Unit 4

1. Unit 4 Earth and Environment

2. Part I Warming Up • Training focus: Select information: “What, who, how” in news items. • News Item 1 • Pre-listening questions: • The Mount Everest:A mountain of the central Himalaya Mountains on the border of Xizang (Tibet) and Nepal. The highest elevation in the world. • Does any one know how high the Mount Everest is? • 8844 meters high.

3. The National Geographic Society was founded in the USA on 1888, by 33 men interested in "organizing a society for the increase and diffusion of geographical knowledge." • Its purpose is to advance the general knowledge of geography and the world among the general public. To this end, it sponsors exploration, and publishes a monthly magazine, National Geographic.

4. Whatis the precise height of Mount Everest according to National Geographic Society’s latest measuring? 29, 035 feet, seven feet taller than was thought when it was last measured in the 1950.

5. Item 2 • climatologist: a scientist who deals with climate and their phenomena • 气候学家 • tropical热带的;位于热带的 • subtropical:亚热带的 • temperate:温带的 • crop yield: 农作物产量

6. What is the likely impact of climate change according to the new research? Damage to crops in low-lying coastal regions could be worse than previously thought.

7. Item 3. • desertification: the process of becoming desert (as from land mismanagement or climate change) • 沙漠化 • What is the title of the conference in northern Brazil? • The 3rd United Nations conference on Desertification

8. Item 4. • deformity: when a part of the body has not developed in the normal way or with the normal shape • 畸形(或残缺)的部分[C] • a deformity of the hand 手的畸形

9. salamander:蝾螈 • alligator: • (产于美国及中国的)短吻鳄

10. amphibian:an animal, such as a frog, which lives both on land and in water but must lay its eggs in water两栖动物 • reptile species:an animal that crawls or moves on its belly (as a snake) or on small short legs (as a lizard) • 爬行动物;爬虫类

11. World Conservation Union: • international organization founded in 1948 to encourage the preservation of wildlife, natural environments, and living resources.

12. What does a new study say about reptiles? • Reptile species are in greater trouble than amphibian species.

13. eradicate:to get rid of completely or destroy something bad: • herbicide: a chemical which is used to destroy plants, especially weeds • 除草剂 • coke: (slang) cocaine • poppy:罂粟;罂粟科植物

14. What did the governors from Columbia call for? • A new approach in the fight against the illegal drugs trade.

15. Item 6 • oil spill:油轮漏油 • Oil spill is an environmental disaster which kills fish and birds as well as pollutes the sea. • 油轮漏油污染海水,杀死鱼、鸟,是环境的大灾害。 • What are crews doing off the coast of Mexico, about 50 miles south of San Diego? • They are working to clean up a huge oil spill.

16. Item 7 • extinction: • the process of becoming extinct • extinction of a species • What is the serious threat for plants? • 1 in every 8 species of plant is threatened with extinction.

17. Item 8 • The Florida Everglades is • a subtropical marshland • located in the southern portion of the U.S state of Florida. An Anhinga perched on the boardwalk railing

18. blaze: • 火焰;火灾;熊熊燃烧 • Several houses had been burnt to the ground when the blaze was put out. • 大火扑灭时,好几间房子已全部烧毁。 • sawgrass: Sedge • 莎草

19. How serious were the wildfires in Florida? • They lasted for nearly a week and 65,000 hectares in the southern part of the state were consumed.

20. Item 9. • xeriscaping: a word coined by combining xeros (Greek for "dry") with landscaping, is a water-conservative approach to landscaping. • Plants whose cultural requirements are appropriate to the local climate are emphasized, • and care is taken to avoid wasting water to evaporation and run-off. Xeriscape is a trademark created by the Denver Water Board • Boulder Countyis a county located in the U.S. of Colorado

21. What is now available? • A new local directory for the environmentally-aware, called the “Boulder County Green Pages”

22. Item 10. • Greenland: • An island of Denmark in the northern Atlantic Ocean off northeast Canada. • It is the largest island in the world and lies mostly within the Arctic Circle. • Inhabited by Inuit peoples as early as 3000 B.C., it was discovered by the Norwegian navigator Eric the Red in the tenth century A.D., became a Danish colony in 1815, and was granted home rule in 1979.

23. What does a U.S Space Agency study recently find? • Greenland is melting around the edges, more than 50 cubic kilometers per per.

24. El Nino: A warming of the ocean surface off the western coast of South America that occurs every 4 to 12 years when upwelling of cold, nutrient-rich water does not occur. It causes die-offs of plankton and fish and affects Pacific jet stream winds, altering storm tracks and creating unusual weather patterns in various parts of the world.

25. Part II News Report • Training focus: • News summary • Report A. • catastrophe:a sudden event that causes very great trouble or destruction • catastrophic: • 灾难的;激变的

26. Geneva:日内瓦 • World Meteorological Organization • specialized agency of the United Nations; established in 1951 with headquarters at Geneva. • WMO aims at promoting international cooperation between the world's meteorological stations, • standardizing meteorological observations, • encouraging research and training, • and extending the use of meteorological findings to different fields.

27. WMO operates through the World Meteorological Congress (which meets at least every four years) with delegates from its entire membership, an executive committee, a technical commission, a secretariat, and six regional meteorological associations in Africa, Asia, South America, North and Central America, SW Pacific, and Europe. It has 185 members.

28. scarcity: when something is not easy to find or obtain: lack • the scarcity of water: water shortage • commodity: a substance or product that can be traded, bought or sold: • the international commodities market • obligation: a condition or influence that makes it necessary for someone to do something; duty • sanitary: clean and not dangerous for the health • portable:light and small enough to be easily carried or moved:a portable radio/telephone/computer

29. Listen to the report and complete the news summary. • This news report is about ___________________________________. It will lead to catastrophic consequences unless ________________________________. The severe shortage of water in some developing nations global solutions are found soon

30. Listen again and answer the questions: • 1. How many experts will attend the conference in Geneva? • 150. • 2. When will the conference begin? • Monday. • 3. What would the situation be like in the year 2025 according to Arthur Askew? • 1 billion people could suffer from a scarcity of water.

31. 4. In which areas could water shortage problems most probably develop? • Middle East, parts of Africa, western Asia, northeastern China, western and southern India, large parts or Pakistan and Mexico, parts of the Pacific coast of the Unite States and South America. • 5. What is the moral obligation put forward by Arthur Askew? • To treat water as a precious resource.

32. 6. How much water does a person need a day to survive? • 5 liters. • 7. How much water does a person need a day to live comfortably? • 50 liters. • 8. How much water are people in many countries now using each day? • 500 liters.

33. Report B • vibrancy: • 活跃,活力 • I like the vibrancy of her character. • 我喜欢她的活泼性格。 coral reef: 珊瑚礁 • glacier:冰河

34. Daimler-Chrysler: is a prominent automobile and truck manufacturer, formed in 1998 by the buyout of the Chrysler Corporation (USA) by Daimler Benz (Germany). Shell Oil: Shell Oil Company is one of America's leading oil and natural gas producers, natural gas marketers, gasoline marketers and petrochemical manufacturers, and the leading oil and gas producer in the deepwater Gulf of Mexico.

35. Listen to the second news report. Supply the missing words while listening. Washington the information economy deteriorating health of the planet information economy education and entertainment physical exam vital signs

36. species climate temperatures water tables glaciers forests fisheries to stabilize both climate and world population growth

37. Report C The Impact of Golf Course on the Environment

38. be at odds: to disagree: They're at odds over the funding of the project. Her version of events was at odds with the police report. (= very different from) reconcile: to find a way in which two situations or beliefs that are opposed to each other can agree and exist together: It is sometimes difficult to reconcile science and religion.

39. grooming:修饰 fairways: 航路; (高尔夫球场上的)平坦球道 habitat: (动物的)栖息地;(植物的)产地 I prefer to see animals in their natural habitat, rather than in zoos. 我喜欢看生活在自然栖息地的动物而非动物园内的动物。 killdeer: 双胸斑沙鸟(北美所产滨鸟) redtail hawks: 红尾鵟

40. great horned owl: a large North American owl

41. blue heron: Any of several varieties of heron with blue or blue-gray plumage羽毛

42. Bear Creek Lake: Bear Creek Dam, the last of three dams built to protect the Denver region from floods This project is known for its diverse bird and waterfowl population and its striking scenic views. Wildlife is abundant and because Bear Creek is located at the base of the Rocky Mountain foothills, the scenery is striking.

43. Listen to the news report and complete the news summary This news report is about _________________________________________________________________________________________________________ A golf course named Fox Hollow, which has won an award for its relatively low impact on environment and sustained wildlife.

44. Part III City Recycling • Training focus: • landfill: a place where rubbish is buried • 垃圾填埋;垃圾填埋地 • recyclable: able to be recycled • eligible:having the necessary qualities or fulfilling the necessary conditions:法律上合格的 • You might be eligible for a grant. • curbside: the area near where a road and the raised path next to it join

45. bustle: • to do things in a hurried and busy way:忙乱;奔忙 • I sat watching housewives bustle in and out of the supermarket. • 我坐着观看家庭主妇们匆匆地进出超级市场。 • mound: a large pile of something: • a mound of potatoes/papers • commingle: mix • assort: classify • 把...分类;把...分级

46. forklike: • 像叉一样的 • garbage: rubbish • spiral: 螺旋形的东西 • convey belt: 传送带 • sorter:分类机 • bale: 大包,大捆 • beverage: drink • fuzz: 细毛;绒毛

47. North Caroline:美国北卡罗来纳州 • A state of the southeast United States bordering on the Atlantic Ocean. • a center of tobacco growing and processing. • Raleigh is the capital and Charlotte the largest city. • Population: 8,540,000. 北卡罗来纳州

48. 2 • Listen to the report and number the following major points according to the order you hear them. • ()a. The work at the FCR processing center • ( )b. The success of Charlotte’s recycling program. • ( )c. What happens to the recyclables from FCR • ( )d. Catherine Smith’s recyclable garbage 4 3 1

49. Listen again and pay special attention to the process of the sorting of the recyclable material. • Put the listed steps in correct order • ( ) a. People sort through the garbage • ( ) b. The garbage is piled in a mound of assorted trash. • ( ) c. Bottles and cans come to the sorting station. • ( ) d. Bottles and cans are put on the conveyor belt. • ( ) e. Twelve workers hand-sort the bottles and cans. • ( ) f. Forklifts move the garbage. • ( ) g. Bottles and cans are dropped down a chute into a container. 3 1 5 4 6 2 7

50. Answer the questions: • 1. How many households are eligible to participate in the recycling program? • 2. What are some of the items that Catherine Smith put into her red recycling bin? • 3. What happens after Catherine puts out her bin? 130,000 80% Plastic glass tin cans newspapers Recycle truck picks it up.