Part D   The Accelerating Global Warming

 

Vocabulary Preparation:

 

arguably   adv.used when giving your opinion to say that there are good reasons why something might be true 按理，可论证地

the Arctic  n. thelarge area of land surrounding the North Pole 北极

the Antarctica  n. the continent which is the most southern area of land on the Earth and ismostly covered with ice 南极

dwarf  v. to be so big that other things are made to seem very small 使相形见绌

fossil   n. theremains of an animal or plant that have become hard and turned into rock 化石

pump out to produce or to supplyit continually and in large amounts 大量生产（或提供）

carbondioxide the gas produced when animals breathe out, when carbonis burned in air, or when animal or vegetable substances decay 二氧化碳

tippingpoint the moment when one particular result of a processbecomes the most likely one, after a period when the result is not sure 临界点；量变到质变的分界点

methane   n. a gas that youcannot see or smell, which can be burned to give heat 甲烷；沼气

chlorofluorocarbon   n. a gas used in fridges and aerosolcans, believed to beresponsible for damaging the ozone layer 含氯氟烃

glaciologist  n. a scientist who studies glaciers冰河学家

exponentialcurve  a graph of anexponential function 指数曲线

flatten  v. to make flat or flatter 使（某物）变平

Celsius  n. a scale of temperature in whichwater freezes at 0º and boils at  100º 摄氏温度

disintegrate   v. to break into parts or components 碎裂；崩裂

 

 

Notes:

 

NASA, also National Aeronautics and SpaceAdministration, is a US government organization that controls space travel andthe scientific study of space 美国国家航空航天局；宇航局

The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) isa non-profit organization in the United States. Members serve probono as "advisers to thenation on science, engineering, and medicine". As a nationalacademy, new members of the organization are electedannually by current members, based on their distinguished and continuingachievements in original research. 美国国家科学院

Greenland / 5gri:nlEnd / is a large island in the North Atlantic Ocean, near northeast Canada. Nearlyall of Greenland is covered by ice, and it belongs to Denmark but has its owngovernment.  格陵兰

 

Exercise:Answer the following questions.

 

1.      In your opinion, what is theideal relationship between man and nature?

2.      Which do you think is moreimportant, environmental protection or economic development?

3.      What environmental problemshave you realized in everyday life?

4.      What are the causes andconsequences of these problems?

5.      What can we do as individualsto protect the environment?