英语名人堂：蕾切尔·卡逊

 蕾切尔·卡逊（Rachel Carson，1907年5月27日－1964年4月14日），美国海洋生物学家，她的作品《寂静的春天》（Silent Spring）引发了美国以至于全世界的环境保护事业。

Rachel Carson (1907–1964) was a pioneer of the global environmental movement through her writing about conservation. Her 1962 book ‘Silent Spring’ made her famous. It describes the harmful effects on the environment of using toxic¹ chemicals on farmland. It is widely recognized as the first serious account of mankind’s negative impact on farming and nature.

 

Carson’s career started as a biologist in the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries. In 1951 she published her first book, ‘The Sea Around Us’, which became a bestseller. It made her rich enough to quit her job and devote her life to writing. She was a gifted writer. Her next two books were also about the oceans and both topped the book sales charts.

 

Carson’s book ‘Silent Spring’ transformed the way America thought about nature. It painted a bleak² future for the whole natural world. It led to a nationwide ban on the use of a deadly chemical called DDT, and other toxic pesticides³ that farmers sprayed on their crops. Many people say the book inspired the creation of America’s Environmental Protection Agency.

 

Since her death, Carson’s name has continued to be associated with protecting the environment. There is now an annual Rachel Carson Book Prize. Norway awards the Rachel Carson Prize to women who have made worthy⁴ contributions to the field of environmental protection. In 1980, 16 years after her death, she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian⁵ honor in America.

1 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

2 bleak   

adj.(天气)阴冷的；凄凉的；暗淡的

参考例句：

• They showed me into a bleak waiting room.他们引我来到一间阴冷的会客室。
• The company's prospects look pretty bleak.这家公司的前景异常暗淡。

3 pesticides   

n.杀虫剂( pesticide的名词复数 )；除害药物

参考例句：

• vegetables grown without the use of pesticides 未用杀虫剂种植的蔬菜
• There is a lot of concern over the amount of herbicides and pesticides used in farming. 人们对农业上灭草剂和杀虫剂的用量非常担忧。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 worthy   

adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的

参考例句：

• I did not esteem him to be worthy of trust.我认为他不值得信赖。
• There occurred nothing that was worthy to be mentioned.没有值得一提的事发生。

5 civilian   

adj.平民的，民用的，民众的

参考例句：

• There is no reliable information about civilian casualties.关于平民的伤亡还没有确凿的信息。
• He resigned his commission to take up a civilian job.他辞去军职而从事平民工作。