英语听力—环球英语 1099 Earth Day: Protect the Environment

 　　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 3

 

　　“Earth Day is a holy² day. It has no borders, but each country can still celebrate it. It crosses land, mountains, oceans, and time, and brings people all over the world together.  Earth Day shows the musical harmony³ of nature, the victory⁴ of technology, and the power of communication.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　This quote⁵ is from the famous anthropologist⁶ and teacher Margaret Mead⁷. She is speaking about Earth Day.

 

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　　People around the world celebrate Earth Day each year on April twenty second [22nd].  Earth Day is a holiday to be thankful for the natural world.  It is a day for people to think about issues⁸ of the environment.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　People do many different kinds of things to celebrate Earth Day. Some groups clean up waste in their community. Some people go to talks or films to learn about the environment. They also discuss changes people can make to help the environment.

 

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　　In 1969, there was a terrible oil spill⁹ in Santa Barbara, California¹⁰. In the ocean, machines took oil out of the ground. One of these machines had an accident. More than a million litres¹¹ of oil spilled into the ocean. The oil covered the sand beaches and islands in the area.  Oil covered birds.  Dolphins and fish died, and the water carried them to land.  Thousands of other ocean animals died too. It is among the worst oil spills¹² in the earth’s oceans.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Gaylord Nelson was an elected official in the United¹³ States government. He was from the area around Santa Barbara. He visited the spill area. He saw the effects on the environment.  He saw the dead animals.  He visited the beaches.  He was shocked.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　When Nelson returned to his office, he wanted to do something.  Nelson wanted a day where people would talk about the environment. He wanted people to think about how they lived their lives. What kind of car did they drive? Where did their waste go? How did big companies treat the environment?

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Nelson wanted to involve university students. He knew that these young people were at an important time in their lives. They were interested in the environment. And as they started working, they would have an important influence in their communities. He met with environmental¹⁴ groups. They set the first Earth Day on April 22nd, 1970.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　They chose this date for two reasons.  First, students had tests during this time.  Second, it is a good time of the year in the United States. It is warm and pleasant, so more people would want to attend events outside.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Instead of a law or a government event, Nelson suggested teach-ins.  He wanted every university or school to organize its own events and conversations about the environment.  He announced this plan to environmental groups around the nation.  Then they organized teach-ins in their cities.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　No one had to attend these teach-in events.  Anyone could come if they wanted to, and many people did!  Over 20 million people attended the first Earth Day. Many of these people were students.  Twelve thousand high schools and 2,000 universities organized events.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　This first Earth Day began the modern environmental movement. This was the first official event that concentrated¹⁵ on protecting the environment. After Earth Day, people began to think about environmental problems.  In the United States, many large environmental organizations formed.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Later, Nelson wrote about his part in organizing Earth Day. He wrote,

 

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　　“Earth Day worked because so many people organized their own events.  We did not have the time or resources¹⁶ to organize 20 million people.  Many schools, communities, and people joined in.  That is what is so special about Earth Day.  It organized itself.”

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　The largest events were in New York City. Students got city leaders interested in Earth Day.  They even closed a street in the center of the city.  Organizers held events there.  They also held events in Central Park, a very famous and large natural area in New York City.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　An artist also created a special Earth Day flag. It is still used every year on Earth Day.  It has green and white lines and a theta symbol.  The theta is a Greek¹⁷ symbol. It looks like a circle with a line through the center.  It combines the Greek letters E and O.  The “E” stands for environment.  The “O” stands for organism¹⁸.  This theta is the official symbol of Earth Day.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Earth Day celebrations¹⁹ continued every year after this in the United States. 1990 was the first international Earth Day. Two hundred million people joined in activities that year. They came from 141 countries. The United Nations also recognized the day. It became the largest non-religious holiday in the world.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Now, Earth Day is organized by the Earth Day Network.  This organization encourages people to think about the environment every day, not just one day a year.  They work with governments, organizations, and individuals in 192 countries!

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　This year, the Earth Day Network is collecting promises from people. These are promises to protect the environment. They hope to collect one hundred million promises! School children in Tanzania will clean up waste. People in the United States are promising²⁰ to use two wheeled bicycles instead of cars. An organization called “Trees for the Future” is planting trees in many countries.  Children in Jordan are planting flowers.

 

　　Voice 2

 

　　Taking care of the Earth is something people can think about every day.  How people live their lives makes a big difference. And these choices affect every person on this Earth. In 1969, Nelson saw the terrible effects of an oil spill. However, environmental problems are still very serious now. Celebrating Earth Day is only the first step. By working together, we can all make a difference.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　Do you celebrate Earth Day? What will you do to care for the Earth? Share your ideas on our website at http://www.radioenglish.net

 

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　　Voice 2

 

　　The writer of this program was Johanna Poole. The producer was Michio Ozaki. The voices you heard were from the United States. All quotes²¹ were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. You can listen to this program again, and read it, on the internet at http://www.radioenglish.net This .program is called, ‘Earth Day: Protect the Environment’.

 

　　Voice 1

 

　　You can also find us on Facebook - just search for spotlightradio. We hope you can join us again for the next Spotlight program. 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 holy   

adj.神圣的，圣洁的，至善的；n.神圣的东西

参考例句：

• She was still a holy and pure young girl.她仍是一个圣洁的少女。
• He reads the Holy Bible every night.他每晚读《圣经》。

3 harmony   

n.调合，协调；和睦，和平相处；(音乐)和声

参考例句：

• The couple lives in perfect harmony.这对夫妇和睦地生活着。
• His ideas were no longer in harmony with ours.他同我们的想法不再一致了。

4 victory   

n.胜利，成功

参考例句：

• Victory will never come if we only wait for it.如果我们光是等待，胜利永远不会到来。
• It can't be questioned that we will win the final victory.我们将最终取得胜利，这是确定无疑的。

5 quote   

n.引用语，语录；vt.引述，举证，报价；vi.引用

参考例句：

• I can quote what he said.我可以引用他的话。
• This is the best price I can quote you.这是我给你开出的最有利的价钱了。

6 anthropologist   

n.人类学家，人类学者

参考例句：

• The lecturer is an anthropologist.这位讲师是人类学家。
• The anthropologist unearthed the skull of an ancient human at the site.人类学家在这个遗址挖掘出那块古人类的颅骨。

7 mead   

n.蜂蜜酒

参考例句：

• He gave me a cup of mead.他给我倒了杯蜂蜜酒。
• He drank some mead at supper.晚饭时他喝了一些蜂蜜酒。

8 issues   

（水等的）流出( issue的名词复数 )； 出口； 放出； （特别重要或大众关注的）问题

参考例句：

• Let's start with the more easily addressable issues. 我们先从较容易处理的问题着手。
• Employment and taxation are the bread-and-butter issues of politics. 就业和征税是很重要的政治问题。

9 spill   

n.溢出，溅出，涌出，摔下，暴跌，溢出量，木片，小塞子；vt.使溢出，使散落，洒

参考例句：

• The coffee is so full that it might spill over.咖啡太满可能会溢出来。
• He took a spill when he rode the horse.他骑马时从马上跌了下来。

10 California   

n.加利福尼亚(美国)

参考例句：

• He was elected governor of the state of California.他当选为加州州长。
• We were driving on a California freeway.我们正沿着加利福尼亚的一条快车道驾车行驶。

11 litres   

n.升( litre的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• 3 litres of water 3升水
• The barrel would hold 100 litres. 这桶能装一百升。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

12 spills   

n.洒出（量）( spill的名词复数 )；泼出（量）；溢出（量）；泄漏（量）v.溢出( spill的第三人称单数 )；泼出；涌出；蜂拥而出

参考例句：

• Another basis for recovery of damages for oil spills is state law. 获取石油泄漏损害赔偿的另一项法律基础是州的法律。 来自英汉非文学 - 环境法 - 环境法
• All over the world, oil spills regularly contaminate coasts. 在世界各地，油溢出物经常污染着海岸。 来自辞典例句

13 united   

adj.和谐的；团结的；联合的，统一的

参考例句：

• The whole nation is closely united.全国人民紧密团结。
• The two men were united by community of interests.共同的利益使两个人结合在一起。

14 environmental   

adj.环境的

参考例句：

• A global environmental meeting is going to be held here.一个全球环境会议将在这里举行。
• We need to cure our environmental problems.我们需要解决环境问题。

15 concentrated   

adj.集中的；全神贯注的；浓缩的；汰选出来的v.集中(concentrate的过去分词)；聚集，集结；凝缩，浓缩；[矿]汰选

参考例句：

• He made a concentrated effort to finish the work on time. 他全力以赴以按时完成这项工作。
• He was calm and concentrated in judging how to defeat his opponent. 他冷静沉着，聚精会神地判断如何打败对手。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 resources   

n.勇气；才智；谋略；有助于实现目标的东西；资源( resource的名词复数 )；[复数]物力；办法；来源

参考例句：

• The world's resources are rapidly diminishing. 世界资源正在迅速减少。
• a policy to equalize the distribution of resources throughout the country 使资源在全国分布均衡的政策

17 Greek   

adj.希腊(人)的，希腊语的；n.希腊人；希腊语

参考例句：

• The Greek seaman went to the hospital five times.这位希腊海员到该医院去过五次。
• Delta is the fourth letter of the Greek alphabet.δ是希腊字母中的第四个字母。

18 organism   

n.生物，有机体；(如生物的)机体、有机组织

参考例句：

• The economy is not a mechanical device but a living organism.经济不是一套机械装置,而是活的有机体。
• Selection will root out such organism.自然选择将把这些物种消灭掉。

19 celebrations   

n.庆祝( celebration的名词复数 )；庆祝会（仪式）

参考例句：

• The mayor was there to dignify the celebrations. 市长的光临为庆祝活动增辉。
• Queen Victoria's Golden Jubilee celebrations 维多利亚女王登基50周年庆典

20 promising   

adj.有希望的，有前途的

参考例句：

• The results of the experiments are very promising.实验的结果充满了希望。
• We're trying to bring along one or two promising young swimmers.我们正设法培养出一两名有前途的年轻游泳选手。

21 quotes   

v.引用，援引( quote的第三人称单数 )；报价；引述；为（股票、黄金或外汇）报价

参考例句：

• He quotes a few verses from Tennyson in his paper. 他在论文中引用了英国诗人丁尼生的几行诗句。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He quotes (from) the Bible to support his beliefs. 他引用圣经来支持自己的信念。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》