going to keep on warming for decades or centuries. 即使我们开始减少二氧化碳和其他温室气体的含量，在（未来）几十年或几个世纪内，气候仍会持续转暖。 No one knows the effects of global warming. 没有人知道全球变暖带来什么样的影响。Does that mean we should do nothing? 这是不是意味着我们就不必采取任何措施呢？Or, are the risks too great? 还是说，这样不采取任何措施危险性会很大呢？
8.选修六Unit4 WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT GLOBAL WARMING? 关于全球变暖，我们能干些什么呢？ Dear Earth Care, 亲爱的“关爱地球”组织：
I am doing a project on behalf of my school about global warming. 我正代表学校做一项关于全球变暖的课题研究。 Sometimes I feel that individuals can have little effect on such huge environmental problems. 有时候我觉得，像这样一个巨大的环境问题，个人是起不了什么作用的。However, I still think people should advocate improvements in the way we use energy today. 然而我仍然认为人们应该支持改善日常能源的消耗方式。As I'm not sure where to start with my project, 由于我还不清楚我该从哪里着手开始我的研究。I would appreciate any suggestions you may have. 我希望能得到你们的建议。 Thank you! 谢谢！ Ouyang Guang欧阳光
Dear Ouyang Guang, 亲爱的欧阳光：
There are many people who have a commitment like yours, but they do not believe they have the power to do anything to improve our environment. 有许多人承担你这样的义务，而他们不相信自己有能力来影响环境。That is not true. 这种想法是不正确的。 Together, individuals can make a difference. 众人拾柴火焰高。 We do not have to put up with pollution.我们不必去忍受污染。
The growth of the greenhouse gas, carbon dioxide in the air actually comes as a result of many things we do every day. 空气中的温室气体，二氧化碳的增长的确是来自我们许多的日常活动。Here are a few suggestions on how to reduce it. 这儿有几条关于减少空气中二氧化碳含量的建议。 They should get you started with your project. 这些建议应当能够促进你的研究。 1 We use a lot of energy in our houses. It is OK to leave an electrical appliance on so long as you are using it - if not, turn it off! Do not be casual about this. So if you are not using the lights, the
TV, the computer, and so on, turn them off. If you are cold, put on more clothes instead of turning up the heat.
1. 在室内我们会用大量的能源。在用电器设备时你可以让它开着，如果不用就把它关掉！如果你觉得冷了，就多穿点衣服，而不是把暖气开大。
2 Motor vehicles use a lot of energy- so walk or ride a bike if you can. 2. 机动车要用大量的能源。因此，只要可能，你就步行或骑自行车吧。
3 Recycle cans, bottles, plastic bags and newspapers if circumstances allow you to. It takes a lot of energy to make things from new materials, so, if you can, buy things made from recycled materials.
3. 把罐头盒、瓶子、塑料袋和报纸回收利用起来。用新材料来做这些东西要花费大量的能源，因此，只要有可能，就买那些用回收材料制成的物品吧。
4 Get your parents to buy things that are economical with energy - this includes cars as well as smaller things like fridges and microwaves.
4. 劝你的父母去买那些节约能源的产品，包括汽车和像冰箱、微波炉之类的小件物品。 5 Plant trees in your garden or your school yard, as they absorb carbon dioxide from the air and refresh your spirit when you look at them.
5. 在你的花园或校园里栽种树木，它们能吸收空气中的二氧化碳，还能在你观赏的时候使你感觉清爽。
6 Finally and most importantly, be an educator. Talk with your family and friends about global warming and tell them what you have learned.
6. 最后，也是最重要的是，做一个教育者。同你的家人和朋友谈一谈全球变暖的问题，并把你学到的东西告诉他们。 Remember - your contribution counts! Earth Care
记住，你的贡献是很有价值的。 “关爱地球”组织
9.选修六Unit5 AN EXCITING JOB一份令人兴奋的工作
I have the greatest job in the world. 我的工作是世界上最伟大的工作。 I travel to unusual places and work alongside people from all over the world. 我跑的地方是稀罕奇特的地方，和我
一道工作的人来自世界各地。Sometimes working outdoors, sometimes in an office, sometimes using scientific equipment and sometimes meeting local people and tourists, I am never bored. （我们）有时在室外工作，有时在办公室里，有时工作要用科学仪器，有时要会见当地百姓和旅游人士。但是我从来不感到工作烦人。
Although my job is occasionally dangerous, I don't mind because danger excites me and makes me feel alive. 虽然我的工作偶尔也有危险，但是我并不在乎，因为能激励我，使我感到有活力。However, the most important thing about my job is that I help protect ordinary people from one of the most powerful forces on earth - the volcano. 然而，最重要的是，通过我的工作能保护普通百姓免遭火山的威胁——这是世界上最大的自然威力之一。
I was appointed as a volcanologist working for the Hawaiian Volcano Observatory (HVO) twenty years ago. 作为一名火山学家，我被派到夏威夷火山观测站（HVO）工作。 My job is collecting information for a database about Mount Kilauea, which is one of the most active volcanoes in Hawaii. 我的任务是收集有关基拉韦厄火山的数据资料，这是夏威夷最活跃的火山之一。 Having collected and evaluated the information, I help other scientists to predict where lava from the volcano will flow next and how fast. 收集和评估了这些信息之后，我就帮助其他科学家一起预测下次火山熔岩将往何处流去，流速多少。Our work has saved many lives because people in the path of the lava can be warned to leave their houses. 我们的工作拯救了许多人的生命，因为熔岩要流经之地，老百姓都可以得到离开家园的通知。Unfortunately, we cannot move their homes out of the way, and many houses have been covered with lava or burned to the ground. 遗憾的是，我们不可能把他们的家搬离岩浆流过的地方，因此，许多房屋被熔岩淹没，或者焚烧殆尽。
When boiling rock erupts from a volcano and crashes back to earth, it causes less damage than you might imagine. 当滚烫的岩石从火山喷发出来并撞回地面时，它所造成的损失比想象的要小些， This is because no one lives near the top of Mount Kilauea, where the rocks fall. 这是因为在岩石下落的基拉韦厄火山顶附近无人居住。 The lava that flows slowly like a wave down the mountain causes far more damage because it buries everything in its path under the molten rock. 而顺着山坡下流的火山熔岩所造成的损失却大得多，这是因为火山岩浆所流经的地方，一切东西都被掩埋在熔岩下面了。However, the eruption itself is really exciting to watch and I shall never forget my first sight of one. 然而火山喷发本身的确是很壮观的，我永远也忘不了我第一次看见火山喷发时的情景。
It was in the second week after I arrived in Hawaii. 那是在我抵达夏威夷后的第二个星期。 Having worked hard all day, I went to bed early. 那天我辛辛苦苦等干了一整天，很早就上床睡觉了。 I was fast asleep when suddenly my bed began shaking and I heard a strange sound, like a railway train passing my window. 我在熟睡中突然感到床铺在摇晃，接着我听到一阵奇怪的声音，就好像有列火车在我的窗外行驶一样。Having experienced quite a few earthquakes in Hawaii already, I didn't take much notice. 因为我在夏威夷曾经经历过多次地震，所以对这种声音我并不在意。 I was about to go back to sleep when suddenly my bedroom became as bright as day. 我刚要再睡，突然我的卧室亮如白昼。I ran out of the house into the back garden where I could see Mount Kilauea in the distance. 我赶紧跑出房间，来到后花园，在那儿我能远远地看见基拉韦厄火山。There had been an eruption from the side of the mountain and red hot lava was fountaining hundreds of metres into the air. 在山的一边有火山喷发，红色发烫的岩浆像喷泉一样，朝天上喷射达几百米高。It was an absolutely fantastic sight. 真是绝妙的奇景！
The day after this eruption I was lucky enough to have a much closer look at it. 就在这次火山喷发的第二天，我有幸做了一次近距离的观察。 Two other scientists and I were driven up the mountain and dropped as close as possible to the crater that had been formed during the eruption. 我和另外两位科学家驱车上山，到最靠近这次火山喷口的地方才下车。Having earlier collected special clothes from the observatory, we put them on before we went any closer. 早先从观测站出发时就带了一些特别的安全服，于是我们穿上安全服再走近火山口。All three of us looked like spacemen. 我们三个人看上去就像宇航员一样，We had white protective suits that covered our whole body, helmets, big boots and special gloves. 我们都穿着白色的防护服遮住全身，戴上了头盔和特别的手套，还穿了一双大靴子。 It was not easy to walk in these suits, but we slowly made our way to the edge of the crater and looked down into the red, boiling centre. 穿着这些衣服走起路来实在不容易，但是我们还是缓缓往火山口的边缘走去，并且向下看到了红红的沸腾的中央。The other two climbed down into the crater to collect some lava for later study, but this being my first experience, I stayed at the top and watched them. 另外两人攀下火山口去收集供日后研究用的岩浆，我是第一次经历这样的事，所以留在山顶上观察他们。 Today, I am just as enthusiastic about my job as the day I first started. 如今，我和当初从事这项工作时一样满怀热情。 Having studied volcanoes now for many years, I am still amazed at their beauty as well as their potential to cause great damage. 虽然我从事火山研究很多年了，但
是我对火山的壮丽景色以及它那潜在的巨大破坏力至今仍然感到惊愕不已。
10.选修六Unit5 THE LRKE OF HERVEN天上的湖（天池）
Changbaishan is in Jilin Province, Northeast China. Much of this beautiful, mountainous area is thick forest . 长白山在东北的吉林省，这个美丽的山区大部分是茂密的林区。 Changbaishan is China's largest nature reserve and it is kept in its natural state for the people of China and visitors from all over the world to enjoy. 长白山是中国最大的自然保护区，保持着它的原始状态，以供中国人民和世界各地的游客欣赏。 The height of the land varies from 700 metres above sea level to over 2,000 metres and is home to a great diversity of rare plants and animals. 这里地面的高度从海拔700米到2000多米不等，是多种多样动物植物的生长地。Among the rare animals are cranes, black bears, leopards and tigers. 珍稀动物有白鹤、黑熊、豹子和虎。Many people come to Changbaishan to study its unique plants and animals. 许多人到长白山来研究珍奇的动植物。Others come to walk in the mountains, to see the spectacular waterfalls or to bathe in the hot water pools. 另外一些人则是到山里来走一走，看看那些蔚为壮观的瀑布，或者在温水池里泡个澡。 However, the attraction that arouses the greatest appreciation in the reserve is Tianchi or the Lake of Heaven. 然而保护区里最令人欣赏的地方则是天池，或者说是天上的湖。
Tianchi is a deep lake that has formed in the crater of a dead volcano on top of the mountain. 天池是一个深水湖，是由山顶的一个死火山的火山口形成的。 The lake is 2,194 metres above sea level, and more than 200 metres deep. In winter the surface freezes over. 海拔高度为2194米，水的深度超过200米，到冬天湖面就全部结冰了。 It takes about an hour to climb from the end of the road to the top of the mountain. 从路的尽头到山顶约需一个小时。When you arrive you are rewarded not only with the sight of its clear waters, but also by the view of the other sixteen mountain peaks that surround Tianchi. 你一到达山顶就会得到回报——你不仅可以看到天池那清澈如镜的湖水，而且还可以看到四周的16座山峰。
There are many stories told about Tianchi. The most well-known concerns three young women from heaven. 天池有着许多传说故事，其中最著名的是关于从天上下凡的三位少女的故事。They were bathing in Tainchi when a bird flew above them and dropped a small fruit onto the dress of the youngest girl. 她们在天池洗澡时，突然有一只鸟飞到她们的上方，把一个小小的水果扔在最年轻的姑娘的衣服上。When she picked up the fruit to smell it, it flew into her mouth. 当她拿起来闻的时候，它飞进了她的嘴里。 Having swallowed the fruit, the girl became pregnant and later gave birth to a handsome boy. 姑娘吞食了这个果子，后来就怀孕了。过了一段时间，她生下了一个漂亮的男孩。 It is said that this boy, who had a great gift for languages and persuasion, is the father of the Manchu people. 据说这个男孩就是满族人的祖先，具有语言天赋和很强的说服力。
If you are lucky enough to visit the Lake of Heaven with your loved one, don't forget to drop a coin into the clear blue water to guarantee your love will be as deep and lasting as the lake itself. 如果你有幸同你所爱的人去游天池，别忘了投一枚硬币到清澈碧蓝的水中，以确保你们的爱情像湖水一样深厚、持久。