Unit 4 World News: Earth and
Environment
Part I Warming up
1. What is the precise height of Mount Everest according to
National Geographic Society’s latest measuring?
29,035 feet, seven feet taller than was thought when it was
last measured in the 1950s.
2. What is the likely impact of climate change according to the
new research?
Damage to crops in low-lying coastal regions could be worse
than previously thought.
3. What is the title of the conference in northern Brazil?
The third United Nations Conference on
Desertification.
4. What does a new study say about reptiles?
Reptile species are in greater trouble than amphibian
species.
5.What did the governors from Columbia call for?
A new approach in the fight against the illegal drugs
trade
6. What are crews doing off the coast of Mexico, about 50 miles
south of San Diego?
They are working to clean up a huge oil spill.
7. What is the serious threat for plants?
One in every eight species of plants is threatened with
extinction.
8. How serious were the wildfires in Florida?
They lasted for nearly a week and 65 thousand hectares in the
southern part of the state were consumed.
9. What is now available?
A new local directory for the environmentally-aware, called
the “Boulder County Green Pages”
10. What does a U.S. Space Agency study recently find?
Greenland is melting around the edges, more than 50 cubic
kilometers per year.
Tapescript:
1. The
National Geographic Society just finished measuring Mount Everest
and it is seven feet taller than was thought when it was last
measured in the 1950s. In this case, a global positioning satellite
put the precise height of the world’s tallest mountain at 29,035
feet.
2. New
research on the likely impact of climate change suggests that
damage to crops in low-lying coastal regions could be worse than
previously thought. A draft report by leading climatologists
predicts huge problems as a result of a falling crop yield in
tropical and subtropical zones, and more floods and drought in
temperate and humid regions.
3. More
than 2,000 delegates from around the world have gathered in
northern Brazil for the third United Nations Conference on
Desertification. According to experts almost one-third of the
world’s dry land is either desert or runs the risk of becoming so.
More than 200 million people are directly affected.
4. The
disappearance and deformity of amphibians such as frogs and
salamanders from rain forests and mountain lakes worldwide has
attracted wide-spread scientific attention over the last decade.
Now a new study says reptile species including turtles, snakes, and
alligators are in even greater trouble. Twice as many reptiles as
amphibians, or some 100 species, are currently listed as endangered
by the World Conservation Union. The study says habitat loss and
degradation, pollution, disease, climate change, and
over-collection for food, pets and drugs are the major threat to
reptiles.
5. Four
regional governors from Columbia, on a visit to Washington, have
sharply criticized an American-backed aerial offensive to eradicate
thousands of hectares of illegal coke and poppy plantations. At a
news conference the governors called for a different approach in
the fight against the illegal drugs trade, saying that the
herbicides currently being used were harmful to public health and
the environment.
6. Crews
are working to clean up a huge oil spill off the coast of Mexico,
about 50 miles south of San Diego. The coast Guard says about 110
thousand gallons spilt Thursday during a fuel transfer between a
tanker and an on-shore facility.
7. Much
attention has been devoted to the threatened animal species. But
what about plants which are the fundamental bases of life? One in
every eight species of plants is threatened with extinction. Since
all food chains begin in the sphere of plant life, this is bad news
for the animals too, including humans who depend on plants not only
for food but also for medicines, building materials, and other
vital purposes.
8.
Wildfires in the Florida Everglades have been contained after
nearly a week of blazes that consumed 65 thousand hectares in the
southern part of the state. The fires had spread to a largely
unpopulated area outside Everglades National Park, a vast sawgrass
prairie teaming with wildlife and vegetation. A drought influenced
by the E1 Nino weather pattern is to blame.
9. A new
local directory for the environmentally-aware is now available,
called the “Boulder County Green Pages.” The Rotary Clubs in
Boulder County got together with local recycling and environmental
specialists to put together this firstever directory. It includes
quick reference to green products and services for recycling,
xeriscaping, energy conservation, and more. The $5 cost helps raise
funds for the sponsoring groups.
10.A U.S. Space Agency study finds that Greenland is melting
around the edges. The loss to the world’s second largest ice
sheet—more than 50 cubic kilometers per year—is enough to raise
global sea level by 0.13 millimeters. NASA scientist Bill Krabill
says the data indicates a process of change that does not
immediately threaten coastal regions.
Part II News reports
A.
Summary:
This news report is about the severe shortage of water in
some developing nations. It will lead to catastrophic
consequences unless global solutions are found soon.
Answers to the questions:
1. 150
2. Monday
3. One billion people could suffer from a scarcity of
water.
4. Middle East, parts of Africa, western Asia, northeastern
China, western and southern India, large parts of Pakistan and
Mexico, parts of the Pacific coast of the United States and South
America
5. To treat water as a precious resource
6. 5 liters
7. 50 liters
8. 500 liters
Tapescript:
The UN water experts are warning that a severe water shortage
will have what they call catastrophic consequences in some
developing nations unless global solutions are found soon. One
hundred and fifty experts around the world will discuss the water
situation at a conference beginning Monday in Geneva.
A top official from the World Meteorological Organization Arthur
Askew says that by the year 2025, almost 1 billion people could be
living in areas suffering from a scarcity of water. He says the
number could double by the middle of the next century. Mr Askew
says one area with serious water problems is the Middle East. But
he says officials in the area are already working on ways to deal
with the situation.
Experts say water shortage problems also could develop in parts
of Africa and western Asia as well as northeastern China, western
and southern India, large parts of Pakistan and Mexico, and parts
of the Pacific coast of the United States and South America. Mr
Askew says there’s a moral obligation to treat water as a precious
resource and a need to realize that large amounts of water are used
often wastefully in food production and manufacturing.
“All commodities have used water in their production and you
must be aware therefore that if you’re importing food from one
country to another you are in fact importing part of the water
resources of that country.”
Mr Askew also says water shortages lead to a conflict between
rural and urban demands.
“In many regions of the world, the water crisis is not coming
because of human consumption directly for potable water, for
drinking, or for sanitary purposes, it’s coming for agriculture.
And in general about 80 percent of the water, which is consumed, i.
e., is extracted from the rivers or from underground resources and
is not returned, is for agriculture. And there’s considerable
pressure now on the agricultural sectors to see if they cannot use
that water ore efficiently.
Mr Askew says it’s estimated that a person needs about 5 liters
of water a day to survive, and a person needs about 5 liters of
water a day to survive, and a person lives comfortably with about
50 liters a day. But he says people in many countries are using 500
liters of water each day. He says ways must be found to reduce such
overuse before it’s too late.
Questions:
1. How many experts will attend the conference in Geneva?
2. When will the conference begin?
3. What would the situation be like in the year 2025 according
to Arthur Askew?
4. In which areas could water shortage problems most probably
develop?
5. What is the moral obligation put forward by Arthur Askew?
6. How much water does a person need a day to survive?
7. How much water does a person need a day to live
comfortably?
8. How much water are people in many countries now using each
day?
B
Listen to the second news report. Supply the missing words
while listening.
An annual study by
the Worldwatch Institute here in Washington says with the
boom in the information economy, Americans have lost sight
of the deteriorating health of the planet. The fast growing
information economy is affecting every aspect of life, from
communication, commerce and work, to education and
entertainment. The Worldwatch Institute gives the earth an
annual physical exam. According to this year’s result,
almost all those vital signs of the health of the earth,
including the number of species, the stability of
climate, the health of coral reefs, show deterioration.
Other warning signs are rising temperatures, falling
water tables, melting glaciers, shrinking
forests and collapsing fisheries. The major
environmental challenges in the 21st century will be
to stabilize both climate and world population growth.
Tapescript:
An annual study by the Worldwatch Institute here in Washington
says with the boom in the information economy, Americans have lost
sight of the deteriorating health of the planet.
State of
the World 2000 says the fast growing information economy is
affecting every aspect of life, from communication, commerce and
work, to education and entertainment.
Lead
author and Worldwatch President Lester Brown says while Americans
generally feel a sense of optimism about the economy, the planet’s
health is suffering. He says it is a mistake “to confuse the
vibrancy of the virtual world with the increasingly troubled state
of the real world.”
“We give
the earth an annual physical, and this book is the result of that
annual physical. We check its vital signs. And almost all those
vital signs, whether it’s the number of species, whether it’s the
stability of climate, whether it’s the number of species, whether
it’s the stability of climate, whether it’s the health of coral
reefs, all those trends show deterioration.”
Lester
Brown says other warning signs are rising temperatures, falling
water tables, melting glaciers, shrinking forests and collapsing
fisheries. He says the major environmental challenges in the
21st century will be to stabilize both climate and world
population growth.
Worldwatch Institute President Lester Brown also points out
initiatives by multinational corporations to seek energy
alternatives. For example, Daimler-Chrysler and Shell Oil are
working with the government of Iceland to turn that country into
the first hydrogen powered economy.
C
Listen to the third news report. As you listen, carefully
study the words in the two columns and then complete the news
summary:
Golf course
grooming
excessive
water
greens
fairways
construction
halted
Wildlife
habitats
killdeer eggs
redtail hawks
foxes
deer
great horned owls
blue herons
coyotes
Summary:
This news
report is about a golf course named Fox Hollow, which has won an
award for its relatively low impact on environment and sustained
wildlife.
Tapescript:
Golf
courses and the environment have historically been at odds. It’s
hard to reconcile the careful grooming and excessive water needed
for greens and fairways with conservation and natural habitats. One
case in point, Lakewood’s Fox Hollow Golf Course had its
construction temporarily halted so some killdeer eggs can hatch. A
pair of redtail hawks were also born during the construction of Fox
Hollow. However, the golf course has recently won an award for its
relatively low impact and sustained wildlife. The Golf Course
Superintendents of America say Lakewood’s 27-hole Fox Hollow course
blends well with Bear Creek Lake’s grasslands, and the land still
hosts foxes, deer, great horned owls, blue herons, coyotes, and
other wildlife. Only three Environmental Steward Awards are given
out each year, so Lakewood officials are pretty excited about
helping set the standard for golf courses with a soft touch.
Part III City recycling
A.
( 2) a. The wok at the FCR processing center
( 4) b. The success of Charlotte’s recycling program
( 3) c. What happens to the recyclables from FCR
( 1) d. Catherine Smith’s recyclable garbage
B.
Process of sorting the recyclables:
( 3) a. People sort through the garbage.
( 1) b. The garbage is piled in a mound of assorted trash.
( 5) c. Bottles and cans come to the sorting station.
( 4) d. Bottles and cans are put on the conveyor belt.
( 6) e. Twelve workers hand-sort the bottles and cans.
( 7) g. Bottles and cans are dropped down a chute into a
container.
Questions:
1. What recycling goes on in households in Charlotte? Who
recycles and how is it done?
2. What happens at the processing center where the material is
brought?
3. What happens to the materials once they are sorted and
processed?
4. What have been the successes and the benefits of recycling
for Charlotte?
C.
1. How many households are eligible to participate in the
recycling program?
130，000/80%
2. What are some of the items that Catherine Smith put into her
red recycling bin?
Plastic/ glass/ tin cans/ newspapers
3. What happens after Catherine puts out her bin?
Recycle truck picks it up.
4. Where does the
recyclable material go after it is picked up?
One of community’s recycling centers.
5. How often is the used material dropped off at the center
operated by FCR?
Each weekday
6. What does Paula Hoffman do at the recycling center?
Conducts tours of the plant
7. How much material is received each day and put into the
commingle area?
100 tons/ 200,000 pounds
8. Of all the material brought to the center, how much is
newsprint? What happens to it?
3/4 / compacted into hales/ 11 to 12 hundred pounds
each
9. What happens to the sorted and processed recyclables at
FCR?
Sold to other companies that make them into different
products
10. What always happens to the used food and beverage
containers?
Made into new containers
11. How successful is Charlotte’s recycling program?
One of the top five in the U.S.A.
Tapescript:
The
United States is running out of landfill space, places to put its
trash. Because of that, more communities are encouraging their
residents to recycle, to set aside certain materials that won’t go
to the landfill. One area that’s met the recycling challenge
head-on, is the southeast City of Charlotte, North Carolina. In
just a few years, its recycling program has become one of the
country’s most successful.
Catherine
Smith lives in one of the 130,000 eligible recycling households in
Charlotte, North Carolina. Nearly 80 percent of the households
participate in the program. Each week, Smith goes to her front
porch and fills her red plastic bin with recyclables. “You’ve got
any plastic containers marked one or two. You’ve got any glass.
They also recycle tin cans and newspapers. So all of that can go in
the curbside pick-up bin.”
“Well,
this is the easy part. Then someone, ah, driving a Charlotte
Mecklenburg ‘Recycle Now’ truck comes and, usually, at some
point—tomorrow or Friday—and they pick it up at curbside. And
that’s it.”
From
there, Smith’s cans, bottles, and newspapers are taken to one of
the community’s recyclilng centers. The City of Charlotte actually
contracts with a private company to process the recyclabes.
This
plant is operated by a company called FCR. The recycling trucks
pull into FCR each weekday morning to drop off the used material.
Inside, the processing center at FCR is bustling with activity. One
of the first things you notice in the 26,000-square-foot facility
is a huge mound of materials called the “commingle area.”
Basically, it’s a big pile of assorted trash. There are forklifts
transporting garbage, and people sorting through it. Paula Hoffman
is education coordinator at FCR. She conducts tours of the plant
for more than one thousand people a month.
“The
aluminum cans, the number one and number two plastic containers,
the spiral cans, the glass bottles and jars are all mixed together
into a huge pile. And…we are receiving about 100 tons a day, which
is 200,000 pounds, so you can imagine how many bottles and cans are
in that pile.”
“Can we
walk around a little bit?”
“As you
can see, the bottles and cans are riding up the conveyor belt, and
they’ll end up on a sorting station, where there are twelve workers
that will hand-sort the bottles and cans and other containers. As
you can see, from the sorting station, they drop their material
down a chute into a large container below. The sorting station is
on a raised platform.”
Across
from the sorters and the commingle area is a mound of newspaper. Of
the material brought to FCR, three quarters of it is newsprint. It
rides a separate conveyor belt, is checked, and is compacted into
bales, 11 to 12 hundred pounds each. Back in the quiet of FCR’s
auditorium, Paula Hoffman describes what happens to the sorted and
processed recyclables the company receives from Catherine Smith and
the thousands of other area residents. Hoffman says they’re sold to
other companies that then make them into different products.
“Your
food and beverage glass containers are always made into new food
and beverage glass containers. Your aluminum beverage cans are, the
biggest percentage of the time, made into new aluminum beverage
cans. Twenty five percent of all beverage, Coca-Cola, Pepsi bottles
are now made into new Pepsi or Coke bottles. However, a certain
percentage is also made into other products such as the fuzz on a
tennis ball, carpeting…your number two plastic…a lot of it’s made
into plastic wood.”
Charlotte, the surrounding county, and FCR are glad to add new
recyclables to their program as long as there’s a need for the
recycled material. From its high participation rate to the quality
end product, Charlotte’s recycling program is considered one of the
top five in the nation.
But
ultimately, the success of the Charlotte area recycling program can
be traced to the curbsides of the many individual citizens who,
like Catherine Smith, are active participants in program.
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