《英语流行话题阅读:语境识词3500》Unit91:南极洲还是最后一片净土吗?

　　Unit 91
Antarctica, Is It the Last Pure Land?
Although tourism to Antarctica is still small by global standard, it is growing. But even the few people going there are damaging the environment, say scientists. And because of this scientists want to put an end to travel to the region.
Most travel firms in the area have signed up to self-imposed regulations on pollution, waste removal and other responsibilities, but like any popular tourist spot, pressures on the environment are starting to destroy the very natural beauty which attracted visitors in the first place.
The fact that Antarctica is also an essential spot for scientists monitoring global environmental change is also a reason people are calling for an end to tourism there. Tourists are simply getting in the way of the research.
For the British Antarctica Survey (BAS) the biggest concern is safety. BAS is a 60-year-old Cambridge-based project, which has carried out the majority of scientific research on and around the continent. "This year we will probably have four to five large ships with 1,000 people on board coming to Antarctica. Several of those ships are not ice strengthened," says John Shears¹, the environmental officer of the BAS. "If there is an accident or a ship hits an iceberg², there would be problems with health and rescue operations in the area." Shears adds.
The International Association of Antarctica Tour Operators is a worldwide organization based in the US for companies operating tours to the region. It promotes and practices safe and environmentally responsible Antarctic tourism. It has strict regulations for its members, but many tour ships are outside the organization. "We need strong safety regulations, controls and shipping³ standards to protect all tourists going to this area," says Frank Samule, a member of the association.
Some attempts are being made to meet Samule's wants. BAS and the British government are attempting to control all ships in the area with new shipping rules. So far though, the impact of tourism on the environment has been small and threats from man-made pollutants⁴ and the loss of the ozone⁵ layer over Antarctica are greater concerns. But researcher fear that ships and tourists could bring in plant and animal species new to the area which could harm the environment. Of greatest concern is the possibility of global, regional and local threats interacting in unexpected ways to have a significant impact on the Antarctic environment. The complex nature of th global environment means science cannot predict such event.

1 shears   

n.大剪刀

参考例句：

• These garden shears are lightweight and easy to use.这些园丁剪刀又轻又好用。
• With a few quick snips of the shears he pruned the bush.他用大剪刀几下子就把灌木给修剪好了。

2 iceberg   

n.冰山，流冰，冷冰冰的人

参考例句：

• The ship hit an iceberg and went under.船撞上一座冰山而沉没了。
• The glacier calved a large iceberg.冰河崩解而形成一个大冰山。

3 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

4 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

5 ozone   

n.臭氧，新鲜空气

参考例句：

• The ozone layer is a protective layer around the planet Earth.臭氧层是地球的保护层。
• The capacity of ozone can adjust according of requirement.臭氧的产量可根据需要或调节。