31. and then I was standing …sheets collide: and then I was standing in the vast scene of snow which was fearfully beautiful, windswept and shining white, with the stretch of ice field characterized by small ridges because of the force of the collision of the separate layers.
eerily: mysteriously or uncannily, especially in such a way as to frighten or disturb
windswept: swept by or exposed to winds
with the horizon defined by little hummocks: with stretch of ice field characterized by small ridges
32. the ice here will thin: the ice here will become thin
33. the consequences of a thinning cap could be disastrous: the result of a thinning cap may indicate the possibilities of disasters
could: the word indicates “possibilities”
34. Considering such scenarios is not a purely speculative exercise: Thinking about how a series of events might happen as a consequence of the thinning of the Polar cap is not just a kind of practice in conjecture / speculation, it has got practical value.
scenario: a) an outline for an proposed or planned series of events, real or imagined 方案
b) the scenario of a film is a piece of writing that gives an outline of the story 脚本
speculative: meditating; thinking; pondering; guessing
35. the pattern of ice distribution: the regular way ice is distributed
36. a still controversial claim: a statement which some scientists still do not completely accept
37. which a variety of data now suggest: data coming from different sources point to this conclusion
38. the Arctic Circle: an imaginary line drawn round the world at a certain distance from the most northern point (the North Pole), north of which there is no darkness for six months of each year and almost no light for the other six months. cf. the Antarctic Circle
39. tundra: any of the vast, nearly level, treeless plains of the Arctic regions
Paragraph 6
40. billowing: large swelling mass of
billow v. When smoke or cloud billows, it moves slowly upwards or across the sky
41. Acre by acre, the rain forest is being burned to create fast pasture for fast-food beef: Bit by bit trees in the rain forest are felled and the land is cleared and turned into pasture where cattle can be raised quickly and slaughtered and the beef can be used in hamburgers.
Pay attention to the connection of the two “fasts” in fast pasture and fast food. With that comes the “fast” disappearance of the rain forest.
42. the dry season: ant. in the wet season—the rainy season
43. with more than one Tennessee’s worth of rain forest being slashed and burned each year: the area of rain forest burned in one year is bigger than the state of Tennessee.
worth: equal in area or size
slash: cut with a sweeping stroke
If you slash something, you make a long, deep cut in it.
e.g. Jack’s face had been slashed with broken glass.
44. which means we are silencing thousands of songs we have never 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 see will become extinct.
Paragraphs 7 & 8
45. Images that signal the distress of our global environment are now commonly seen almost anywhere: Typical examples showing the dangerous environmental situation in the world can be found almost anywhere.
46. On some nights, in high northern latitudes, the sky itself offers another ghostly image that signals the loss of ecological balance now in progress: On some nights, in the area at a high northern latitude, the sky alone presents another example of ill omen showing there is ecological imbalance and this kind of imbalance is developing.
latitude (s): an area at particular latitude
in high northern latitude 在北纬高纬度地区
47. blot out: hide entirely; obscure
48. This “noctilucent cloud” …seem quite unnatural
noctilucent cloud: nocti- means night; lucent means shining, translucentdesignating or of a luminous cloud visible at night
to cloak: to conceal; hide
shimmer: shine with an unsteady light
translucent: partially transparent
49. because of a huge buildup of methane gas in the atmosphere: because there has been a big increase of methane gas in the atmosphere
50. methane is released from landfills,…activities:
release: let go; emit
swarm: to move in large numbers
e.g. As the fire spread, people came swarming out of the building.
51. What should we feel toward these ghosts in the sky: What should our attitude be toward these noctilucent clouds in the sky?
52. Simple wonder or the mix of emotions we feel at the zoo: Should it only be a feeling of surprise and admiration or a combination of different feelings we experience in the zoo?
53. just as men tear tusks…with extinction: men are killing such large number of elephants for their tusks that the species will soon extinguish.
54. we are ripping matter from its place …darkness: we are using and destroying resources in such a big amount that we are disturbing the balance between daylight and darkness.
rip: tear; When you rip something or when it rips, it is torn violently.
e.g. The poster had been ripped to pieces.
Two of the canvas bags had been ripped
in such volume: in suchquantity
upset: When the word is used as a verb or a predicative, the second syllable is stressed; When it is used as an adjective in an attributive position, the first syllable is stressed.
e.g.: You are up`set. I’ve got an `upset stomach.
to upset the balance: to cause something to go wrong
55. changing the chemistry of the upper atmosphere: changing the chemical composition of the upper atmosphere
56. But, without even…shouldn’t it startle us…glisten with a spectral light? Or have our eyes …earth? These are two rhetorical questions.
startle: to alarm suddenly or unexpectedly
glisten: to shine or sparkle with reflected light, as a wet or polished surface
spectral: like a ghost; ghostly
adjust (to) : to change so as to fit, conform
see : understand
for what they are: in their real light; the real nature of
manifestation: display
Paragraph 9
57. whether it’s the frequency of days…waste: whether it is the fact that recently there are more hot days when the temperature is over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (=38℃), or the fact the sun burns our skin more quickly in recent times, or the fact that the debate over the way of disposing of the growing amount of waste matter comes up more frequently.
58. But our response to these signals is puzzling: But our reaction to these signals is so baffling that it is difficult to understand.
59. Why haven’t we launched …environment: Why haven’t we started a large-scale movement to save our environment?
60. To come at the question another way: To approach the question in a different way; to put the question differently
61. Why do some images…respond effectively: Why do some signs so alarm us that we immediately take action and concentrate on ways of dealing with them effectively?
62. And why do other images, though sometimes…distraction: And why do other signs, 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?
Paragraphs 10, 11, 12, 13, 14
63. it may be … appropriately: it may be useful to arrange them into different groups, thus getting our thoughts and feelings straightened out / organized so that we will be able to take the most suitable action.
64. Problems like acid rain …regional in both of these categories: Problems like acid rain, the contamination of underground aquifers, and large oil spills basically belong to both local and regional categories.
Acid rain:（酸雨） rain with a high concentration of acids produced by sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxide, etc. emitted during the combustion of fossil fuels; it has a destructive effect on plant and aquatic life, buildings, etc.
aquifer: an underground layer of porous (多孔的)rock, sand, etc, containing water, into which wells can be sunk.
67. The 600 percent increase … to the top of the sky:
chlorine: 氯
chlorofluorocarbons: CFC 氟里昂
Paragraph 15, 16, 17, 18
68. in prehistoric times: in the period before recorded history
69. carefully tended rice paddies: taken good care of rice fields
70. But these changes … in the global ecological system: Although sometimes these changes seem to be taking place everywhere in the world they have, until recently, been relatively insignificant in their influence on the ecological system of the world.
71. Yet we resist this truth …against the mountains: Yet we refuse to accept this true fact and find it difficult to think that we should treat our effect on the earth the same way as the moon’s gravitational pull on the oceans or the wind’s effect on the mountains and measure our effect in the same way as we measure the effect of natural forces.
we resist this truth: we refuse to accept this true fact; we refuse to face this real fact that human civilization is now the dominant cause of change in the global environment.
find it hard to imagine: it is very difficult (for us) to think
that our effect … against the mountains: that we should treat our effect on the earth the same as the moon’s gravitational pull on the oceans or the wind’s effect on the mountains and measure our effect in the same way as we measure the effect of natural forces.
72. Surely we must acknowledge … restraint: Of cause we must recognize that we have the responsibility to use the newly acquired capability in a prudent way and with proper restraint.
73. So far … natural systems: Up till now, we seem to be unaware of the fact that the earth’s natural systems are very delicate and can easily be disrupted.
74. that define the physical reality of our relationship to the earth: that determine the actual state of our relationship with nature.
75. a sudden and startling surge in human population: a sudden and startling rise in human population; a sudden big and shocking increase in the world’s population
76. with the addition one China’s worth of people every ten years: Worth: equal in size or number
e.g. The storm did thousands of pounds’ worth of damage
He bought 10 dollars worth of postage stamps.
77. a sudden acceleration of the scientific and technological revolution: the scientific and technological revolution suddenly develops more rapidly
78. in the course of one human life—mine: during the life span of an individual –my lifetime
79. it is already more than half way there: the world population is already more than half of that figure.
80. to pick up speed: to increase speed; gain speed
81. ongoing: continuing; that is actually in process
exponential: (指数的)of or relating to an exponent (数学中的指数)
82. axiom: n. a rule, principle, etc. that is generally accepted as true
83. While no single discovery …on our relationship to warfare: although no individual discovery has changed human relationship to the earth so much that it is comparable to the nuclear weapons which have brought tremendous change to the relationship between and warfare
84. making the consequence…unrestrained nuclear war: this increased ability has made the results of unlimited use of global resources altogether as terrible as the results of full-scale nuclear war
Paragraphs 20，21, 22, 23, 24:
85. Our challenge is to …to shock and awaken us: Our task is to see and to understand that those frightening examples of environmental destruction that are happening all over the world not only can shock and arouse us but are very much the same in nature.
86. They are symptoms … we have ever faced: They are signs and indications showing that there exists a much greater and more serious problem which we have never encountered.
112. deforestation: disappearance of forest
87. to see ourselves as part …we are used to: to regard ourselves as part of a complicated system which does not function according to the rule of cause-effect we are familiar with
88. The problem is not our effect… with the environment: What is involved is a matter of human relations with nature, rather than how mankind will affect nature.
89. As a result, any solution … ecological system: As a result, if we want to solve the problem, we will have to carefully weigh and determine how important that relationship is and how important is the complicated interconnection among factors inside human society and between these factors and the main natural parts of global ecological system.
90. There is only one precedent for this kind of challenge to our thinking: There is only one example in the past which posed similar demand on us for a change in our way of looking at things.
91.That sobering realization: Once you know how serious and terrible a nuclear war will be, you become more clear-headed, more balanced in your reasoning and judgment
92. the prospect of such a war: the expected outcome of such a war
93. may well tear…warfare: can suitably dispose of the wrong thinking people entertain which have made them fail to see the change in the nature of armed conflict.
94. For decades … of its own: For decades, the two super powers had been competing in the research, production and deployment of more sophisticated, more advanced weapons, hoping that in this the other side would be deterred not to launch a first strike in nuclear weapons. But the result was just the opposite. Each advance in weaponry led to a new round of arms race, a race of a much more destructive level.
leapfrog: v. to jump or skip over; to advance well by missing out sth. on the way.
