环球英语 — 326：The Promise to Stop at Two

　　Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight¹. I'm Joshua Leo.
Voice 2
And I'm Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
What things should parents consider when starting a family? Many people immediately think about the money they need to start a family. Having a baby means getting more food and buying supplies the baby might need. It can also mean losing money if a parent cannot work for a short time after the baby is born.
Voice 2
Other people might think about the work required to have a baby. Babies require feeding often. They often wake up in the middle of the night. This can limit a person's sleep. Many people think about these kinds of things when starting a family. But, would you consider the result or influence of a baby on the environment? Would you choose not to have a child if you knew it would negatively affect the environment?
Voice 1
Some people are making exactly that choice. They are choosing to stop having children to protect the environment. Today on Spotlight we look at a group that encourages people to "Stop at Two." That is, the group encourages people to have no more than two children. They say this is the best chance for keeping our environment healthy for future generations.
Voice 2
The Optimum³ Population Trust, or OPT², is a group concerned with how population growth affects the environment. The OPT believes the human population is growing too fast for the Earth to support it. If the population gets too big the Earth will run out of resources for people to live on. The OPT works⁴ mainly in the United Kingdom. But they believe their ideas are important for people everywhere.
Voice 1
Currently⁵, the world's population is over six point eight billion [6,800,000,000]. But by the year 2050, that number may be closer to nine point one billion [9,100,000,000]! Many experts are concerned that the earth's resources will not be able to serve so many people.
Voice 2
A growing population affects the environment in many ways. For example, every person around the world creates waste. But more people create more waste. They use more natural resources. They expel⁶ more carbon dioxide and other harmful gases into the environment. Jonathon Porritt supports the OPT. He explains that each extra person in the United Kingdom alone produces an extra eleven tons of carbon dioxide every year. Add this to an increasing fertility⁷ rate. The OPT expects the population of the UK to increase by sixteen million [16,000,000] in about fifty [50] years. However, if UK women would stop after having two children, that number could change. The population could grow by only nine million [9,000,000] instead.
Voice 1
Many people around the world are already concerned with their influence on the environment. People reuse things. They try to reduce the waste they produce. Or they work to save resources in other ways. But are they willing to change their plans for a family because of their concerns? Mr. Porritt says:
Voice 3
"People should connect their concerns about the natural environment with their decisions as possible parents. Every new human being is increasing the load on this planet⁸."
Voice 2
People cannot completely stop having children. This would cause the human population to decrease and finally die out. Also, people want to have children. But people can limit the size of their family. So, the OPT encourages people to stop after having two children. This way, people can still have children and do a good thing for the environment.
Voice 1
The OPT has come up with a plan to encourage people to stop after having two children. They call it the "Stop at Two Pledge⁹." The Pledge is a promise to try not to have more than two children. People can visit the OPT's website to sign the pledge. They then depend on that person to have two or less children. The Pledge says "Having a smaller family - just one or two children instead of three or more - helps to reverse¹⁰, or slow down, population growth. And by reversing¹¹ population growth, we would be taking another green step towards environmental survival¹² for all."
Voice 2
But there are people who disagree with the OPT. They say that having more children does not always mean much more waste. In fact, having more children can mean that a family produces less waste, when it is divided by each person. Rosie Whitehouse lives in the UK. She has five children. She says:
Voice 4
"Just because you have five children it does not mean you have five times the amount of plastic play toys. You just have to say ‘no more'."
Voice 1
Other people say having a large family means having a large support group. More children can take care of older or sick parents. Or they can support each other if something bad happens.
Voice 2
The BBC news group wrote a story about the OPT's Stop at Two Pledge. They invited readers to share their opinions. One person wrote:
Voice 5
"Is having more than two children selfish? ... No. Environmental extremists are selfish for telling the rest of the world what it may or may not do!"
Voice 2
Another commenter wrote:
Voice 6
"The environment is one of the reasons we have decided¹³ not to have any children. We would not want any child of ours to live in the sad future that is coming. The world cannot support the people it has already got. Having lots of children shows a lack of thought and care, in my opinion."
Voice 2
And a third commenter, named Linden suggested another answer to the problem.
Voice 7
"I would agree it is selfish and not responsible to have more than two children. It is sad that the environment does not impact¹⁴ more of our decisions. It makes me very sad that these people who decide they need a large family do not seem to consider adoption¹⁵. There are many children already in this world who would gain a lot from a loving home. Surely this is a far better way to have a large family?"
Voice 1
Having children is a personal decision. People must decide for themselves how many children they want to have. The OPT is very clear that they do not want to tell anyone what they must do - only what they can do.
Voice 2
What do you think about this issue? Should people have only one or two children? Or do you think there are good reasons for having more children? Should the effect on the environment influence a person's family planning decisions? Will it, or has it, influenced your decisions? Add your opinion about the Stop at Two Pledge. Share your opinions on the script¹⁶ page for this program on our website.
 

1 spotlight   

n.公众注意的中心，聚光灯，探照灯，视听，注意，醒目

参考例句：

• This week the spotlight is on the world of fashion.本周引人瞩目的是时装界。
• The spotlight followed her round the stage.聚光灯的光圈随着她在舞台上转。

2 opt   

vi.选择，决定做某事

参考例句：

• They opt for more holiday instead of more pay.他们选择了延长假期而不是增加工资。
• Will individual schools be given the right to opt out of the local school authority?各个学校可能有权选择退出地方教育局吗？

3 optimum   

adj.最合适的，最优的，最佳的

参考例句：

• Do you know the optimum temperature for the growth of plants?你知道庄稼生长的最佳温度吗？
• Now your advice is very optimum.现在你的建议是很适宜的。

4 works   

n.作品，著作；工厂，活动部件，机件

参考例句：

• We expect writers to produce more and better works.我们期望作家们写出更多更好的作品。
• The novel is regarded as one of the classic works.这篇小说被公认为是最优秀的作品之一。

5 currently   

adv.通常地，普遍地，当前

参考例句：

• Currently it is not possible to reconcile this conflicting evidence.当前还未有可能去解释这一矛盾的例证。
• Our contracts are currently under review.我们的合同正在复查。

6 expel   

vt.把...开除，驱逐，放逐，排出，喷出

参考例句：

• They were told at first that they should simply expel the refugees.一开始有人告诉他们应该直接将那些难民驱逐出境。
• The headmaster may expel the boy from the school.校长可能要把那个男孩从学校开除。

7 fertility   

n.肥沃；繁殖力

参考例句：

• A green manure is a crop grown mainly to improve soil fertility.种植绿肥作物主要是为使土壤更加肥沃。
• She is taking drugs to increase her fertility.她为了增强她的生殖能力而在服药。

8 planet   

n.行星

参考例句：

• Neptune is the furthest planet from the sun. 海王星是离太阳最远的行星。
• Rubbish, however, is only part of the problem of polluting our planet. 然而, 垃圾只是我们这个星球的污染问题的一个方面。

9 pledge   

n.保证，誓言，抵押，抵押品；vt.保证，誓言，举杯祝...健康

参考例句：

• Take this ring as a pledge of our friendship.收下这枚戒指当作我们友谊的信物。
• The old man is willing to pledge for him.那位老人愿意为他担保。

10 reverse   

v.推翻，颠倒，反向；n.反面，逆境；adj.反向的

参考例句：

• His answer was just the reverse of what I expected.他的回答正好与我期望的相反。
• Please reverse the positions of two pictures.请把两张图片的位置倒转过来。

11 reversing   

adj.回动的v.（使）反转( reverse的现在分词 )；（使）颠倒；（使）翻转；推翻

参考例句：

• The driver bumped the kerb while reversing. 司机倒车时撞到了路边石。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• She ran (ie drove) her car into a tree while reversing. 她倒车时撞着了一棵树。 来自辞典例句

12 survival   

n.留住生命，生存，残存，幸存者

参考例句：

• The doctor told my wife I had a fifty-fifty chance of survival.医生告诉我的妻子，说我活下去的可能性只有50%。
• The old man was a survival of a past age.这位老人是上一代的遗老。

13 decided   

adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的

参考例句：

• This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
• There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。

14 impact   

n.冲击，碰撞；影响；vt.装紧，压紧

参考例句：

• The computer had made a great impact on modern life.计算机对现代生活产生了巨大的影响.
• How will the war impact on such a poet?战争对这样一个诗人会产生什么影响？

15 adoption   

n.采用，采纳，通过；收养

参考例句：

• An adoption agency had sent the boys to two different families.一个收养机构把他们送给两个不同的家庭。
• The adoption of this policy would relieve them of a tremendous burden.采取这一政策会给他们解除一个巨大的负担。

16 script   

n.剧本，广播稿；文字体系；笔迹，手迹

参考例句：

• It's easy to identify his script.他的笔迹容易辨认。
• The script is massaged into final form.这篇稿子经过修改已定稿。