Unit 13 We're trying to save the earth!
Section A-1b
Tony: Hey, Mark, maybe we could go swimming in the river later this afternoon.
Mark: I don't think I want to go, Tony.
Tony: Why not?
Mark: I was there last weekend and the river was really dirty. Even the bottom of the river was full of rubbish and there were no more fish for fishermen to catch.
Tony: No way! lt used to be so clean. In fact, it has always been the nicest river in this town.
Mark: Not anymore. I think people are throwing litter into the river. Factories are also puting waste into the river.
Tony: That's terrible! We should write to the government. They should close down the factories.
Mark: Good idea! But I think everyone in this town should help to clean up the river, too. Everyone should play a part, not just the government.
Section A-2a
Interviewer: Today we're talking to Jason and Susan about environmental problems. Jason and Susan, can you tell us about some of the problems you've seen?
Jason: I think one problem is that the air is badly polluted. I hardly ever see blue skies anymore.
Susan: Yes, and I used to see the stars clearly.
Interviewer: What do you think has caused this problem?
Susan: Well, there are more cars on the road these days.
Jason: And factories that burn coal also pollute the air with a lot of black smoke.
Interviewer: What other problems do you see?
Susan: I guess there's too much rubbish and waste in the streets.
Jason: Yes! Every day people are throwing away things like wooden chopsticks, plastic bowls and plastic bags.
Susan: They're also littering in public places, for example, during picnics in parks. This is turning beautiful places into ugly ones.
Interviewer: You're right. These are serious problems for our environment. Next, let's talk about the things we can do to help.
Section A-2d
Interviewer: Jason and Susan, what are your ideas for solving these problems?
Jason: Well, to cut down air pollution, we should take the bus or subway instead of driving.
Susan: Yeah, or ride a bike. There are other advantages of bike riding. It’s good for health and it doesn’t cost anything!
Interviewer: Great ideas! What about waste pollution?
Susan: Mmm, I think simple things like bringing a bag to go shopping can help. I started doing that a year ago.
Jason: Me, too. Also, I never take wooden chopsticks or plastic forks when I buy takeaway food. I use the ones at home.
Susan: And remember to throw rubbish in the bins and keep public places clean and beautiful for everyone.
Interviewer: So together, our actions can make a difference and lead to a better future!
Section A-3a
Save the Sharks!
Many have heard of shark’s fin soup. This famous and expensive dish is especially popular in southern China. But do you realize that you’re killing a whole shark each time you enjoy a bowl of shark’s fin soup?
When people catch sharks, they cut off their fins and throw the shark back into the ocean. This is not only cruel, but also harmful to the environment. Without a fin, a shark can no longer swim and slowly dies. Sharks are at the top of the food chain in the ocean’s ecosystem. If their numbers drop too low, it will bring danger to all ocean life. Many believe that sharks can never be endangered because they are the strongest in their food chain. But in fact, around 70 million sharks are caught and traded in this industry every year. The numbers of some kinds of sharks have fallen by over 90 percent in the last 20 to 30 years.
Environmental protection groups around the world, such as WildAid and the WWF, are teaching the public about “finning”. They have even asked governments to develop laws to stop the sale of shark’s fins. So far, no scientific studies have shown that shark’s fins are good for health, so why eat them? Help save the sharks!
Section B-1c&1d
Jack: Turn off the lights, Julia. It saves electricity.
Julia: Oh, I usually do that. I was just in a hurry.
Jack: I see. I've just read a book which gives ideas about how we can save the environment. For example, you should turn off the shower when you're washing your hair.
Julia: Oh, I would never do that. I have very short hair. It only takes a few minutes to wash. What else does it say?
Jack: You should take your own bags when you go shopping.
Section B 1c&1d
Julia: Oh, that's easy. I'll do that from now on. What else?
Jack: People should stop riding in cars and start riding bikes
Julia: No way! It would take me 45 minutes to get to school by bike!
Jack: But it's good for the environment! Besides, I like riding my bike.
Julia: Yes, and you also live close to school!
Section B-2b
Rethink, Reuse, Recycle!
Do you often throw away things you don’t need anymore? Have you ever thought about how these things can actually be put to good use? Nothing is a waste if you have a creative mind.
You have probably never heard of Amy Hayes, but she is a most unusual woman. She lives in a house in the UK that she built herself out of rubbish.The windows and doors come from old buildings around her town that were pulled down. The top of the house is an old boat turned upside down. And the gate in front of her house is made of rocks and old glass bottles. Amy recently won a prize from the Help Save Our Planet Society. The president said, “Amy is an inspiration to us all.”
Amy isn’t the only one who is good at recycling. Jessica Wong from Hong Kong uses old clothes that people don’t wear anymore to make bags. She has been doing this for a few years now. She opened a small shop where she sells her bags, and she has also set up a website to sell them online. She especially likes to use old jeans to make handbags. Her bags are cute and useful. “I plan to write a book about new ways to use old clothes,” she said. “I hope people can read my book and enjoy it!”
Wang Tao set up a small business in Shanghai four years ago. He is known for using iron and other materials from old cars to make beautiful art pieces. Some are large pieces that look like animals or humans, and some are smaller pieces you can put at home. The more popular works can even been seen in art shops around the city. Wang Tao hopes to set up a “metal art” theme park to show people the importance of environmental protection. Not only can the art bring happiness to others, but it also shows that even cold, hard iron can be brought back to life with a little creativity.
参考译文：
Section A-1b
托尼：嘿，马克，也许我们今天下午可以去河里游泳。
马克：我想我不想去，托尼。
托尼：为什么不呢?
马克：我上周末去过那里，河水真的很脏。连河底都堆满了垃圾，渔民们再也捕不到鱼了。
托尼：不可能!它以前很干净的。事实上，它一直是这个镇上最漂亮的河。
马克：不再是了。我认为人们正在往河里扔垃圾。工厂也在向河里排放废物。
托尼：太可怕了!我们应该给政府写信。他们应该关闭那些工厂。
马克：好主意!但我认为这个镇上的每个人都应该帮忙清理河流。每个人都应该出一份力，而不仅仅是政府。
Section A-2a
采访者：今天我们和杰森和苏珊谈谈环境问题。杰森和苏珊，你们能告诉我们一些你们看到的问题吗?
杰森：我认为一个问题是大气污染很严重。我几乎再也看不到蓝天了。
苏珊：是的，我以前能清楚地看到星星。
采访者：你们认为是什么导致了这个问题?
苏珊：嗯，现在路上的汽车更多了。
杰森：而且燃烧煤炭的工厂也排放出大量黑烟污染空气。
采访者：你们还看到其他什么问题?
苏珊：我想街上的垃圾和废物太多了。
杰森：是的!人们每天都在扔掉像木筷子、塑料碗和塑料袋这样的东西。
苏珊：他们还在公共场所乱扔垃圾，比如在公园里野餐的时候。这正在把美丽的地方变成丑陋的地方。
采访者：你说得对。这些是我们环境面临的严重问题。接下来，让我们谈谈我们能做些什么来帮助改善。
Section A-2d
采访者：杰森和苏珊，你们对解决这些问题有什么想法?
杰森：嗯，为了减少空气污染，我们应该乘公共汽车或地铁而不是开车。
苏珊：是的，或者骑自行车。骑自行车还有其他好处。它有益健康，而且不花钱!
采访者：好主意!那么废物污染呢?
苏珊：嗯，我想像购物时带个袋子这样简单的事情就能有所帮助。我一年前就开始这么做了。
杰森：我也是。还有，我买外卖时从不拿木筷子或塑料叉子。我用家里的。
苏珊：还有记得把垃圾扔进垃圾桶里，保持公共场所清洁美丽，让每个人都能享受。
采访者：所以，我们的行动可以一起发挥作用，创造更美好的未来!
Section A-3a
拯救鲨鱼!
许多人都听说过鱼翅汤。这道著名且昂贵的菜肴在中国南方尤其受欢迎。但你是否意识到，每当你享受一碗鱼翅汤时，你其实是在杀死一整只鲨鱼?
人们捕到鲨鱼后，会割下它们的鳍，然后把鲨鱼扔回海里。这不仅残忍，而且对环境也有害。没有鳍，鲨鱼就不能再游泳，最终会慢慢死去。鲨鱼是海洋生态系统中食物链的顶端。如果它们的数量下降得太低，就会给所有海洋生物带来危险。许多人认为鲨鱼永远不会濒危，因为它们是食物链中最强大的。但事实上，每年约有7000万只鲨鱼被捕捞并交易。在过去20到30年里，一些种类的鲨鱼数量已经下降了90%以上。
世界各地的环保组织，如野生救援协会和世界自然基金会，正在向公众宣传“割鳍”行为。他们甚至要求政府制定法律来禁止销售鱼翅。到目前为止，还没有科学研究表明鱼翅对健康有益，那么为什么要吃它们呢?帮助拯救鲨鱼吧!
Section B-1c&1d
杰克：关灯，朱莉娅。这样可以省电。
朱莉娅：哦，我通常会这样做的。我只是太匆忙了。
杰克：我明白了。我刚读了一本书，里面介绍了我们如何拯救环境的一些想法。例如，你洗头时应该关掉淋浴。
朱莉娅：哦，我绝不会那样做。我的头发很短。洗头只需要几分钟。它还说了什么?
杰克：你去购物时应该带自己的袋子。
Section B 1c&1d
朱莉娅：哦，那很简单。我从现在开始会这样做的。还有什么?
杰克：人们应该停止开车，开始骑自行车。
朱莉娅：没门!我骑自行车到学校要45分钟!
杰克：但它对环境有好处!此外，我喜欢骑自行车。
朱莉娅：是的，而且你住得离学校也很近!
Section B-2b
重新思考，再利用，再循环!
你是否经常扔掉你不再需要的东西?你是否想过这些东西实际上可以被好好利用?如果你有创造力，那么没有什么是废物。
你可能从未听说过艾米·海斯，但她是一位非常特别的女性。她住在英国的一所房子里，这所房子是她自己用垃圾建造的。窗户和门来自她镇上被拆除的旧建筑。房子的顶部是一个倒过来的旧船。她房子前面的门是用石头和旧玻璃瓶做的。艾米最近获得了“拯救我们的地球协会”颁发的奖项。该协会主席说：“艾米是我们所有人的榜样。”
艾米并不是唯一一个擅长回收的人。来自香港的杰西卡·王用人们不再穿的旧衣服制作袋子。她已经这样做了几年了。她开了一家小店出售她的袋子，并且还建立了一个网站在网上销售。她特别喜欢用旧牛仔裤制作手提包。她的包既可爱又实用。“我计划写一本关于如何用旧衣服制作新东西的书，”她说。“我希望人们能读我的书并喜欢它!”
王涛四年前在上海创办了一家小企业。他以使用旧汽车上的铁和其他材料制作精美的艺术品而闻名。有些是大件作品，看起来像动物或人类;有些是小件作品，你可以放在家里。更受欢迎的作品甚至可以在城市周围的艺术商店看到。王涛希望建立一个“金属艺术”主题公园，向人们展示环境保护的重要性。这些艺术品不仅能给别人带来快乐，还表明即使冰冷坚硬的铁，只要有一点创造力，也能焕发生机。
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