2007年VOA标准英语-UN Sponsors Worldwide Environment Awareness Day

By Paul Sisco
Washington
04 June 2007
 

Every year since 1974, the United Nations has declared June 5th World Environment Day.  The theme of this year's series of events is "Melting Ice – a Hot Topic?"  VOA's Paul Sisco reports.

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For International Polar Year, penguins are a reminder2 of the lifeforms dependent upon the frozen polar regions

The Earth's polar regions are frigid³, forbidding environments, yet fascinating and exciting at the same time. They are also showing signs of stress.

The United Nations declared 2007 the "International Polar Year" to promote research at the North and South Poles and awareness⁴ about the effects of global warming on their ice packs.  To support that, the theme of this year's World Environment Day is "Melting Ice - A Hot Topic?"

Brennan Van Dyke⁵ is with the United Nations Environment Program. "World Environmental Day is a celebration that was approved over 30 years ago by the general assembly of the United Nations, its purpose is to raise awareness about environmental issues, to encourage political attention to those issues, and to spark individual action."

In an accompanying report from the United Nations, scientists estimate the Arctic is warming at twice the global rate, with sea ice retreating a little each of the last several years due mainly to global warming.

The Executive Director of the U.N.'s Environment Program, Achim Steiner, says, "The latest data that we have is truly of great concern to all of us, not least because of the implications for sea level rise.  Secondly⁶, it's going to affect human beings. We need to understand how their lives, the basis of their lives are going to change fundamentally and in some cases disappear."

The polar ice sheets hold about 99 percent of the world's fresh water ice.  The report says the annual shrinking of the Greenland ice sheet doubled in the 1990s and continues to melt at a dramatic pace. Melting ice sheets endanger hundreds of thousands of indigenous⁷ people and as well as plant and animal species.

Van Dyke says polar regions provide some of the earliest signs of climate change. "The collective actions of peoples all over the world have (a) tremendous impact on the Arctic regions.  And everyone can play a role in reducing the problems of climate change.  On our website, we call it WED⁸ for World Environment Day, we have the W.E.D. alphabet, 77 ways to celebrate, and it's 77 actions that an individual can take. And individual action matters, collective actions magnifies the impact and that's where the U.N. can come in."

A series of World Environment Day events are taking place around the world beginning June fifth. You can learn more about them and the critical role the Earth's Arctic regions play in the environment at the United Nations, World Environment Day website - www.unep.org.

1 penguins   

n.企鹅( penguin的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Why can penguins live in cold environment? 为什么企鹅能生活在寒冷的环境中？ 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Whales, seals, penguins, and turtles have flippers. 鲸、海豹，企鹅和海龟均有鳍形肢。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

2 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

3 frigid   

adj.寒冷的，凛冽的；冷淡的；拘禁的

参考例句：

• The water was too frigid to allow him to remain submerged for long.水冰冷彻骨，他在下面呆不了太长时间。
• She returned his smile with a frigid glance.对他的微笑她报以冷冷的一瞥。

4 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。

5 dyke   

n.堤，水坝，排水沟

参考例句：

• If one sheep leap over the dyke,all the rest will follow.一只羊跳过沟，其余的羊也跟着跳。
• One ant-hole may cause the collapse of a thousand-li dyke.千里长堤，溃于蚁穴。

6 secondly   

adv.第二，其次

参考例句：

• Secondly,use your own head and present your point of view.第二，动脑筋提出自己的见解。
• Secondly it is necessary to define the applied load.其次，需要确定所作用的载荷。

7 indigenous   

adj.土产的，土生土长的，本地的

参考例句：

• Each country has its own indigenous cultural tradition.每个国家都有自己本土的文化传统。
• Indians were the indigenous inhabitants of America.印第安人是美洲的土著居民。

8 wed   

v.娶，嫁，与…结婚

参考例句：

• The couple eventually wed after three year engagement.这对夫妇在订婚三年后终于结婚了。
• The prince was very determined to wed one of the king's daughters.王子下定决心要娶国王的其中一位女儿。