高级英语第一册Unit3 Ships in the Desert

1、Unit 3 of Advanced English,Ships in the Desert,General idea of the text:,In the essay, the author presents to readers plenty of images of environmental crisis which are commonly seen in all parts of the globe. These crises, some of which might threaten a nations survival, such as the increase of cho

2、rine, global warming, etc., can demonstrate a violent collision between nature and human beings. Therefore, a change in mans thinking, in mans concept on the relationship between nature and human beings, is the most important thing.,Part 1 (Para 1-5) Questions on comprehension:,What are the three ge

3、ographical locations mentioned in this part? What are the scientists doing in Antarctic Ocean? What have they verified? Why does the writer especially mention his visit by submarine? According to Para. 3, what is the main cause of the significant change in the earths atmosphere? How disastrous will

4、the consequences of a thinning cap be? What is the main idea of the part and how are all paragraphs related here?,l. I was standing. on a good day,1 ) in the sun: in the sunlight, as opposed to in the shade 2) capable of : having the ability of 3) to process: to prepare by a special method 4) catch:

5、 the amount caught 5) on a good day: good here means satisfying 6) capable of processing a fifty-ton catch on a ed day: having the ability of cleaning and preparing for marketing or canning 50 tons of fish caught on a productive day,2. But it wasnt a good day. l) It refers to the day I was there. 3.

6、 the prospects of a good catch looked bleak l ) bleak: not promising or hopeful 2) it was not at all possible to have a good catch, to catch a large amount of fish 3) This is obvious1y an understatement because with sand all around there was no chance of catching fish, to say nothing of catching a l

7、ot of fish.,4. Where there should have been. There was .,l) Pay attention to the structure. The implication is that once there were gent1e waves lapping against the side of the ship; but there were none now. Instead, in the place of the waves there was stretches of sand. 2) lap: to strike gently wit

8、h a light, splashing sound 3) in all direction: everywhere,5. The other ships to the horizon,l) How could the other ships be at rest in the sand? The other ships were also anchored in the original coast but now water had turned into sand therefore they were surrounded by sand and could not move. 2)

9、dune: a rounded hill or ridge of sand heaped up by the action 3) that stretched. to the horizon: that extended as far as the eye could see; that extended to the far off place where the sky meets the earth,6. Why is the Aral disappearing?,It is becoming smaller and smaller because the water that used

10、 to flow into the sea has been turned away to irrigate the land created in the desert to grow cotton. The scheme was an ill-conceived one because it failed to take into consideration the ecological effect.,7. My research for destruction,Why did he travel around the world? He traveled around the worl

11、d because he wanted to see, check and study cases of such destruction in order to find out the basic causes behind the environmental crisis. 2) image: typical example,8. At the very bottom. through time,l) at the very bottom of the earth: the southern end of the earths axis; bottom here means farthe

12、st end 2) high in the. Mountains: at a high p1ace in the mountain chain 3) Why did the author say the sun glared through a hole in the sky? Where comes the hole? It refers to ozone depletion. 4) unbelievable coldness: so cold that you cannot imagine 5) the tunne1 he wa5 digging through time: he was

13、drilling to get samples from the glacier, the deeper he drilled, the farther the sample in time; in other words, the surface of the glacier is an indication of recent time while the deeper part of the glacier tells of 6ituation of a much remote period,9. Slipping his parka back. we were standing 1 )

14、 parka: 派克大衣, a hooded fur jacket worn as an outer garment by Eskimos 2 ) a badly burned face: caused by overexposure to direct sunlight 3) cracked and peeling: note the use of past participle and present participle; on the face there were lines that were split open and pieces of skin were coming do

15、wn 10. He moved his finger. ago Following the layers of ice in the core ample, his finger came to the place where the layer of ice was formed 20 years ago.,l1. At the bottom. on earth l) two continents away: the two continents refer to South America and Antarctica 2) emission here means the amount o

16、f Pollutants discharged 3) least accessible place on earth: the place which is mot difficult to get to in the world l2. But the most significant. ever since 1) thus far: up to this time 2) pick up speed: develop in an accelerated speed; become faster 3) ever since: from then until now,l3. Industry m

17、eant. warm the earth,1) industry meant coal: the deve1opment of industry meant the use of large amount of coal as fuel to generate power 2) it: standing for coal and later oil 3) rising level: the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere grew 4) with its ability to trap more heat in the atmosphere

18、: heat cannot easily get through carbon dioxide and go into the high altitude so carbon dioxide plays the role of a cover, keeping the heat near the earth 5) the part after the dash serves as an adverbial of result,14. upwind from the ice runway. that inexorable change,1) upwind: in the direction fr

19、om which the wind is blowing or usually blows 顶风 2) ice runway: runway is a strip of paved ground for use by airplanes in taking off and landing, and here in the South Pole the runway is a strip of ice ground 3) ski plane: an airp1ane with skis instead of wheels for landing and taking off in the sno

20、w 4) Why are the engines of the plane kept running? Because the pilot fears that if he stops the engines, the metal parts would be frozen solid and the engines would not be able to start again. 5) monitor: to watch or check on (a thing) 6) to chart the course: to show the onward movement on an outli

21、ne map 7) inexorable: that cannot be altered, checked,l5. Two and a half. Arctic Ocean,l ) at the other end of our planet: Antarctic as one end and Arc- tic as the other end 2) pitch: set up; erect 3) slab: a piece that is flat, broad and fairly thick 4) frigid: extremely cold,16. After a hearty bre

22、akfast. in the water be1ow,1) a hearty breakfast: a satisfying and rich breakfast 2) snowmobile: a kind of motor vehicle for traveling over snow, usually with steerable runners at .the front and tractor treads at the rear 3) rendezvous Point: the place where a submarine was to pick them up 4) hover:

23、 to wait close by, esp. in an overprotective, insistent or anxious way,l7. After it crashed. of global warming,1) after it crashed through the ice: after the submarine broke through the ice with force and smashing noise and surfaced 2) took on its new passengers: picked up the author and his compani

24、ons 3) renumbered: went down under the water again,l8. to secure the release of previous1y top secret data: to ensure the making public of data which were originally c1assified as top secret l9. and then I was standing. sheets collide 1) eerily: mysteriously or uncannily, esp. in such a way as to fr

25、ighten or disturb 2) windswept: swept by or exposed to winds 3) with the horizon defined by little hummocks: with the stretch of ice field characterized by small ridges 4) How are these hummocks formed? When separate layers of ice, broad in extent, strike violently against each other, ice is pushed

26、up into ridges by the force of the collision.,20. As the polar air. could be disastrous 1) polar cap: the polar region of ice 2) to thin: to make or become thin or thinner 3) could be: note the use of modal verb. Here could be indicates Possibility. 21. Considering such scenarios. exercise l) scenar

27、io: an outline for any proposed or planned series of events, real or imagined 方案 2) Thinking about how a series of events might happen as a consequence of the thinning of the po1ar cap is not just a kind of practice in conjecture (speculation), it has got practical value.,22. Six months. last decade

28、,1) the pattern of ice distribution: the regular way ice is distributed 2) a still controversial claim: a statement which some scientists still do not completely accept 3) which a variety of data now suggest: data coming from different sources point to his conclusion 4) overall: in general,23. Moreo

29、ver. steadily rising 1 ) establish: cause to be accepted or recognized 2 ) Arctic Circle: an imaginary circle parallel to the equator, 66 33 north of it 3) tundra: any of the vast, nearly level, treeless plains of the Arctic regions,Part 2 (Para 6) Questions on comprehension:,What has been happening

30、 to the Amazon rain forest? How will the destruction of the Amazon forest affect the earths ecological balances?,24. where billowing clouds. rain forest,l ) billowing: large swelling mass of 2) Where do the billowing clouds of smoke come from? They come from the burning of the rain forest. 3) the im

31、mense but now threatened Amazon rain forest What is meant by now threatened? It means the existence of the rain forest is now in danger as a result of large-scale destruction.,25. Acre by acre. beef 1) Bit by bit trees in the rain forest are felled and the land is cleared and turned into pasture whe

32、re cattle can be raised quickly and slaughtered and the beef can be used in hamburgers. 2) Pay attention to the connotation of the two fasts in fast pasture and fast food. With that comes the fast disappearance of the rain forest.,26. with more than. each year l ) worth: equal in area or size 2) sla

33、sh: cut with a sweeping stroke 3) the area of rain forest burned in one year is bigger than the state of Tennessee 27. which means. even heard Since miles of forest are being destroyed and the habitat for these rare birds no longer exists, thousands of birds which we have not even had a chance to se

34、e will become extinct.,Part 3 (Para 7-9)Questions on comprehension:,What is the general idea of the part? How does noctilucent cloud come into being? What does this special cloud do at a high altitude of the air? What other harm does the cloud do to the earth environment? What does the last sentence

35、 of the part mean? Can you give some other examples to manifest the violent collision between human civilization and the earth?,28. Images. anywhere Tropical examples showing the dangerous environmental situation in the world can be found almost anywhere. 29. On some nights. now in progress l) in hi

36、gh northern latitudes: 2) the sky itself offers another ghostly image: the sky alone presents another example of ill omen showing there is eco-logical imbalance and this kind of imba1ance is developing in dispute, in bloom, in play, in pursuit (of), in motion, in use: The car is in full play.(runnin

37、g at the full speed) He was caught in the act of stealing.,30. and if. altogether blot out (view, memory): hide entirely; obscure; a blot on ones character/record The clouds blot out the moon. She blotted the paper with ink spots. /The ink blotted on the paper. She blotted her driving record by havi

38、ng an accident. 3l. This noctilucent cloud. unnatural l) noctilucent: designating or of a luminous cloud visible at night in the Polar regions at an altitude of c. 50 miles 生物性发光 to c1oak: to conceal, hide The magician was cloaked in black silk. He cloaked his evil purpose under friendly words. 3) t

39、o shimmer: to shine with an unsteady light 4) translucent: partially transparent,32. because of. in the atmosphere methane: 甲烷 2) because there has been a big increase of methane gas in the atmosphere 33. Where does methane gas come from? l) release: let go; emit 2) land fill: the disposal of garbag

40、e or rubbish by burying it under a shallow layer of ground ermite: 白蚁 4) swarm: to move in large numbers A crowd of people swarmed to the spot. / The room was hot and swarmed with flies. 5) biomass: the total mass or amount of living organism in a particular area or volume 生物量,34. What should we fee

41、l. the sky? What should our attitude be toward these terrible signs of eco-logical imbalances in the sky? 35. Simple wonder. the zoo? Should it only be a feeing of surprise and admiration or a combination of different feelings we experience in the zoo? 36. just as men. with extinction: men are killi

42、ng such large number of elephants for their tusks that the species will soon extinguish,that we are disturbing the balance between daylight and darkness 38. changing the chemistry. atmosphere: changing the chemical composition of atmosphere in high altitude 39. without even. spectral light l ) start

43、le: to alarm suddenly or unexpectedly 2) glisten: to shine or spark1e with reflected light, as a wet or polished surface 3) spectra1: like a ghost, ghostly,40. Or have. and the earth?,1) Or have we been so accustomed to the bright electric Lights that we fail to understand the threatening implicatio

44、n of these clouds, that it is a glaring sign of the violent clash between human activity and nature? 2) adjust (to): to change so as to fit, conform 3) see: understand 4) for what they are: in their real light; the real nature of,Part4 (Para 9) Questions on comprehension:,What is the function of the

45、 paragraph? Why does the author raise so many questions here?,4l. .whether. of waste: whether it is the fact that recently there are more hot days when the temperature is over 100 degrees F, or the fact that the sun burns our skin more quickly in recent times, or the fact that the debate over the wa

46、y of disposing of the growing amount of waste matter comes up more frequently 42. But our response. puzzling: but our reaction to these signals is so baffling that it is difficu1t to understand,43. Why haven t. environment?: Why haven t we started a large-scale movement to save our environment? 44.

47、to come at the question another way: to approach the question in a different way; to put the question differently Put the food where the cat cant come at it. It was a long time before we came at the truth. He came at me, brandishing a heavy stick.,45. Why do. effective1y?: Why do some symbols so ala

48、rm us that we immediately take action and concentrate on ways of dealing with them effectively? 46. And why do. distraction? l) equally dramatic: as striking as (the other images) 2) paralysis: partial or complete loss; inabi1ity to act 3) convenient distraction: handy and easy to get diversion 4) A

49、nd why do other symbols, though sometimes no less striking, only cause a kind of Loss and inactivity and we concentrate our attention not on the ways to deal with them but instead, on some other substitutes which are easy to get and less painful?,Part 5 (Para 10-16)Questions on comprehension:,What c

50、omparison is made at the beginning of this part? For what purpose? What is the main point the author wants to drive home here? How does he bring out the point step by step? How do you understand the point ”human civilization is now the dominant cause of change in the global environment”?,47. it may

51、be. appropriately: it may be useful to arrange them into different groups, thus getting our thoughts and feelings straightened out so that we will be able to take the most suitable action 48. A useful. place 1) theater: scene of operation 49. What kind of conflict will be considered as strategic con

52、flict? Only struggle that will endanger a nations existence and must be viewed against the background of the world will be considered as strategic conflict.,50. Environmental threats. way What is the meaning of in the same way ? In the same way means in the way of dividing the threats into three cat

53、egories. 5l. For example. in nature 1 ) il1egal waste dumping: referring to the disposal of waste in a way that violates the law 52. Problems like. regional 1) acid rain: rain with a high concentration of acids produced by sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, etc. emitted during the combustion of fossi1

54、fuels; it has a destructive effect on plant and aquatic life, buildings, etc. 2) aquifer: an underground layer of Porous rock, sand, etc containing water, into which wells can be sunk 3) large oil spill: 1arge-scale leaking of oil from oil tanker,53. In both. not at stake l) the pattern appears to b

55、e global: it seems that the problem has acquired a global nature since so many simi1ar things occur at the same time all over the world 2) Why arent the problems regarded as strategic? Because the working of world environment as a whole has not been affected and the existence of mankind has not been

56、 endangered. 54. The 600 percent. the sky 1 ) chlorine chlorofluorocarbons: CFC 氟里昂 3) not just responsible: not just in those countries which are mainly responsible for the production of CFCs,55. The increased level. to their survival l ) The increase of the amount of chlorine disturbs the usual wa

57、y of handling and controlling the amount of ultraviolet radiation the earth receives 2) to the Point: to such a degree, cf: at the point, on the point 56. The concentration. in the atmosphere As a result of the increase of those particles that can take in heat, less heat is released into the high al

58、titude and more heat is kept in the atmosphere than in the past. This will make the climate of the world warmer.,57. This increase in heat. human society 1 ) equilibrium: a state of balance between opposing forces 2) pattern: a regular, mainly unvarying way of movement 3) in turn: in proper sequence

59、 or succession 58. to mention just one example. for the 1) in prehistoric times: in periods before recorded history 2) in their search for food: when they were trying to hunt animals for food,59. And in our own time. in the countryside 1) reshape: to give new shape or form to 2) concrete in our cities: referring to paved roads, bridges, buildings 3) carefully tended: carefully taken care of 60. But these changes. ecological system Although sometimes these changes s