常春藤解析英语【51】The Earth's Biggest Threat地球危

The Earth's Biggest Threat　地球危机──温室效应 by Levi King Global warming was once considered unlikely to be real. Recently, though, it has become widely accepted as fact. Scientists have calculated that the earth's atmosphere has gotten approximately 0.75 degrees Celsius¹ warmer since 1900. This may not seem like much, but scientists predict an additional increase of between 1 and 7 degrees Celsius by the year 2100. This slight change could be enough to cause disasters such as extreme weather, crop failure, extinctions, melting glaciers⁴, and rising sea levels. It's possible that natural phenomena⁵ like volcanoes, solar flares⁷, and shifts in the earth's orbit could be causes of this change. However, scientists now believe that changes in the atmosphere are primarily to blame for the rise in temperatures. Light from the sun enters the earth's atmosphere and warms the air, land, and oceans. As heat radiates back through the atmosphere toward space, some of it is trapped by gases and continues to warm the earth. This is called the greenhouse effect, and the gases that trap the heat are greenhouse gases. Without the greenhouse effect, life couldn't exist on earth. However, rising levels of greenhouse gases are trapping more and more of the sun's heat. As people burn fossil fuels or clear forests, carbon dioxide, a greenhouse gas, is released into the atmosphere. As the oceans warm, water vapor⁸, which is also a greenhouse gas, enters the atmosphere. This combination of pollutants⁹ and water vapor creates the powerful and dangerous cycle behind global warming. It is a cycle that, if active measures are not taken, could have serious and deadly consequences for all living things in the near future.

单字小铺 1.global warming n. 全球暖化 2.calculate vt. 估计；估算 3.atmosphere n. 大气层 4.Celsius n. 摄氏 Fahrenheit¹⁰ n. 华氏 5.predict vt. 预测 6.extreme weather　　极端气候 7.crop failure n. 作物欠收 8.extinction² n. 灭绝 9.glacier³ n. 冰河 10.solar flare⁶ n. 太阳闪焰（太阳表面一种光度突然迅速增强的变化） 11.orbit n. 运行轨道 & vi. 绕轨道运行 12.primarily adv. 主要地 13.trap vt. 陷于，困住 14.greenhouse effect n. 温室效应 15.greenhouse gas n. 温室气体（尤指二氧化碳或甲烷） 16.exist vi. 存在 17.fossil fuel n. 化石燃料 18.carbon dioxide n. 二氧化碳 19.water vapor n. 水汽，水蒸气 20.combination n. 混合物；结合 21.consequence n. 结果 词组小铺 in the near future　　不久之后，不久的将来 = in the not too distant future

精解字词词组 1.threat n. 威胁 pose a threat to...　　对……构成∕造成威胁 例: The tiger that escaped from the zoo poses a threat to people in the area. （那只逃出动物园的老虎对该区民众造成威胁。） 2.approximately adv. 大约 注意: approximately 为修饰数量形容词的副词，此类副词常见的尚有 about、around、some、roughly 等。 例: I'm expecting approximately 10 people to come to the party. （我预期约有十个人来参加派对。） 3.additional a. 额外的 an additional + 数字　　额外的……（数目） = an extra + 数字 例: We need an additional five volunteers for the charity event. （我们还需要五名义工加入这项慈善活动。） 4.shift n. 改变；轮班 on shift　　轮班 work night shifts　　值晚班 例: The person who was on shift last night forgot to lock the doors when he left. （昨晚值班的人离开时忘记锁门了。） 5.sb be to blame for...　　某人该为……负责 blame sb for sth = blame sth on sb 因某事责备某人；将某事归咎于某人 例: Grady insists that he is not to blame for the mess in the classroom. （葛兰迪坚称自己不应该为教室的混乱负责。） 例: Don't blame me for your problems. I'm trying to help you. （别把你的问题怪到我头上。我正在想办法帮你。） 6.radiate vi.（光、热）散发，放射 例: The campers all sat and enjoyed the heat radiating from the fire. （露营者全坐在火堆旁取暖。） 7.take measures (to V)　　采取行动∕措施（做……） 例: Mr. Jones vowed¹¹ to take firm measures to prevent cheating. （琼斯老师誓言采取严密措施防范考试作弊。）

中文翻译 全球暖化一度被认为不可能成真。然而近来却是广为大众所接受的事实。科学家算出自 1900 年起，地球的大气层温度已经上升摄氏 0.75 度。变化似乎不大，但科学家预测，到了 2100 年，气温会再上升摄氏 1 至 7 度。改变虽小，却足以造成诸多灾难，像是极端气候、作物欠收、物种灭绝、冰河融化和海平面上升。 像火山、太阳闪焰和地球轨道的改变等自然现象都有可能造成这种变化。然而，现在科学家相信大气层改变才是气温上升的元凶。太阳的光线进入大气层后使空气、地表和海洋的温度上升。有些热能在折射回太空的途中被气体困住，使地球温度持续升高。这种现象称为温室效应，而困住热能发散的气体称为温室气体。 少了温室效应，地球上就不会有生命存在。但是，温室气体含量上升困住了愈来愈多的太阳热能。当人类燃烧化石燃料或砍伐森林，二氧化碳（温室气体的一种）遂被释放到大气层。随着海洋温度上升，水汽（也是一种温室气体）也进入大气层。污染物和水汽两者便是造成全球暖化、强大而危险循环的主因。如果我们不积极做为，这种循环对所有生物造成严重且致命后果的日子将不远矣。

1 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

2 extinction   

n.熄灭，消亡，消灭，灭绝，绝种

参考例句：

• The plant is now in danger of extinction.这种植物现在有绝种的危险。
• The island's way of life is doomed to extinction.这个岛上的生活方式注定要消失。

3 glacier   

n.冰川，冰河

参考例句：

• The glacier calved a large iceberg.冰河崩解而形成一个大冰山。
• The upper surface of glacier is riven by crevasses.冰川的上表面已裂成冰隙。

4 glaciers   

冰河，冰川( glacier的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Glaciers gouged out valleys from the hills. 冰川把丘陵地带冲出一条条山谷。
• It has ice and snow glaciers, rainforests and beautiful mountains. 既有冰川，又有雨林和秀丽的山峰。 来自英语晨读30分（高一）

5 phenomena   

n.现象

参考例句：

• Ade couldn't relate the phenomena with any theory he knew.艾德无法用他所知道的任何理论来解释这种现象。
• The object of these experiments was to find the connection,if any,between the two phenomena.这些实验的目的就是探索这两种现象之间的联系，如果存在着任何联系的话。

6 flare   

v.闪耀，闪烁；n.潮红；突发

参考例句：

• The match gave a flare.火柴发出闪光。
• You need not flare up merely because I mentioned your work.你大可不必因为我提到你的工作就动怒。

7 flares   

n.喇叭裤v.（使）闪耀( flare的第三人称单数 )；（使）（船舷）外倾；（使）鼻孔张大；（使）（衣裙、酒杯等）呈喇叭形展开

参考例句：

• The side of a ship flares from the keel to the deck. 船舷从龙骨向甲板外倾。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He's got a fiery temper and flares up at the slightest provocation. 他是火爆性子，一点就着。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 vapor   

n.蒸汽，雾气

参考例句：

• The cold wind condenses vapor into rain.冷风使水蒸气凝结成雨。
• This new machine sometimes transpires a lot of hot vapor.这部机器有时排出大量的热气。

9 pollutants   

污染物质（尤指工业废物）( pollutant的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Pollutants are constantly being released into the atmosphere. 污染物质正在不断地被排放到大气中去。
• The 1987 Amendments limit 301(g) discharges to a few well-studied nonconventional pollutants. 1987年的修正案把第301条（g）的普通排放限制施加在一些认真研究过的几种非常规污染物上。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法

10 Fahrenheit   

n./adj.华氏温度；华氏温度计(的)

参考例句：

• He was asked for the boiling point of water in Fahrenheit.他被问到水的沸点是华氏多少度。
• The thermometer reads 80 degrees Fahrenheit.寒暑表指出华氏80度。

11 vowed   

起誓，发誓（vow的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• He vowed quite solemnly that he would carry out his promise. 他非常庄严地发誓要实现他的诺言。
• I vowed to do more of the cooking myself. 我发誓自己要多动手做饭。