Unit8FocusonGlobalWarming课文翻译综合教程二讲解学习

1、Uni t 8 Focus onGl obal Warming 课文译综合教程二Unit 8 Focus on Global WarmingJohn WeierTwenty-five years ago if you made a trip to the local library and perused the periodical section for articles on global warming, you' d probably have come upwith only a few abstracts from hardcore science journals or

2、 maybe a blurb in some esoteric geopolitical magazine. As an Internet search on global warming now attests, the subject has become as rooted in our public consciousness as Madonna 2 or microwave cooking. 1Perhaps all this attention is deserved. With the possible exception of another world war, giant

3、 asteroid, or an incurable plague, global warming may be the single largest threat to our planet. 2 For decades human factories and cars have spewed billions of tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and the climate has begun to show some signs of warming. Many see this as a harbinger of what

4、 is to come. 3 If we don ' t curb our greenhouse gas emissions, then low-lying nations could be awash in seawater, rain and drought patterns across the world could change, hurricanes could become more frequent, and El Ninos could become more intense.Our Warming PlanetWhat has worried many people

5、 now is that over the past 250 years humans have been artificially raising the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Our factories, power plants, and cars burn coal and gasoline and spit out a seemingly endless stream of carbon dioxide. We produce millions of pounds of methane by allo

6、wing our trash to decompose in landfills and by breeding large herds of methane-belching cattle. Nitrogen-based fertilizers, which we use on nearly all our crops, release unnatural amounts of nitrogen oxide into the atmosphere.Once these carbon-based greenhouse gases get into the atmosphere, they st

7、ay there for decades or longer. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) since the industrial revolution, carbon dioxide levels have increased 31 percent and methane levels have increased 151 percent. Paleoclimate readings taken from fossil records show that these gases, two

8、 of the most abundant greenhouse gases, are at their highest levels in the past 420,000 years. Many scientists fear that the increased concentrations of greenhouse gases have prevented additional thermal radiation from leaving the Earth. In essence, these gases are trapping excess heat in the Earth&

9、#39; s atmosphere in much the same way that a windshield traps solar energy that enters a car.4Much of the available climate data appear to back these fears. 5 Temperature data gathered from many different sources all across the globe show that the surface temperature of the Earth, which includes th

10、e lower atmosphere and the surface of the ocean, has risen dramatically over several decades.Worldwide measurements of sea level show a rise of 0.1 to 0.2 meters over the last century. That ' s an increase of roughlyvery 4,000 years. Readings gathered from glaciers reveal a steady recession of t

11、he world' s continentalglaciers. Taken together, all of these data suggest that over the last century the planet has experienced the largest increase in surface temperature in 1,000 years.Not surprisingly, many scientists speculate that such changes in the climate will probably result in hotter

12、days and fewer cool days. 6 According to the IPCC, land surface areas will increase in temperature over the summer months much more than the ocean. The mid-latitude to high-latitude regions in the Northern Hemisphere areas such as the Continental United States, Canada, and Siberia will likely warm t

13、he most. These regions could exceed mean global warming by as much as 40 percent.As far as human health is concerned, those hit hardest will probably be residents of poorer countries that do not have the funds to fend against changes in climate. 7 A slight increase in heat and rain in equatorial reg

14、ions would likely spark an increase in vector-borne diseases such as malaria. More intense rains and hurricanes could cause more severe flooding and more deaths in coastal regions and along riverbeds. Even a moderate rise in sea level could threaten the coastlines of low-lying islands such as the Ma

15、ldives. All across the globe, hotter summers could lead to more cases of heatstroke and deaths among those who are vulnerable, such as older people with heart problems. The warmer temperatures may also lead to higher levels of nearsurface ozone from cars and factories, which would likely cause more

16、perilous air quality days and hospital admissions for those with respiratory problems.Taking ActionsFortunately, we can take actions to slow down global warming. 8 Global warming results primarily from human activities that release heat-trapping gases and particles into the air. The most important c

17、auses include theburning of fossil fuels such as coal, gas, and oil, and deforestation. To reduce the emission of heat-trapping gases like carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxides, we can curb our consumption of fossil fuels, use technologies that reduce the amount of emissions wherever possible,

18、 and protect the forests in the world.We can also do things to mitigate the impacts of global warming and adapt to those most likely to occur, 9 e.g., through careful planning and other strategies that reduce our vulnerability to global warming.But we can ' t stop there. We are also advocating p

19、olicies that will combat global warming over the long term, things like clean cars that run on alternative fuels, environmentally responsible renewable energy technologies, and stopping the clear-cutting of valuable forests.Clearly, global warming is a huge problem. It will take everyone governments

20、, industry, communities and individuals working together to make a real difference. Fortunately you can be part of them.关注全球气候变暖二十五年前,如果你想去当地的图书馆通过各种期刊搜索关于全球气候变 暖的文章的话,很可能你只能找到一些刊登在核心自然科学期刊或非常专业的 地理科学杂志上的同类文章的摘要.然而,当今因特网搜索结果说明全球气候 变暖,就像麦当娜或微波炉一样,成为所有人都十分关心的话题.应该说公众对全球气候变暖的关注是很有必要的.除了一些可能的巨大灾 害,例如新的世

21、界大战、巨型小行星撞击地球、或是无法治愈的流行疾病等 等,全球气候变暖可能是对地球的唯一最大威胁.近几十年来,人类的工厂和 汽车向大气中排放了数十亿吨的温室气体,全球气候已经表现出了变暖的趋 势.许多人认为这是灾难即将来临的不祥征兆.如果我们不再抑制温室气体的 肆意排放,那么那些海拔很低的国家可能被海水淹没,同时多雨和干旱地区的 分布也会发生变化,飓风将愈加频繁,而 厄尔尼诺现象也会愈演愈烈地球正在变暖现在令大多数人担忧的是在过去 250年中人类已经人为地增加了大气中温 室气体的浓度.我们的工厂、发电厂、汽车燃烧煤和汽油,排放出无穷尽的二 氧化碳.我们任由垃圾在废渣填埋池里分解产生甲烷,还大量

22、饲养胃里会产生 甲烷气体的家畜,就这样我们人为制造了数百万吨的甲烷气体.我们几乎在所 有的农田中都使用以氮为主要元素的化肥,导致超过正常数量的氧化氮进入大 气之中.一旦这些以碳为主要元素的温室气体进入大气层,它们就会存在几十年甚 至更久.根据政府间气候变化问题专门研究小组的研究结果,自工业革命以 来,空气中二氧化碳的含量增长了 31%,甲烷气体的含量甚至增长了 151%.从 古代化石记录中得到的地质气候资料显示,这两种含量最多的温室气体二氧化 碳和甲烷居过去42万年之首.许多科学家担忧温室气体浓度日益增长会阻碍 地球多余热量的散发.实际上,这些气体已经在阻碍地球大气中多余热量的散 发,它们阻碍

23、热量散发的原理就和汽车挡风玻璃阻碍太阳热量进入车厢是一样 的.大量可获得的气候数据证实人们的担忧是很有道理的.从全球各地搜集的 气温数据显示地球外表温度,包括较低大气层和海洋外表温度,在过去几十年 问剧烈上升.全球海平面测量数据也说明在上个世纪中,海平面上升了0.1 0.2米,也就是说海水温度每4000年上升大约1C.冰川研究数据也显示全球 大陆冰川正在逐步消融.总而言之,以上这些数据都说明在过去一个世纪中, 地球外表温度上升是近1000年里最快的.很自然地,许多科学家推测这种种气候变化很可能会导致天气越来越热, 凉爽的日子越来越少.根据政府间气候变化问题专门研究小组的研究,地表更 季温度上升幅度将远大于海面温度的上升幅度.北半球中