stepbystep3000第三册unit2答案及原文

1、Unit 2 Earth and EnvironmentPart 1 Warming upA1 .impact of climatechange damage to crops worse .2.2000 delegates northern Brazil third UnitedNations Conference on Desertification.3. .A huge oil spill Mexico, .4. Wildfires Florida contained a week.5. . Greenland is melting around the edges 50 cubic k

2、ilometers raise global sea level .B1. It attempts to balance environmental concerns and theneeds of the community.2. Reptile species are in greater trouble than amphibianspecies.3. A new approach in the fight against the illegal drugstrade.4. One in every eight species of plants is threatened with e

3、xtinction.5. A new local directory for the environmentally-aware, called the “Boulder County Green Pages ” .iiTapescripts:1. Australia is the world s driest continent. There s general agreement that the country has to use water more efficiently. In many part supplies are in crisis.At a meeting in Ca

4、nberra, the Council of Australian Governments has approved national water plan. It attempts to balance environmental concerns and the needs of the community. The amount of water taken from rivers for commercial use is to be cut and farmers will be compensated.2. The disappearance and deformity of am

5、phibians such as frogs and salamanders from rain forests and mountain lakes worldwide has attracted wide-spread scientific attention over the last decade. Now a new study says reptile species including turtles, snakes, and alligators are in even greater trouble. Twice as many reptiles as amphibians,

6、 or some100 species, are currently listed as endangered by the World Conservation Union. The study says habitat loss and degradation, pollution, disease, climate change, and over-collection for food, pets and drugs are the major threat to reptiles.3. Four regional governors from Columbia, on a visit

7、 to Washington, have sharply criticized an American-backed aerial offensive to eradicate thousands of hectares of illegal coke and poppy plantations. At a news conference the governors called for a different approach in the fight against the illegal drugs trade, saying that the herbicides currently

8、being used were harmful to public health and the environment.4. Much attention has been devoted to the threatenedanimal species. But what about plants which are the fundamental bases of life One in every eight species of plants is threatened with extinction. Since all food chains begin in the sphere

9、 of plant life, this is bad news for the animals too, including humanswho depend on plants not only for food but also for medicines, building materials, and other vital purposes.5. A new local directory for the environmentally-awareis nowavailable, called the “ Boulder County Green Pages.” The Rotar

10、y Clubs in Boulder County got together with local recycling and environmental specialists to put together this firstever directory. It includes quick reference to green products and services for recycling, xeriscaping, energy conservation, and more. The $5 cost helps raise funds forthe sponsoring gr

11、oups.Part II News ReportsAWashington the information economy deteriorating health of the planet information economycommunication education and entertainment physical exam vital signs species climate temperatures water tablesglaciers forests fisheries to stabilize both climate and world population gr

12、owthTapescript:An annual study by the Worldwatch Institute here in Washington says with the boom in the information economy, Americans have lost sight of the deteriorating health of the planet.State of the World 2000 says the fast growing information economyis affecting every aspect of life, from co

13、mmunication, commerce and work, to education and entertainment.Lead author and Worldwatch President Lester Brown says while Americans generally feel a sense of optimism about the economy, the planet ' s health is suffering. He says it is a mistake “to confuse the vibrancy of the virtual world wi

14、th theincreasingly troubled state of the real world.“ We give the earth an annual phy sical, and this book is the result of that annual physical. We check its vital signs.And almost all those vital signs, whether it s the number ofspecies, whether it s the stability of climate, whether it s the numb

15、er of species, whether it s the stabilit y of climate, whether it s the health of coral reefs, all those trends show deterioration. ”Lester Brown says other warning signs are rising temperatures, falling water tables, melting glaciers, shrinking forests and collapsing fisheries. He says the major en

16、vironmental challenges in the 21st century will be to stabilize both climate and world population growth.Worldwatch Institute President Lester Brown also points out initiatives by multinational corporations to seek energy alternatives. For example, Daimler-Chrysler and Shell Oil are working with the

17、 government of Iceland to turn that country into the first hydrogen powered economy.BSummarythe severe shortage of water in some developing nations. global solutions are found soon.Answers to the questions1. 1502. Monday3. Almost one billion people could suffer from a scarcity of water.4. Middle Eas

18、t, parts of Africa, western Asia, NortheasternChina, western and southern India, largeparts of Pakistan and Mexico, parts of the Pacific coast of the United States and South America.5. To treat water as a precious resource.6. 5 liters7. 50 liters8. 500 litersTapescript:The UN water experts are warni

19、ng that a severe water shortage will have what they call catastrophic consequences in somedeveloping nations unless global solutions are found soon. Onehundred and fifty experts around the world will discuss the water situation at a conference beginning Monday in Geneva.A top official from the World

20、 Meteorological OrganizationArthur Askewsays that by the year 2025, almost 1 billion people could be living in areas suffering from a scarcity of water.Hesays the numbercould double by the middle of the next century. Mr Askewsays one area with serious water problems is the Middle East. But he says o

21、fficials in the area are already working on ways to deal with the situation.Experts say water shortage problems also could develop inparts of Africa and western Asia as well as northeastern China, western and southern India, large parts of Pakistan and Mexico, and parts of the Pacific coast of the U

22、nited States and South America. Mr Askew says there s a moral obligation to treat water as a precious resource and a need to realize that large amounts of water are used often wastefully in food production and manufacturing.“ All commodities have used water in their production andyou must be aware t

23、herefore that if you re importing food from one country to another you are in fact importing part of the water resources of that country. ”Mr Askew also says water shortages lead to a conflict between rural and urban demands.“ In many regions of the world, the water crisis is not coming because of h

24、umanconsumption directly for potable water,for drinking, or for sanitary purposes, it ' s coming for agriculture. And in general about 80 percent of the water, which is consumed, i. e., is extracted from the rivers or from underground resources and is not returned, is for agriculture. And there

25、' s considerable pressure now on the agricultural sectors to see if they cannot use that water ore efficiently.Mr Askew says it ' s estimated that a person needs about 5 liters of water a day to survive, and a person needs about 5 liters of water a day to survive, and a person lives comforta

26、bly with about 50 liters a day. But he says people in manycountries are using 500 liters of water each day. He says ways must be found to reduce such overuse before it ' s too late.Part III City recyclingA a. 2 b. 4 c. 3 d. 1B1. 130,000 / 80%2. Plastic / glass / tin cans / newspapers3. Recycle t

27、ruck pick it up.4. One of community ' s recycling centers5. Each weekday6. Conducts tours of the plant7. 3248. Sod to other companies that make them into differentproducts9. Made into new containers10. One of the top five in the USATapescript:The United States is running out of landfill space, p

28、laces to put its trash. Because of that, more communities are encouraging their residents to recycle, to set aside certain materials that wori t go to the landfill. One area that ' s met the recycling challenge head-on, is the southeast City of Charlotte, North Carolina. In just a few years, its

29、 recycling program has become one of the country ' s most successful.Catherine Smith lives in one of the 130,000 eligible recycling households in Charlotte, North Carolina. Nearly 80 percent of the households participate in the program. Each week, Smith goes to her front porch and fills her red

30、plastic bin with recyclables."You' ve got any plastic containers marked oneor two. You ' ve got any glass. They also recycle tin cans and newspapers. So all of that can go in the curbside pick- up bin. ” “Well,this is the easy part. Then someone, ah,driving a Charlotte Mecklenburg '

31、 Recycle Now truck comesand, usually, at some point tomorrow or Friday and they pick it up at curbside. And that s it. ”From there, Smith s cans, bottles, and newspapers are taken to one of the community s recycling centers. The City of Charlotte actually contracts with a private company to process

32、the recyclables.This plant is operated by a company called FCR. The recycling trucks pull into FCReach weekday morning to drop off the used material. Inside, the processing center at FCR is bustling with activity. One of the first things you notice in the 26,000-square-foot facility is a huge mound

33、of materials called the “ commingle area. ” Basically, it s a big pile of assorted trash. There are forklifts transporting garbage, and people sorting through it. Paula Hoffman is education coordinator at FCR. She conducts tours of the plant for more than one thousand people a month.“ The aluminum c

34、ans, the number one and number two plastic containers, the spiral cans, the glass bottles and jars are all mixed together into a huge pile. And we are receiving about 100 tons a day, which is 200,000 pounds, so you can imagine how many bottles and cans are in that pile. ”“ Can we walk around a littl

35、e bit ”“ As you can see, the bottles and cans are riding up the conveyor belt, and they ll end up on a sorting station, where there are twelve workers that will hand-sort the bottles and cans and other containers. As you can see, from the sorting station, they drop their material down a chute into a

36、 large container below. The sorting station is on a raised platform. ”Across from the sorters and the commingle area is a mound of newspaper. Of the material brought to FCR, three quarters of it is newsprint. It rides a separate conveyor belt, is checked, and is compacted into bales, 11 to 12 hundred pounds each. Back in the quiet of FCR s auditori um, Paula Ho