A: The important thing is that human beings should take steps to reduce global warming.
B: What can we do then? Perhaps we should not burn any more wood or coal. A: Right. Also we should try to produce less CFCs or Freon. B: How can we achieve that?
A: Don’t use aerosol spray on your hair, and depend less on air-conditioners and refrigerators..
B: But it’s hard to give up all this.
A: But we must take action before polar icecaps melt and oceans rise.
MODEL2 Rainforests will soon be only a memory. Script
Susan: Hey, Chris, there is an environmental group on campus asking for donations to save the rainforests. Chris: So what?
Susan: So what?! Don’t you want to save the rainforests?
Chris: But there’re no rainforests in our country. They need hot, tropical climates. Susan: Come on. A rain forest is any forest where heavy rainfall leads to dense vegetation. Tropical rainforests can be found in hoe, tropical areas, but there are also cool rainforests, including one in southeast Alaska. Chris: How did you know that?
Susan: Well, I’ve just read a book on rainforests. You know, 140nillion people live in
the world’s rainforests, and 35 percent of the world’s plant and animal species exist only in rainforests. Chris: Wow, I’m impressed. So what else have you learned?
Susan: Most of the world’s rainforests are in danger of destruction by loggers, farmers and developers. They are disappearing at a rate of 1000 acres a minute!
Chris: It’s terrible!
Susan: Yeah, we’ve got to find a way to save them. Now would you like to give a
donation?
Chris: Sure.
Now Your Turn
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SAMPLE DIALOG
A: Most of the world’s rainforests are in danger of destruction by loggers, farmers and developers. They are disappearing at a rate of 100 acres a minute!
B: What a tragedy! , Many of the world’s plant and animal species exist only in rainforests.
A: We really need to save the beautiful forests. B: Yeah, we’ve got to find a way to save them.
A: Do you know our mayor is making a call to plant trees?
B: Yeah, we do have to plant more trees. I hear China doesn’t have a lot of forests compared with many countries.
A: That’s true. I’ve just read an article about afforestation. China’s forest coverage rate was 18.21percent last yea, ranking only 130th in the world. B: No wonder we have to plat more trees.
A: Don’t lose heart. Progress has been remarkable. In 2000 the rate was just 16.55 percent.
B: Any other good news?
A: China has stepped up its tree-planting efforts. Now it’s the world’s No.1 planter of trees.
B: Wow, I’m impressed.
MODEL3 What a terrible sandstorm! Script
Susan: Hey, John. You’re back. A few days ago, a big sandstorm hit our city John: Oh, that’s bad.
Susan: The air was full of dirt and sand and dust. I had to wear a scarf around my
head.
John: The dust, as I know, comes from Mongolia. And from my reading in science,
I’ve heard the dust often comes after a long period of drought. Susan: This is a serious problem in many parts of the world, and unfortunately our
city is one of them.
John: And if the drought continues, the soil is easily airborne. And then if the wind
comes, the soil can be lifted up on the cold are that rises up, and it can travel very long distances.
Susan: Normally, when there’s a wind, it can clear the air, and you have beautiful
weather. But when the dust is brought in with the wind, then you can’t breathe, you can’t see well, and it’s dangerous for driving, or for walking.
John: Yeah. You know, when the dust is lifted up it can go as high 3,000 meters. And
it’s not just China that has problems, but many other countries. For example, the middle of Australia sometimes has dust storms, and some of the dust goes up
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very high, goes across the ocean, and falls down on New Zealand. Susan: Not a very nice neighbor.
John: Is there a solution to the problem? Susan: We need to plant more trees and grass so that the soil can stay where it is.
John: No wonder the government is launching a new afforestation program in a bid t address the environmental problem.
Now Your Turn
SAMPLE DIALOG
A: I’m so glad to be back home, again. Oh, what a clear blue sky!
B: Yes, the wind has cleared the air. I hope you still remember the situation a couple of years age; that is, when you were here. Each spring a big sandstorm struck our city. A: Oh, that was bad. That air was filled with sand and dust. I had to wear a scarf around my head.
B: I had to cover my mouth and nose with a handkerchief. And facial makes sold well. The dust came from the north, and it often rose after a long dry spell.
A: If the drought continued, the soil was easily airborne. And when the wind came, the soil was swept up on the cold air, and it could travel very long distances.
B: When the dust was brought in with the wind, we could hardly breathe, we couldn’t see well, and it was dangerous for driving. A: How did your town solve the problem?
B: Not only our town. In fact, people in the whole province planted a lot of trees and grass so that the soil would stay where it is.
A: I see. The government launched an afforestation project to deal with the sandstorm. The green shelter belt is playing a role.
V. Let’s Talk
Script
Li: Hi Professor Wang, I’m Li Lin, a correspondent from the University
Newspaper. The staff and students here are getting more and more interested in the relationship between the environment and development. What do you think is the most serious environmental problem at present? What measures should we adopt to improve the environment and develop the economy at the same time?
Wang: There are many environmental problems: air pollution, water pollution,
desertification, over-fishing, destruction of natural habitats, acid train,
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over-consumption of wild animals and plants, etc. But lying at the center of all those problems, as I see it, is the contradiction between economic growth and the environment.
Since the United Nations Earth Summit in 1992, more and more people and governments have adopted a new idea; that is, “sustainable development”. This means today’s economic growth should not wipe out he resources and options for future generations. Planning and development should ensure not only economic growth, but also social advancement and environment health. In other words, some economic behavior must be restricted or controlled. Instilling principles of development into government planning, resource management and economic policy is the most important step China could take to solve its environmental problems.
China has already taken some remarkable steps to reduce damage to the environment. For instance, following the huge floods of 1998, the government banned logging in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River in order to protect forests and reduce the risk of floods.
Still, the basic contradiction between environment and development persists. Much work is to be done before we can achieve the aim of a balance between economic growth and the environment. Environment Problems Central problems A New Idea air pollution, water pollution, desertification, over-fishing, destruction of natural habitats, acid train, over-consumption of wild animals and plants, etc. the contradiction between economic growth and the environment. sustainable development; it means: (1) Today’s economic growth should not wipe out he resources and options for future generations. (2) Planning and development should ensure not only economic growth, but also social advancement and environment health. (3) some economic behavior must be restricted or controlled Instill principles of sustainable development into government planning, resource management and economic policy China has already taken some remarkable steps to reduce damage to the environment. e.g. Following the huge floods of 1998, the government banned logging in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River A balance between economic growth and the environment. What China Could Do What China Has Done The Aim 9
Debate
SAMPLE
A: In my opinion, we must give priority to economic growth. At present China’s
economy is not strong enough, and the per-capita GDP is much smaller than those of advanced countries.
B: I beg to differ. Compared with 30 years ago, the Chinese economy has developed a great deal, and at the same time it has produced a lot of pollution. It is high time we gave environmental conservation serous consideration.
A: It seems to me that it’s more urgent for us to improve people’s life. If we don’t boost our economy, we can’t raise the living standards..
B: I’d like to draw your attention to the fact that environmental problems are already affecting people’s lives. Didn’t you hear that the poisonous substances factories dump into rivers are killing fish and causing cancer among people?
A: Well, you have a point there, but we should be aware that an economically backward nation is also militarily weak, and therefore it tends to be bullied by stronger countries.
B: If China wants to follow the trend toward economic globalization, it has to meet the international environmental criteria. Even if you can make a lot of products, they can’t be exported if they are environmentally unfriendly.
A: OK, people we’d better combine out point of view and strike a balance between economic growth and environmental conservation.
B: That certainly makes sense. What we need is sustainable development.
A: To achieve this goal, we have to burn less coal, petroleum and wood because they can’t e reproduced easily.
B: Right on, we can rely more on solar energy. We can also make more use of water power if the dams we build don’t present great environmental hazards.
A: Also, we should not build so many roads because they occupy so much farmland. B: Yeah, we should turn more to water transportation. By transporting more cargo along rivers and the coast, we can ease the burden on highway transportation.
VI. Further Listening and Speaking
Task1: Thick Cloud of Pollution Covering Southern Asia Script
A United Nations study says that a thick cloud of pollution covering southern Asia threatens the lives of millions of people. Scientists say the pollution could increase
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