. Thats an exchange. Its about an hours drive from the outskirts of San Jose, California, near the upper s

18、ide of the states high-technology region known as Silicon Valley. As a visitor drives up the narrow winding road past red flowers, and eucalyptus trees, one of the first two seismographic stations in the world, its almost a surprise to glimpse the largest dome of Lick Observatorys eight telescopes.

19、Overlooking the world of computer age manufacturing are telescopes from the turn of the century which help shape our understanding of the universe. The huge dome, housing Lick Observatorys giant, one meter wide reflecting telescope, is one of the few instruments in motion this morning on Mount Hamil

20、ton. At the 1260-meter summit of Mount Hamilton is a small village of 55 permanent residents, some of them students in a one-room school house. But most at the research complex are visiting astronomers catching their first hours of sleep in an old dormitory after a nights work at the telescopes. Rem

21、inton Stone, director of operations at Lick Observatory has worked at the top of Mount Hamilton for three decades. Now a part of the University of California, Lick Observatory got its name from a welthy businessman who never studied astronomy as MR. Stone explains: “Andhe came to San Francisco, just

22、 before the gold rush and he made a huge amount of money on real estate. When he died, he specified that some portion of his estate should be used to build the largest and most powerful telescope yet made and which was a 36 inch at that time. And at his own request he is buried at the base of the te

23、lescope. So this s a memorial to himself.” The telescope with its ode-meter-diameter reflecting lens was the largest telescope in the world for seven years following its completion in 1888. and today, its still the second largest telescope of its kind. Although the one meter reflecting telescope is

24、still used for some research, its hard to adapt todays electronic instruments to the old historic telescope. Now, it is used mostly as an educational tool for teachers and the thousands of visitors who come each year. While the other telescopes at Lick Observatory are connected to electronic imagine

25、 devices that allow the astronomers to view celestial objects on television screens, the 19th century telescope allows direct viewing with the human eye. Its one of the few giant telescopes in the world tht still requires some users to sit out in the cold under the dark sky and the dome. That brings

26、 a feeling of nostalgia to Reminton Stone. I really do miss being able to see the sky, and seeing these wonderful data appear in the computer screen is really nice, but its very divorced from the reality, from the universe. I miss a lot being in a dark place in these fields to look up to see the sta

27、rs. We go out every now and then if we are working at, were at the control room, we do go out to keep track of the skies, where the clouds are, and so forth, but one loses the romance and one gains greatly the efficiency. Its a trade-off.Astronomer Reminton Stone, who manages the Lick Observatory co

28、mplex at the top of mount Hamilton, California. Part IV. The national climatic DataCenter. Outline I. A. 1951B. headquartersC. satellites, radar, solar radiation system, airplanes, shipsII. B. collecting weather records from around the worldD. publications about earth environment. E. requests fro in

29、formation from all over the world. questions. The Department of Defense, the National Weather Service, the coastguard The office has written weather observations made by early American diplomat Benjamin Franklin and by the third President of the U.S. You can get the information by computer, microfil

30、m and telephone American cities. Another publication has monthly reports from 1500 observation stations around the world. The center had more than 900,000 requests from government officials, business owners, weather researchers and the general public last year. More and more people need to know abou

31、t the weather. Anyone wanting information about past weather conditions can turn to a center supported by the United States government. The National Climatic Data Center reportedly has the worlds largest active collection of weather information. The National Climatic Data Center or NCDC was formed in 1951. it was established as a record center for Americas Department of Commerce. Its headquarters is in the southern city of Asheville, North Carolina. The NCDC collects weather records gathered b