Unit-3.ships-in-the-desert课文解释

1、Unit 3: Ships in the Desertby Al GorI . Additional Background Knowledge 1. Al Gore the author 2. Clean Air Act 3. The Aral Sea II . Introduction to the Passage 1. Type of literature: a piece of exposition 2. The purpose of a piece of exposition: - to inform or explain 3. Ways of developing the thesi

2、s of a piece of exposition: - comparison, contrast, analogy, identification, illustration, analysis, definition, etc. 4. The central thought or thesis III . Effective Writing Skills 1. making effective use of specific verbs 2. discussing the solution to environmental problems from a politicians poin

3、t of view, that is, relating the solution to environmental destruction to the solution to arm races IV . Rhetorical Devices 推荐精选1. understatement 2. metaphor V . Special Difficulties 1. analyzing the structure of some long and complicated sentences 2. understanding the scientific matters connected w

4、ith ecological environment 3. translating long and complicated sentences 4. mastering the rules of word formation VI . Questions 1. How has human civilization now become the dominant cause of change in the global environment? 2. What changes in the global environment present a strategic threat to hu

5、man civilization? How should we face this challenge and solve the problem? 3.What solutions does the writer put forward to our ecological problems? Detailed Teaching Notes:Background knowledgeAbout the author:Al Gore was born in 1948 in Washington D.C., U.S. He has been a Senator (1984-1992) represe

6、nting the State of Tennessee, and U.S. Vice-President (1992-2000) under President Bill Clinton. He ran for the Presidency against George W. Bush Jr. but the latter won the closely tied election and has become the 43rd American President. The text is taken from Al Gores book 推荐精选Earth in the Balance.

7、The Aral Sea:The Aral Sea, located in Uzbekistan and Kazakhstan (both countries were part of the former Soviet Union), is historically a saline lake. It is in the centre of a large, flat desert basin. The Aral Sea is a prime example of a dynamic environment. In 1960 it was the worlds fourth largest

8、lake, the size of the entirety of Southern California (at 26,250 square miles, approximately two hundred times larger than the Salton Sea).Americas Great Lakes:Americas Great Lakes refer to the group of five freshwater lakes, central North America, between the United States and Canada, largest body

9、of fresh water in the world. From west to east, they are Lake Superior, Lake Michigan, Lake Huron, Lake Erie, and Lake Ontario. HOMES can help remember the names of the five lakes. H stands for Huron, O for Ontario, M for Michigan, E for Erie and S for Superior.Lake Superior:Lake Superior is one of

10、the cleanest lakes in the world because of its temperature, size, and the lack of people living around it. Lake Superior, with a surface area of 31,700 square miles, is the largest freshwater lake in the world by surface area. This one body of water contains 10% of all the freshwater in all the lake

11、s and rivers in the world. The amount of time needed for the water in Lake Superior to be completely replaced is 191 years. The lake is known for its cold temperatures. Almost all of Lake Superiors water stays at 39 degrees Fahrenheit (4 degrees Celsius) all year. Lake Superior is often referred to

12、as “crystal clear,” with visibility of 50 feet or more.推荐精选Antarctica:Antarctica is icy cold. Transantarctic Mountains divide it into the East Antarctic and West Antarctic subcontinents. China has set up two scientific research stations there: Zhongshan Station in the East and Great Wall in the West

13、. Clean Air Act:American Congress passed the Clean Air Act in 1970, which is one of the oldest environmental laws of the U.S. as well as the most far-reaching, the costliest, and the most controversial. Rhetorical devices: understatement: the prospects of a good catch looked bleakalliteration: fast

14、pasture for fast-food beefmetaphor: cloak, ghostsrhetorical question: 推荐精选But, without even considering that threat, shouldnt it startle us that we have now put these clouds in the evening sky which glisten with a spectral light?Or have our eyes adjusted so completely to the bright lights of civiliz

15、ation that we cant see these clouds for what they area physical manifestation of the violent collision between human civilization and the earth?metonymy: concretePreview:Whats the meaning of the title?What do you expect to have when you read the title?What kind of writing is the text?What is the the

16、me? What does the author try to tell us through his article?How is the exposition developed?Typical content of an exposition: Part 1 A problem is pointed out (definition, phenomena, etc) Part 2 The problem is analyzed (causes, classification, advantages/disadvantages, etc) Part 3 How to solve it (su

17、ggestion, etc.) How does an essay / feature article begin？Whats the effect the writer produces here?推荐精选Detailed studyParagraph 1 1.capable of processing a fifty-ton catch on a good day: having the ability of cleaning and preparing for marketing or canning fifty-tons of fish on a productive day.catc

18、h: the amount of something caught; in the sentence it refers to the amount of fish caughte.g. The boat brought back a big catch of fish.bow : the front part of a ship vs stern2. the prospects of a good catch looked bleak: a good catch did not look promising / hopeful.This is obliviously an understat

19、ement because with sand all around there was no chance of catching fish, to say nothing of catching a lot of fish.bleak: a) If a situation is bleak, it is bad, and seems unlikely to improve.e.g. His future looked bleak.bleak prospect; the bleakness of the post war years b) If a place is bleak, it lo

20、oks cold, bare, and unattractive e.g. the bleak coastlinec) 推荐精选When the weather is bleak, it is cold, dull, and unpleasante.g. the bleak wintersd) If someone looks or sounds bleak, they seem depressed, hopeless, or unfriendlye.g. his bleak featuresbleakly adv.e.g. He stared bleakly ahead.“What,” he

21、 asked bleakly, “are these?”3. waves lapping against the side of the ship: waves touching the side of the ship gently and makes a soft soundlap can also be used as a noun.e.g. Her youngest child was asleep in her lap.He placed the baby on the womans lap.In a race, when you say that a competitor has

22、completed a lap when he or she has gone round the course race.4. as far as I could see in all direction: that extended as far as the eye could see：推荐精选that stretched all the way to the horizon: that extended to the far off place where the sky meet the earth5. comparable: something that is comparable

23、 to something elsedock: v. anchor, moorHow many images of environmental destruction are presented here in para 1?Paragraph 2. 6. My search for these images of destruction: I traveled around the world because I wanted to see, check and study cases of such destruction in order to find out the basic ca

24、uses behind the environmental crisis.images of destruction: typical examples of destruction7. the sun glaring at midnight through a hole in the sky: the sun shining at midnight through the ozone depletion8. about the tunnel he was digging through time: about the tunnel he was drilling for samples fr

25、om the glacier, which estimates the time. The deeper he drilled, the farther the sample in time; in other words, the surface of the glacier is an indication of recent time while the deeper part of the glacier tells of situation of a much more remote period.推荐精选9. Slipping his parka back to reveal a

26、badly burned face that was cracked and peeling: Pushing his parka back, he revealed a badly burned face because of overexposure to direct sunlight; on the face there were lines that were split open and pieces of skin were coming down.parka: n. waterproof jacket with a hood attached (as worn for skii

27、ng, mountain climbing, etc.)10. He moved his finger back in time to the ice of two decades ago: Following the layers of ice in the core sample, his finger came to the place where the layer of ice was formed 20 years ago.11.two continents: South America and Antarctica12.emission: the amount of pollut

28、ants discharged13.least accessible place on earth: the place which is the most difficult to get to in the worldParagraph 3 推荐精选14. Industry meant coal: the development of industry meant the use of large amount of coal as fuel to generate power.15. bringing rising levels of carbon dioxide: making the

29、 amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere grow 16.with its ability to trap more heatwarm the earth: heat cannot easily get through carbon dioxide and go into the high altitude so carbon dioxide plays the role of a cover, keeping the heat near the earth.17.upwind from the ice runawaythat inexorable

30、 change:upwind: in the direction from which the wind is blowing or usually blows 18.ice runway : runway is a strip of paved ground for use by airplanes in taking off and landing, and here in the South Pole the runway is a strip of ice ground19.to prevent the metal parts from freeze-locking together:

31、 to stop the metal parts from being frozen solid20.monitor the air: watch or check on the airto chart the course: to show the onward movement on an outline map推荐精选21.inexorable: that cannot be changed; unalterablee.g. the inexorable rise in the cost of livingHis own career continues its inexorable a

32、scent他事业的上升势头锐不可当。the inexorable rise of crime 阻遏不了的犯罪趋势 22.graph: usually a mathematical diagramParagraphs 4 & 5 23.pitch: pitch a tent means put up a tente.g. They pitched their tent near the stream.They pitched their tent at the edge of the field.24.slab: A slab of something is a thick flat p

33、iece of it.e.g. a slab of rock; a concrete slab; a slab of cheese25.frigid: cold; icy; freezinge.g. frigid weather推荐精选26.a hearty breakfast: a satisfying and rich breakfast27.snowmobile: a kind of motor vehicle for traveling over snow, usually with steerable runners at the front and tractor treads a

34、t the rear28.rendezvous point: the place where a submarine was to pick them up29.hover: to wait close by, especially in an overprotective, insistent or anxious wayWhen a bird or insect hovers, it stays in the same position in the air by moving its wings very quickly.If somebody is hovering, they are

35、 waiting in one place, for example, because they cannot decide what to do.A figure hovered uncertainly in the doorway.30.After it crashed throughresubmerged: After it broke through the ice, picked up it new passengers, and went below the surface of water again31.the polar ice cap: 极地冰冠32.to secure t

36、he release of previously top secret data: to ensure the making public of data which was originally classified as top secret . 推荐精选33.from submarine sonar tracks: obtained from submarine sonar trackssecureCrucially, though, it failed to secure the backing of the banks. 然而重要的是，它没能获得银行的支持。 He was indef

37、atigable in his efforts to secure funding for new projects. 他不知疲倦地努力为新项目寻求资金。 34.and then I was standing sheets collide: and then I was standing in the vast scene of snow which was fearfully beautiful, windswept and shining white, with the stretch of ice field characterized by small ridges because o

38、f the force of the collision of the separate layers.35.eerily: mysteriously or uncannily, especially in such a way as to frighten or disturb36.windswept: swept by or exposed to winds 37.with the horizon defined by little hummocks: with stretch of ice field characterized by small ridges推荐精选38.the ice

39、 here will thin: the ice here will become thin39.the consequences of a thinning cap could be disastrous: the result of a thinning cap may indicate the possibilities of disasterscould: the word indicates “possibilities” Considering such scenarios is not a purely speculative exercise: Thinking about h

40、ow a series of events might happen as a consequence of the thinning of the Polar cap is not just a kind of practice in conjecture / speculation, it has got practical value.scenario: an outline for an proposed or planned series of events, real or imagined方案One scenario is known as "decapitation&

41、quot;, an attempt to crumble the other side's chain of command and control by attacking the physical location of its political leaders. 有一种叫做“斩首”的战术构想，是攻击对方政治领袖的所在地，从而消灭对方的指挥、控制系统。Without patience, the same scenario can become a major emergency complete with yelling, frustration, hurt feelings,

42、and high blood pressure. 推荐精选 没有耐心，同样的情形会变成头等紧急事件，叫喊、沮丧、伤害和高血压等等一应俱全。 So that would be my worst-case scenario: that in a few years, we would end up with output in South-east Asia being 30 to 40 per cent below what it was in 1997, with who-knows-what consequences. 我预测的最糟情势将是如此：在几年的时间内，东南亚的产量比1997年的少3

43、0至40%，到时的后果将不堪设想。 speculative: meditating; thinking; pondering; guessing the pattern of ice distribution: the regular way ice is distributeda still controversial claim: a statement which some scientists still do not completely acceptwhich a variety of data now suggest: data coming from different sou

44、rces point to this conclusionthe Arctic Circle: an imaginary line drawn round the world at a certain distance from the most northern point (the North Pole), north of which there is no darkness for six months of each year and almost no light for the other six months. cf. the Antarctic Circle推荐精选tundr

45、a: any of the vast, nearly level, treeless plains of the Arctic regionsParagraph 6 billowing: large swelling mass of billow v. 1. When something made of cloth billows, it swells out and moves slowly in the wind. （布制品）鼓起The curtains billowed in the breeze. 窗帘在微风中鼓了起来。Her pink dress billowed out

46、around her. 她粉红色的连衣裙鼓了起来。.the billowing sails. 鼓起的风帆2. When smoke or cloud billows, it moves slowly upwards or across the sky. （烟或云）翻滚，滚滚向上  .thick plumes of smoke billowing from factory chimneys. 推荐精选工厂烟囱冒出的滚滚浓烟Steam billowed out from under the bonnet. 引擎盖下喷出滚滚的蒸汽。.billowing clouds of cigarett

47、e smoke. 烟雾缭绕3. n.A billow of smoke or dust is a large mass of it rising slowly into the air.  腾起的一大团（烟、尘等）.smoke stacks belching billows of almost solid black smoke. 喷出滚滚黑烟的烟囱Acre by acre, the rain forest is being burned to create fast pasture for fast-food beef: Bit by bit trees in the rain f

48、orest are felled and the land is cleared and turned into pasture where cattle can be raised quickly and slaughtered and the beef can be used in hamburgers.Pay attention to the connection of the two “fasts” in fast pasture and fast food. With that comes the “fast” disappearance of the rain forest.the

49、 dry season: ant. in the wet seasonthe rainy season推荐精选with more than one Tennessees worth of rain forest being slashed and burned each year: the area of rain forest burned in one year is bigger than the state of Tennessee.worth: equal in area or sizeslash: cut with a sweeping strokeIf you slash som

50、ething, you make a long, deep cut in it.e.g. Jacks face had been slashed with broken glass.which means we are silencing thousands of songs we have never even heard: Since miles of forest are being destroyed and the habitat for these rare birds no longer exists, thousands of birds which we have not e

51、ven had a chance to see will become extinct.Paragraphs 7 & 8 Images that signal the distress of our global environment are now commonly seen almost anywhere: Typical examples showing the dangerous environmental situation in the world can be found almost anywhere.On some nights, in high northern

52、latitudes, the sky itself offers another ghostly image that signals the loss of ecological balance now in progress: On some nights, in the area at a high northern latitude, the sky alone presents another example of ill omen showing there is ecological imbalance and this kind of imbalance is developi

53、ng.推荐精选latitude (s): an area at particular latitudein high northern latitude在北纬高纬度地区blot out: hide entirely; obscureThis “noctilucent cloud” seem quite unnaturalnoctilucent cloud: nocti- means night; lucent means shining, translucent designating or of a luminous cloud visible at night to cloak: to c

54、onceal; hide A fire could have been deliberately started to cloak small coordinated troop movements.可能是有人故意放火掩护小规模的部队协同行动。The beautiful sweeping coastline was cloaked in mist.美丽的海岸线一望无际，笼罩在迷雾之中。shimmer: shine with an unsteady lightThe lights shimmered on the water.推荐精选水面上波光粼粼。The trees shimmered in

55、the afternoon heat.午后的热浪中，树木闪着微光。translucent: partially transparent半透明的because of a huge buildup of methane gas in the atmosphere: because there has been a big increase of methane gas in the atmospheremethane is released from landfills,activities:release: let go; emitswarm: to move in large numberse

56、.g. As the fire spread, people came swarming out of the building.What should we feel toward these ghosts in the sky: What should our attitude be toward these noctilucent clouds in the sky?Simple wonder or the mix of emotions we feel at the zoo: Should it only be a feeling of surprise and admiration

57、or a combination of different feelings we experience in the zoo?推荐精选just as men tear tuskswith extinction: men are killing such large number of elephants for their tusks that the species will soon extinguish.we are ripping matter from its place darkness: we are using and destroying resources in such a big amount that we are disturbing the balance between daylight and darkness.rip: tear; When you rip something or when it rips,