1、人教选择性必修第三册 unit3 Environmental Protection Reading and thinking CLIMATE CHANGE REQUIRES THE WORLDS ATTENTION 气候变化需要全世界的关注 We have known about climate change for decades. There is little doubt that Earth is getting warmer and warmer (see the graph). A warming ocean and atmosphere along with melting ic
2、e and rising sea levels provide evidence of a dramatic change in the global climate. 我们对气候变化已经知道几十年了。毫无疑问，地球正在变得越来越暖和（见图表） 。海洋 和大气的变暖，冰的融化和海平面的上升提供了全球气候急剧变化的证据。 In 2013, a lot of people were shocked by a news photo of a dead polar bear that was found on Norways Arctic island of Svalbard. According t
3、o the scientists who found its dead body, all that remained of the polar bear was “skin and bones. An expert who has studied polar bears for many years said that from the position of its dead body, the bear appeared to have starved and died. Experts claimed that low sea-ice levels caused by climate
4、change meant the bear could not hunt seals as before, so it had to travel greater distances in order to find food. This alarming case showed how the increase in temperature had an impact on Earths ecology. 2013 年，在挪威北极斯瓦尔巴特岛发现的一张北极熊死亡的新闻照片让很多人震惊。根据 发现北极熊尸体的科学家们的说法，北极熊仅存的只是“皮肤和骨头” 。一位研究北极熊多 年的专家说，从其尸
5、体的位置来看，北极熊似乎是饿死了。专家称，气候变化导致的低海冰 水平意味着这只熊不能像以前那样捕猎海豹， 因此它必须走更远的距离才能找到食物。 这一 令人震惊的案例显示了温度的上升对地球生态的影响。 Then what is causing the increase in the global average surface temperature? Climate scientists often mention a key climate process called the *greenhouse effect, which has two common meanings: the na
6、tural greenhouse effect and the man-made greenhouse effect. greenhouse effect refers to the fact that heat from the sun enters the atmosphere and warms Earths surface as short-wave radiation. The heat is released back into space at longer wave lengths. Greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, such as met
7、hane and carbon dioxide, trap some of the heat, keeping Earths climate warm and habitable. Without this process, Earth could not sustain life. However, the man-made greenhouse effect has now become a big problem. When people produce huge amounts of extra greenhouse gases by burning fossil fuels, mor
8、e heat energy is trapped in the atmosphere and causes Earths surface temperature to rise quickly. 那么是什么导致了全球平均地表温度的升高呢？气候科学家经常提到一个叫做“温室效应” 的关键气候过程，它有两个共同的含义： “自然”温室效应和“人为”温室效应。温室效应 是指太阳的热量进入大气层， 以短波辐射的形式使地球表面变暖。 热量以较长的波长释放回 太空。大气中的温室气体，如甲烷和二氧化碳，捕获了部分热量，使地球气候保持温暖和适 宜居住。没有这个过程，地球就无法维持生命。然而， “人为”的温室效应现
9、在已经成为一 个大问题。 当人们通过燃烧化石燃料产生大量额外的温室气体时， 更多的热能被困在大气中， 导致地球表面温度迅速上升。 There is strong and comprehensive evidence that the rise in temperature has led to an increase in extreme weather and natural disasters worldwide, not only causing serious damage, but also costing human lives. Climate scientists have w
10、arned that if we do not take appropriate actions, this warming trend will probably continue and there will be a higher price to pay. In fact, news reports are frequently broadcast about extreme rainstorms and heat waves causing deaths and economic losses. 有强有力和全面的证据表明， 气温上升导致世界范围内极端天气和自然灾害增加， 不仅造成 严
11、重破坏，而且夺去了人的生命。气候科学家警告说，如果我们不采取适当的行动，这一变 暖趋势可能会继续下去，将付出更高的代价。事实上，有关极端暴雨和热浪造成死亡和经济 损失的新闻报道经常播出。 Continued greenhouse gas emissions will result in further warming and long-lasting changes to the global climate. This requires the attention of people all over the world. Governments need to consider makin
12、g policies and taking appropriate actions and measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. We as individuals can also reduce our “carbon footprint by restricting the amount of carbon dioxide our lifestyles produce. It is our responsibility to seize every opportunity to educate everyone about global
13、warming, along with its causes and impacts, because this is the most serious issue affecting all of us on this planet. So what will you do to help? 持续的温室气体排放将导致全球气候进一步变暖和长期变化。 这需要全世界人民的关注。 政 府需要考虑制定政策并采取适当的行动和措施来减少温室气体的排放。 我们个人也可以通过 限制我们的生活方式产生的二氧化碳量来减少我们的“碳足迹” 。我们有责任抓住每一个机 会， 教育每个人了解全球变暖及其原因和影响， 因为这是影响我们地球上所有人的最严重问 题。那么你会怎么做？ 重点词汇 change for 转车去 ; 好转 ; 换成，交换 along with 除某物以外 ; 随同一起，跟一起 global climate 全球气候 polar bear 北极熊 ; 白熊 According to 据 ; 按 ; 依照 ; 按照 ; 根据 skin and bones 皮包骨 polar bears 北极熊 ; 白熊 ; polar bear 的复数 for many years 积年
