走遍全世界：01:全球变暖问题

Global warming may or not be the great environmental crisis of the 21st century, but—regardless of weather it is or isn't— we won't do much about it. We will argue over it and may even, as a nation, make some fairly solemn-sounding commitments to avoid it. But the more dramatic and meaningful these commitments seem, the less likely they are to be observed.
全球变暖有可能是21世纪巨大的环境危机，也有可能不是，但是无论它是或不是我们对此都无能为力。我们会争论不休，作为一个国家，或许会做出一些听起来相当认真的承诺来避免这一危机。但是这些承诺看起来越是令人印象深刻、越是有意义，就越是不太可能被遵守。

 Al Gore¹ calls global warming an “inconvenient² truth,” as if merely recognizing it could put in on a path to a solution. But the real truth is that we don't know enough to believe global warming, and — withour major technological³ breakthroughs — we can't do much about it.
 Al Gore 称全球变暖是一个“让人感到麻烦的事实”，似乎只要认识到它的存在就可以把我们带往一条解决问题的途经上去。但是真正的事实是，我们没有掌握足够的知识去缓解全球变暖，并且如果没有重大的技术突破，我们对此也束手无策。

No government will  adopt rigid⁴ restrictions⁵ on economic growth and personal freedom (limits on electricity usage, driving and travel）that might cut back global warming. Still, politicians want to show they're “doing something”. Consider the Kyoto Protocol⁶. It allowed countries that joined to punish those that didn't. But it hasn't reduced CO? emissions⁷ (up about 25% since 1990), and many signatories didn't adopt tough enough policies to hit their 2008 — 2012 targets.
没有哪个政府会对经济增长和个人自由（限制电力的使用，驾驶和旅游）采取严格的限制令，虽然这样的限制可以缓解全球变暖。即便事实如此，执政者们还是想表明他们在“采取措施”。就拿《京都协议》来说吧，它允许其成员国惩罚非成员国。但是它并没有起到减少二氧化碳的排放量（自从1990年以来上升了25%）的作用，并且，许多签字国并没有采取足够严格的政策来尽力完成他们所制定的2008—2012年度的目标。

The practical conclusion is that if global warming is a potentail disaster, the only solution is new technology. Only an aggressive research and development program might find ways of breaking our dependence⁸ on fossil fuels or dealing⁹ with it.
比较实际的结论是，如果全球变暖是一个潜在的灾难，那么唯一的解决办法就是新技术。只有积极进取的研究开发项目才可能会找到办法打破我们对于化石燃料的依赖，或者找到应对这一难题的办法。

The trouble with the global warming debate is that it has become a moral problem when it's really engineering one. The inconvenient truth is that if we don't solve the engineering problem, we're helpless.
全球变暖这场辩论所存在的问题是，它本是一个技术问题，却都已经变成了一个道德问题。这个被忽视的真相就是，如果不能解决这个技术问题，我们将对此束手无策。

英语单词词汇整理:

1. solemn adj.严肃的，庄重的

eg：His solemn little face broke into smiles.
他那严肃的小脸绽开了笑容。

短语
solemn promise 庄严承诺 ; 誓言 ; 郑重承诺 ; 庄严的誓言
solemn profession 终身圣愿 ; 隆重终身圣愿
solemn serious 岸然

2. commitment n. 承诺，托付

eg: They made a commitment to peace.
他们承诺要维护和平。

短语：
commitment fee 承担费；承诺费；承约费
loan commitment 贷款承诺；货款承诺；放款承诺；贷款委托书
Service commitment 服务承诺；效劳许诺
Management commitment 管理承诺；管理委员会；管理的承诺
Commitment Document 承诺文件

3. dramatic adj. 引人注目的，戏剧性的

eg: Their arrival was dramatic and exciting.
他们的到来令人激动不已，难以忘怀。

短语：
Dramatic Lyrics¹⁰ 戏剧抒情诗；诗剧抒怀诗
Dramatic Arts 戏剧艺术
Dramatic Writing 编剧；话剧写作
dramatic rights 改编权

4. observe v. 遵守，观察

eg: Everyone should observe the law.
任何人都必须遵纪守法。

短语：
witness observe 目睹 ; 目击
observe silence 默哀
observe things 观察事物 ; 观察东西
observe that 对某人说

5. breakthrough n. 突破

eg: Scientists have made a breakthrough in their treatment of that disease.
科学家在治疗那种疾病方面已有突破。

短语：
breakthrough point 切入点；突破点
breakthrough time 突破时间
technological breakthrough 技术突破

6. aggressive adj. 进取的，攻击性强的

eg: The dogs are trained to be aggressive.
这些狗被训练得具有攻击性。

短语：
aggressive mode 积极模式；主动模式；挑战模式；激进模式
aggressive active 积极主动 
aggressive Driving 侵略性驾驶；攻击性驾驶

7. fossil fuel 矿物燃料

eg: Coal is usually referred to as a fossil fuel.
煤通常被称为矿物燃料.

短语：
Fossil-Fuel Resources Utilization¹¹ in China 中国能源资源消费及其经济性分析
fossil-fuel power station 火力发电厂
fossil-fuel boiler¹² 化石燃料锅炉

佳句采摘：
We will argue over it and may even, as a nation, make some fairly solemn-sounding commitments to avoid it. But the more dramatic and meaningful these commitments seem, the less likely they are to be observed.
我们会争论不休，作为一个国家，或许会做出一些听起来相当认真的承诺来避免这一危机。但是这些承诺看起来越是令人印象深刻、越是有意义，就越是不太可能被遵守。

1 gore   

n.凝血，血污；v.（动物）用角撞伤，用牙刺破；缝以补裆；顶

参考例句：

• The fox lay dying in a pool of gore.狐狸倒在血泊中奄奄一息。
• Carruthers had been gored by a rhinoceros.卡拉瑟斯被犀牛顶伤了。

2 inconvenient   

adj.不方便的，令人感到麻烦的

参考例句：

• You have come at a very inconvenient time.你来得最不适时。
• Will it be inconvenient for him to attend that meeting?他参加那次会议会不方便吗？

3 technological   

adj.技术的；工艺的

参考例句：

• A successful company must keep up with the pace of technological change.一家成功的公司必须得跟上技术变革的步伐。
• Today,the pace of life is increasing with technological advancements.当今， 随着科技进步，生活节奏不断增快。

4 rigid   

adj.严格的，死板的；刚硬的，僵硬的

参考例句：

• She became as rigid as adamant.她变得如顽石般的固执。
• The examination was so rigid that nearly all aspirants were ruled out.考试很严，几乎所有的考生都被淘汰了。

5 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

6 protocol   

n.议定书，草约，会谈记录，外交礼节

参考例句：

• We must observe the correct protocol.我们必须遵守应有的礼仪。
• The statesmen signed a protocol.那些政治家签了议定书。

7 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

8 dependence   

n.依靠，依赖；信任，信赖；隶属

参考例句：

• Doctors keep trying to break her dependence of the drug.医生们尽力使她戒除毒瘾。
• He was freed from financial dependence on his parents.他在经济上摆脱了对父母的依赖。

9 dealing   

n.经商方法，待人态度

参考例句：

• This store has an excellent reputation for fair dealing.该商店因买卖公道而享有极高的声誉。
• His fair dealing earned our confidence.他的诚实的行为获得我们的信任。

10 lyrics   

n.歌词

参考例句：

• music and lyrics by Rodgers and Hart 由罗杰斯和哈特作词作曲
• The book contains lyrics and guitar tablatures for over 100 songs. 这本书有100多首歌的歌词和吉他奏法谱。

11 utilization   

n.利用，效用

参考例句：

• Computer has found an increasingly wide utilization in all fields.电子计算机已越来越广泛地在各个领域得到应用。
• Modern forms of agricultural utilization,have completely refuted this assumption.现代农业利用形式，完全驳倒了这种想象。

12 boiler   

n.锅炉；煮器(壶，锅等)

参考例句：

• That boiler will not hold up under pressure.那种锅炉受不住压力。
• This new boiler generates more heat than the old one.这个新锅炉产生的热量比旧锅炉多。