科技英语阅读(李健版)

Unit 1 EnvironmentEarths health in sharp decline，massive study finds大规模的研究结果：地球的“健康”日益恶化the report card has arrived from the largest ever scientific earth analysis，and many of the planet s ecosystems are simply not making the gradard迄今为止，对地球进行的最大的科学分析表明，地球上的很多生态系统都达不到这个标准。the un-backed Millennium ecosystem assessment synthesis report found that nearly two-thirds of earth s life-supporting ecosystems，incll联合国赞助的千年生态系统评估综合报告指出，由于不可持续的使用，用来维持生命的地球生态系统(包括清洁的水、洁净的空气和稳定的气候)几乎有三分之二被破坏。human has caused much of this damage during the past half century。soaring demand for food、fresh water、timber、Fiber and fuel have led to dramatic environmental changes，from deforestation to chhhangesthe already grim situation may worsen dramatically during the first half of the 21st century，the reports author s warn .上述大部分破坏是过去半个世纪人类造成的。据分析，随着人类对粮食、淡水、木材、纤维、燃料等资源的需求增加，环境发生了巨大变化，造成了森林砍伐、化学污染等问题。因此，该报告的作者警告说，如果这样下去，已经不稳定的生态环境在21世纪上半叶将进一步恶化。over 1，300 governorm and private-sector contributors from 95 countries collarborated to create the landmark study . for four years they examined templatethe United nations environment programme compiled the report and released the results yesterday in beijin，China .这项历史性的研究由世界95个国家的政府部门和民间组织的1300多名科学家共同进行。过去四年，他们研究了地球上许多生物的生长环境、物种和连接它们的生态系统。联合国环境规划署编辑、统计了该报告，昨天在中国北京发表了研究结果。“only by understanding the environment and how it works，can web make the neceary decisions to protect it，”un secretary general Kofi Annan“only by valuing all our precious natural and human resources，can we hope to build a sustainable future。”在发表这份报告的记者招待会上，联合国秘书长科菲安南指出：“只有知道环境及其运行过程，我们才能制定保护它的必要措施。”他还表示：“只有珍惜所有宝贵的自然资源和人类资源，我们才有希望建设可持续的未来。”Socioeconomic Impact对社会经济的影响the report paints a rather bleak picture for bio diversity throughput much of the natural world .perhaps 10 to 30 percent of earth s mammal bird and amphibian species are facing extginction。这份报告对地球上10%-30%的哺乳动物、鸟类和两栖动物濒临灭绝的自然界大部分生物多样性表示悲观。the massive ecological survey was begun in response to Annan s Millennium development goals，A un initiative that aims to dramatically reducures此次大规模生态调查是以联合国为大幅度减少饥饿和极度贫困等社会经济问题而推进的安南校长千年发展目标为依据进行的。“the Millennium ecosystem assessment give us，in some ways for the first time，An insight into the economic importance of ecosystem servicesaid Klaus toe pfer，executive director of the Nairobi-based un environment programme。联合国环境规划署执行主席克劳斯托夫(总部设在内罗毕)说：“在某些方面，千年生态系统评估综合报告首次认识到生态系统服务功能的经济价值，并提供了对尊重和保护地球生命维持系统的新见解。”current human usage patters of earth s environment have increassed the global food supply，albeit too slowly to accomlis the un goal of halving目前，由于人类社会对全球环境的开发和利用，粮食供应继续增加，但增长率仍然太慢，到2015年，联合国消除全球一半饥饿人口的目标难以实现。the negative effects of ecosystem strain also include collapsing fisheries，coastal“dead zones”near sediment-heavy river moover报告还补充说，过度使用生态系统的负面影响包括渔业的衰退、有大量沉积物的河口周围近海“死亡地区”的出现、水质的变化、无法预测的区域气候等deforestation and other radical ecosystem alterations also promote disease，such as malaria and cholera，as well as new strains of existing此外，森林砍伐和其他生态系统发生了重大变化，进一步恶化了疟疾、霍乱等疾病的传播，已经将传染病分化为新的类别。changes to water systems may increase the frequency and severity of destructive floods .over a hundred thousand people were killed in the 1990s by floo Ds，which also caused destruction to the tune of 243 billion dollars(u . s .)根据这份报告，水资源制度的变化增加了破坏性洪水的发生频率和程度。20世纪90年代，洪水造成的死亡人数为10万多人，损失额约为2430亿美元。the regions facing the greatest environmental degradation are also among the world s poorest 3360 su B- saharan Africa，central Asia，also among the world s poorest :目前世界上环境破坏最严重的地区是世界上最贫穷的地区撒哈拉以南的中非地区、亚洲中部、拉丁美洲的部分地区、亚洲南部、东南部等。Call for Radical Change呼吁彻底改变现状the report urges drastic policy changes to the ways in which natural resources are used .千年生态系统评估综合报告呼吁在自然资源利用方面大幅度改变当前政策。From an economic perspective，the study suggests that many intact ecosystems should be regarded as more valuable than those altered for comical该研究认为，从经济角度看，比用于事业开发的生态系统更多的完整生态系统更有价值。For example、citing wetland willdlife habitat、water pollution filtration、water storage and recreation value、The report apprthe same mangroves were valued at only u . s . $ 200 an acre after they had been cleared for fish and shel fish farming。例如，该报告分析了湿地野生动植物的栖息地、水污染过滤、水资源储存能力、娱乐价值等，估算了泰国每英亩(0.4公顷)红树林1，000美元的保护价值，同一红树林因渔业和鱼类养殖开发而被破坏，其价值仅为每英亩200美元。“the overriding conclusion of this assessment is that it lies within the power of human socieies to ease the strain we are putting on the nature servi一个由45人组成的研究委员会在一份声明中指出：“这份评估报告最重要的结论是，如何利用地球生态系统提高人类的生活水平，同时减轻我们对它的压力，完全取决于我们的人类社会。”“achieving this however will require radical changes in the way nature is treated at every level of decison-making and new ways of cooperation“the warning signs are there for all of us to s