美文串记考研词汇 环境问题——全球面临的挑战（在线收听）

The Environment—A Global Challenge

环境问题——全球面临的挑战

Have you ever seen bald stumps flanked on sides of highroads, plastic bags flapping in the wind, or black smoke ejecting from factory chimneys? Do you think of animals that are on the verge (brim) of extinction? But what's the cause of all these phenomena?

你是否看见过公路两旁光秃秃的树桩、风中飘动的塑料袋、工厂的烟囱中喷出的黑烟?你是否想到过濒临灭绝的动物?那么这一切是由什么引起的呢?

As is well known, with the development of modern industry and transportation, there are more and more kinds of harmful substances discharged consecutively to atmosphere. Chemical reactions among those substances foul the air quality of cities to be even worse, which incur the great qualitative change of atmospheric constituents. Nearly every metropolitan inhabitant is exposed to the air pollution.

众所周知，随着现代工业和交通运输的发展，向大气中排放有害物质的种类越来越多。污染物质之间的相互化学反应使城市的空气质量更加恶劣，并引起大气成分急剧地发生着质的变化。在大都市生活的人几乎都在遭受着空气污染的危害。

It is notable that China has become one of the most serious air polluted countries in the world. The coverage of air polluted cities expands gradually. An authoritative census of the United Nations manifested that about 400,000 casualties were incurred by annual air pollution in the year 2000. Nowadays, in the aggregate there are 30 most serious air polluted cities in the world (inclusive of 16 cities in China).

值得注意的是，我国已成为世界上大气污染最严重的国家之一，污染城市范围不断扩大。2000年，联合国的一份权威报告指出，每年因为空气污染而导致40万人死亡。如今，世界上30个空气污染最严重的城市中，有16个都在中国。

Automobile drainage is a major cause of air pollution, whose most serious damage is that it generates photochemical smog which can cause the death of vegetation, prune crop yield, reduce atmosphere visibility and even preclude the traffic.

汽车尾气可谓是大气污染的“元凶”之一。汽车尾气最主要的危害是形成光化学烟雾。光化学烟雾能使草木枯死，农作物大量减产；降低大气的能见度，妨碍交通。

Air pollution might destroy the ozone layer, which will block off the ultraviolet rays. The hole in the ozone layer will lead to creatures on the Earth be exposed to radioactive materials. Furthermore, other consequences of air pollution becomes more and more serious. For example, the lower atmosphere visibility, more rapidly degenerated forests, snowstorms and so on.

臭氧层可以阻挡紫外线，但大气污染会破坏臭氧层。没有了这个屏障，地球上的生物将受到放射线的威胁。而且，大气污染还带来其他的危害，后果越来越严重，比如大气能见度低、森林迅速退化和暴风雪灾害等。

In addition, environmental problem varies. Penguins, who live in polar region, might suffer from greenhouse effect! Drought and hurricane might be caused by ecological damage.

另外，现在的环境问题呈现多样性。极地地区的企鹅可能会受到温室效应的危害!干旱和飓风也可能是由生态破坏引起的!

In general, preventing the environment from being polluted is not only the liability of related departments but also the compulsory liability of us without any pretext at all. We should make a long-term view and adopt the optimum, effective yet economical salvation, dedicating ourselves to forestation and purifying the air. Let us hold our hands together and cherish our invaluable environment.

总而言之，保护环境不仅是有关部门的职责，也是我们每个人不可推卸的责任。我们应该把目光放得更远一些，采取最佳有效而且经济的措施，投身于绿化造林，净化空气的行列中。让我们携起手共同保护我们珍贵的环境。

If we soberly think about the reciprocal relation between human beings and the environment, we would discover how absurd of men to undermine the environment despite consequences! If we continue to give a free hand to environmental problems without any intervention, human health would be under the menace of environmental pollution. We should protect our environment with our handy ability, heighten the consciousness of environmental protection and seek a practicable way to preclude disrupting ecology. For example, not throwing cigarette foils on meadow or beaches; planting a tree every year; recycling foams and industrial scraps. We should also seek for a suitable clearances method on our household waste such as junks or litters in our home. We hope that fish would return into brooks, forests would again cover the mountains and highlands, and people all over the world would live in a clean environment in the future.

如果冷静地思考人类和环境之间的相互关系，我们会发现人类为了眼前利益不顾一切地破坏环境是多么的可笑!如果不加干涉地发展下去，人为造成的环境破坏将危及人民的健康。我们应该用自己力所能及的行动保护环境，必须加强环保意识，寻求一种可行的方式防止生态遭受破坏......例如不要在草地或海边乱扔烟头、每年植一棵树、循环利用泡沫材料和工业废料等等。我们还应该寻求一种更好的办法来清理家中产生的废旧杂物和垃圾。我们盼望鱼儿重新回到河中，高山丘陵布满森林，全世界人民生活在清洁的环境中。