英语听力—环球英语 812 Polar Futures

　　Voice 1
Welcome to Spotlight¹. I'm Steve Myersco.
Voice 2
And I'm Ruby² Jones. This programme uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand, no matter where in the world they live.
Voice 1
Who owns the most northern place in the world - the north pole? It may seem a strange question to ask. But the answer could be very important in the future.
Voice 2
Ice covers the area around the North Pole, the Arctic³. But global warming is causing this ice to melt. The same thing is happening at the South Pole, the Antarctic⁴. So the international community is now showing new interest in these areas. Today, our Spotlight is on the future of the areas around the North and South Pole.
Voice 3
‘I do not care what the foreign politicians say. If someone does not like this, let them go down there themselves... let them try to put something there. Russia must win. Russia has what it needs to win. The Arctic has always been Russian.'
Voice 1
These are the words of Russian explorer Artur Chilingarov. He led a team that put a flag on the North Pole. But they did not put the flag on the ice. They put it at the bottom of the sea, on the sea bed.
Voice 2
The flag does not prove the North Pole belongs to Russia. But it does raise the question - who does own the area? Currently⁵ no country owns it. In the past this had not been important. But now the ice is melting. So countries that surround the North Pole are now more interested.
Voice 1
Scientists believe there is a lot of oil under the Arctic. Currently, the oil is hard to reach because the area is covered with ice. But the ice may melt. When it does, countries near the area may want to earn money from the oil. The countries involved in the dispute⁶ are Russia, the United States, Canada, Norway and Denmark. They all have land that borders the Arctic.
Voice 2
Currently, international law states that these countries can claim all the sea area within 370 kilometres of their coasts. But they may also be able to claim more. Their claims will depend on the shape of the sea bed. But this is not a simple matter. The countries disagree about which parts of the sea bed belong to each country.
Voice 1
The melting ice in the Arctic could also change the way goods are shipped around the world. The ice in the sea north of Canada and Russia is melting. So, soon it may be possible for ships to sail through these waters. Sailing distances between many ports could be greatly reduced.
Voice 2
So the Arctic could be the subject of many arguments in the future. But what about the opposite end of the world? Will countries show new interest in the area around the South Pole - The Antarctic?
Voice 1
Antarctica is also getting warmer. And it also has oil. But the Antarctic is protected by an international treaty⁷. The Antarctic Treaty was signed in 1959. One of the things it agreed was that no country would mine the Antarctic for oil. But this agreement will end in 2048.
Voice 2
Antarctica also has something else which could be valuable in the future - land. Antarctica is the coldest place on earth. It can reach temperatures of 90 degrees Celsius⁸ below zero. But one part of Antarctica is warmer than the rest. And some people are saying that this area could one day be home to millions of people.
Voice 1
The Antarctic Peninsula⁹ is a long piece of land. It rises north towards South America. The average temperature here has risen by about two and a half degrees over the past fifty years. This increase in temperature is five times faster than in the rest of the world. The average temperature of the peninsula is now close to zero degrees Celsius.
Voice 2
One environmental group is saying that millions of people could one day live in the Antarctic. The group is called ‘Forum for the Future'. The group wrote a report that gives ideas about what the future could be like. They wrote about the dangers of rising sea levels. This could force millions of people in low-lying countries away from their homes. They would become environmental refugees¹⁰. Antarctica could be one place for them to move to.
Voice 1
‘Forum for the Future's' report tells what the world could be like in the year 2030.
Voice 4
‘The world's population is 8 billion people. And the average person is using more resources. The population growth means that land is now costly¹¹. Climate change has made things worse. New lands have been opened up for settlement. The Antarctic Peninsula settlement began in 2029. People call it the first global community. Experts believe its population will rise to 3,500,000 by the year 2040.'
Voice 2
This was just one suggestion of what the future could be. ‘Forum for the Future' members thought of other ideas. But could this idea happen? How would people live in Antarctica? Could they also live on islands near the North Pole? Danny Bloom¹² is one man who has thought about these questions. He has published images of what cities near the North and South Pole could look like. Danny Bloom calls them ‘polar cities'. He started the project to encourage people to think more about global warming. He said,
Voice 5
‘I am not saying we will ever need polar cities for survivors¹³ of global warming. I hope we will never need them... But I spoke¹⁴ to an artist who lives near me in Taiwan. I asked him to make some computer images of what a polar city could look like. The images are from his imagination.... The images should encourage us to act. If we do not do something about global warming, then there could be big problems in the future. That is all I am trying to do - using a frightening image to help people to start thinking.'
Voice 1
It is frightening to think that polar cities may one day be necessary. But it could happen if other parts of the world become too hot. The future of our planet¹⁵ is unclear. But the Arctic and Antarctic areas show that climate change is happening. The future of these two polar areas could depend on how people and authorities¹⁶ act today.
Voice 2
The writer and producer of this programme was Steve Myersco. The voices you heard were from the United Kingdom and the United States. All quotations¹⁷ were adapted and voiced by Spotlight. Computer users¹⁸ can more Spotlight programmes on our website, at http://www.radio.english.net. This programme is called, "Polar Futures¹⁹".
Voice 1
If you have any comments or questions about Spotlight you can email us. Our email address is radio @ english . net. Thank you for listening today. We hope you can join us again soon, goodbye.

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 ruby   

n.红宝石，红宝石色

参考例句：

• She is wearing a small ruby earring.她戴着一枚红宝石小耳环。
• On the handle of his sword sat the biggest ruby in the world.他的剑柄上镶有一颗世上最大的红宝石。

3 Arctic   

adj.北极的；n.北极

参考例句：

• They flew over the unlimited reaches of the Arctic.他们飞过了茫茫无边的北极上空。
• The sort of animal lived in the Arctic Circle.这种动物生活在北极圈里。

4 Antarctic   

adj.南极(区)的；n.(the A-)南极洲，南极圈

参考例句：

• The Antarctic is a mountainous area.南极洲是一个多山的地区。
• It is well known that penguins live in the Antarctic.企鹅生活在南极洲是众所周知的。

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 dispute   

n.争端，分歧；v.争论，争吵，辩论，辩驳

参考例句：

• They are trying to find a way of settling the dispute.他们正设法寻找解决争端的办法。
• The parties to the dispute should be more polite to each other.争执双方应相互礼貌些。

7 treaty   

n.条约；协议，协定

参考例句：

• Hungary has indicated its readiness to sign the treaty.匈牙利已表示愿意签订该条约。
• I believe this treaty will pave the way to peace in Europe. 我相信这个条约将为欧洲的和平铺平道路。

8 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。

9 peninsula   

n.半岛

参考例句：

• Dalian is in the south of the Liaodong Peninsula.大连位于辽东半岛南部。
• Korean peninsula lies to the west of Japan.朝鲜半岛在日本以西。

10 refugees   

n.避难者，难民( refugee的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The UN has begun making airdrops of food to refugees. 联合国已开始向难民空投食物。
• They claimed they were political refugees and not economic migrants. 他们宣称自己是政治难民，不是经济移民。

11 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

12 bloom   

n.花，花期；vi.开花；容光焕发，显露出健康

参考例句：

• The park is a picture when flowers are in bloom.当鲜花盛开时，这个公园的景色美极了。
• The flowers in the garden are now in full bloom.花园里的花盛开。

13 survivors   

幸存者，残存者，生还者( survivor的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The survivors were adrift in a lifeboat for six days. 幸存者在救生艇上漂流了六天。
• survivors clinging to a raft 紧紧抓住救生筏的幸存者

14 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

15 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。

16 authorities   

n.当局，权力，权威；权威( authority的名词复数 )；权力；学术权威；[复数]当权者

参考例句：

• They interceded with the authorities on behalf of the detainees. 他们为被拘留者向当局求情。
• At his instigation we conceal the fact from the authorities. 我们受他的怂恿向当局隐瞒了事实。 来自《简明英汉词典》

17 quotations   

n.引用( quotation的名词复数 )；[商业]行情（报告）；（货物或股票的）市价；时价

参考例句：

• The insurance company requires three quotations for repairs to the car. 保险公司要修理这辆汽车的三家修理厂的报价单。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• These quotations cannot readily be traced to their sources. 这些引语很难查出出自何处。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

18 users   

用户，使用者( user的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The new software will prove a boon to Internet users. 这种新软件将会对互联网用户大有益处。
• Ramps should be provided for wheelchair users. 应该给轮椅使用者提供坡道。

19 futures   

n.期货，期货交易

参考例句：

• He continued his operations in cotton futures.他继续进行棉花期货交易。
• Cotton futures are selling at high prices.棉花期货交易的卖价是很高的。