Listen to the recording again and fill in each of the blanks according to what you have heard.
Today though, there is evidence showing that marine resources are as seriously ________ as those of the land and the air. In fact, in some ways the ________ to fish are more alarming than the threats to animals and birds. This is because fish is a much needed food ________, as people throughout the world depend on fish as an important part of their ________. It is reported that to ________ food demands, 20 billion pounds of fish are ________ every year in the North Atlantic alone. Sea resources are also rapidly ________ in many other parts of the world.
Scientists now believe that food ________ from the sea won’t last forever. They warn that ________ fishing will destroy fish reserves within the next few years. They also warn that the decline in fish supply will cause ________ in some parts of the world.
▇ Answers for reference:
Today though, there is evidence showing that marine resources are as seriously endangered as those of the land and the air. In fact, in some ways the threats to fish are more alarming than the threats to animals and birds. This is because fish is a much needed food resource, as people throughout the world depend on fish as an important part of their diet. It is reported that to satisfy food demands, 20 billion pounds of fish are harvested every year in the North Atlantic alone. Sea resources are also rapidly declining in many other parts of the world. Scientists now believe that food supplies from the sea won’t last forever. They warn that excessive fishing will destroy fish reserves within the next few years. They also warn that the decline in fish supply will cause starvation in some parts of the world.
Script:
The Importance of Protecting Sea Resources
During the 19th century, people in Europe and America claimed that marine resources were unlimited. For example, a noted biologist at the time commented that none of the world’s great sea fisheries were ever going to be exhausted.
Today though, there is evidence showing that marine resources are as seriously endangered as those of the land and the air. In fact, in some ways the threats to fish are more alarming than the threats to animals and birds. This is because fish is a much needed food resource, as people throughout the world depend on fish as an important part of their diet. It is reported that to satisfy food demands, 20 billion pounds of fish are harvested every year in the North Atlantic alone. Sea resources are also rapidly declining in many other parts of the world.
Scientists now believe that food supplies from the sea won’t last forever. They warn that excessive fishing will destroy fish reserves within the next few years. They also warn that the decline in fish supply will cause starvation in some parts of the world.
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Part III Read and Explore
Text A
Section A Discovering the Main Ideas
Exercise 1: Answer the following questions with the information contained in Text A.
1) Does man tend to become less dependent on nature with the rapid development of society? Why or why not?
2) What does the author think about the present relationship between man and nature? 3) What’s the distinct feature of modern technology according to the passage? 4) What’s the solution to the ecological crisis according to the author?
5) What’s the author’s attitude towards the human transformation of nature?
▇ Answers for reference:
1) No. As society develops, man tends to become less dependent on nature directly, while
indirectly his dependence grows. For instance, in this industrial society, it appears that man is relying less on nature for its natural gifts since he can produce what he needs with the help of modern technology. However, man still has to take raw materials from nature for production and, in fact, depends on nature more than ever for such irreplaceable resources as coal, oil, and so on.
2) According to the author, the present relationship between man and nature is not as harmonious
as before, as the previous dynamic balance between man and nature and between nature and society as a whole has shown ominous signs of breaking down. It is increasingly difficult to obtain irreplaceable natural resources for the needs of production and to eliminate industrial waste.
3) The distinct feature of modern technology is the increasing abundance of produced and used
synthetic goods. With modern technology, man has produced and consumed more synthetic goods than he needs, which has severely polluted nature.
4) According to the author, the solution lies in rational and wise organization of both production
itself and care for Mother Nature by all humanity. One of the ways to deal with the crisis is to use natural resources such as solar energy, and the power of winds.
5) The author takes a negative attitude towards human transformation of nature. According to the
passage, man’s transformation has brought about fatal destruction to nature. Nature is being exhausted in resources, contaminated by synthetic products, and troubled by ecological imbalance.
Exercise 2: Text A can be divided into four parts with the paragraph number(s) of each part provided as follows. Write down the main idea of each part.
Part
Paragraph(s)
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Main Idea
I 1-2 II 3-4 III 5-7 IV 8-9 Man lives in the realm of nature. He is connected with nature by “blood” ties and he cannot live outside nature. As society develops, man tends to become less dependent on nature directly, while indirectly his dependence grows because it is increasingly difficult to obtain irreplaceable natural resources for the needs of production. At present Mother Nature is being exhausted in resources, contaminated. The previous dynamic balance between man and nature and between nature and society as a whole has shown ominous signs of breaking down. The solution to man-nature lies in rational and wise organization of both production itself and care for Mother Nature by all humanity.
Section B In-depth Study
Nature nurtures mankind unselfishly with its rich resources. Yet, man is so carried away in his transformation of nature that he is unaware that it also has limitations and needs constant care. Now worn by the excessive demands of mankind, nature is unable to maintain the ecological balance needed. Humanity is faced with the problem of how to stop, or at least to moderate, the destruction of Mother Nature.
Man in the Realm of Nature
Alexander Spirkin
1 Human beings live in the realm of nature. They are constantly surrounded by it and interact with it. Man is constantly aware of the influence of nature in the form of the air he breathes, the water he drinks, and the food he eats. We are connected with nature by “blood” ties and we cannot live outside nature.
2 Man is not only a dweller in nature, he also transforms it. Humanity converts nature’s wealth into the means of the cultural, historical life of society. Man has subdued and disciplined electricity and compelled it to serve the interests of society. Not only has man transferred various species of plants and animals to different climatic conditions, he has also changed the shape and climate of his environment and transformed plants and animals.
3 As society develops, man tends to become less dependent on nature directly, while indirectly his dependence grows. Our distant ancestors lived in fear of nature’s destructive forces. Very often they were unable to obtain the merest daily necessities. However, despite their imperfect tools, they worked together stubbornly, collectively, and were able to attain results. Nature was also changed through interaction with man. Forests were destroyed and the area of farmland increased. Nature with its elemental forces was regarded as something hostile to man. The forest, for example, was something wild and frightening and people tried to force it to retreat. This was
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all done in the name of civilisation, which meant the places where man had made his home, where the earth was cultivated, where the forest had been cut down.
4 But as time goes on mankind becomes increasingly concerned with the question of where and how to obtain irreplaceable natural resources for the needs of production. Science and man’s practical transforming activities have made humanity aware of the enormous geological role played by the industrial transformation of the earth.
5 At present the previous dynamic balance between man and nature and between nature and society as a whole has shown ominous signs of breaking down. The problem of the so-called replaceable resources of the biosphere has become particularly acute. It is getting more and more difficult to satisfy the needs of human beings and society even for such a substance, for example, as fresh water. The problem of eliminating industrial waste is also becoming increasingly complex.
6 Modern technology is distinguished by an ever increasing abundance of produced and used synthetic goods. Hundreds of thousands of synthetic materials are being made. People increasingly cover their bodies from head to foot in nylon and other synthetic, glittering fabrics that are obviously not good for them. Young people may hardly feel this, and they pay more attention to appearance than to health. But they become more aware of this harmful influence as they grow older.
7 As time goes on the synthetic output of production turns into waste, and then substances that in their original form were not very toxic are transformed in the cycle of natural processes into aggressive agents. Today both natural scientists and philosophers are asking themselves the question: Is man’s destruction of the biosphere inevitable?
8 The man-nature relation — the crisis of the ecological situation — is a global problem. Its solution lies in rational and wise organization of both production itself and care for Mother Nature, not just by individuals, enterprises or countries, but by all humanity. One of the ways to deal with the crisis situation in the “man-nature” system is to use such resources as solar energy, the power of winds, the riches of the seas and oceans and other as yet unknown natural forces of the universe.
9 But to return to our theme, the bitter truth is that those human actions which violate the laws of nature, the harmony of the biosphere, threaten to bring disaster and this disaster may turn out to be universal. How apt then are the words of ancient Oriental wisdom: live closer to nature, my friends, and its eternal laws will protect you!
▇ 课文参考译文
人在自然界
亚历山大·斯伯金
1 人类生活在大自然的王国里。他们时刻被大自然所包围并与之相互影响。人类呼吸的空气、喝下的水和摄入的食物，无一不令人类时刻感知到大自然的影响。我们与大自然血肉相连，离开大自然，我们将无法生存。
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