时间:2018-12-02 作者:英语课 分类:VOA双语新闻 2010年12月


英语课

  Representatives from more than 190 nations are attending the United Nations Climate Change Conference in the Mexican resort of Cancun. They're trying to reach accords on a number of issues but are leaving a comprehensive, legally binding 1 agreement for next year. Environmental activists 2 from non-governmental organizations are also in Cancun. They're pushing for action to curb 3 greenhouse gas emissions 4 that contribute to global warming.

190多个国家的代表聚集在墨西哥旅游胜地坎昆参加联合国气候变化大会。他们寻求在一系列议题上达成一致,争取在明年签署一项全面的、有法律约束力的条约。来自非政府组织的环保人士也聚集在坎昆,力促采取行动,削减温室气体的排放。他们中的很多人认为,能够拯救地球的时间已所剩不多。地球变暖与人类活动是否造成全球气温上升的问题是联合国气候大会上人们关注的议题。

Activists lobby

As conference delegates meet elsewhere, author Bill McKibben makes the rounds in the hotel lobbies, talking about the need for action now.

在与会代表开会期间,作家比尔.麦克基本在饭店大堂里走来走去,跟人们讨论现在采取行动的必要性。

In his best-selling book Eaarth: Making a Life on a Tough New Planet, McKibben argues that an eight-tenths-of-one-percent rise in temperature has already changed the planet irreversibly and that catastrophe 5 awaits if it goes much higher.

麦克基本在他撰写的畅销书《地球》 一书中争辩说,气温上升0.8度就已经无可挽回地改变了地球,如果气温升得更高,等待人类的将是一场重大灾难。

"The arctic is melting quickly, Russia caught on fire this summer, Pakistan drowned [in floods], the ocean is 30 percent more acid than it used to be," McKibben said. "We are in tough shape with less than a degree of temperature increase."

他说:“北极正在迅速融化,俄罗斯今年夏天遭大火,巴基斯坦被洪水淹没,海洋的酸度比过去提高了30%。我们所处境况不妙,地球气温再上升哪怕不到一度,就会造成灾难。”

McKibben says the threat is confirmed, continually, by scientific data, yet world leaders have yet to produce an effective plan to meet the challenge.

麦克基本说,科学家的数据已经不断证实这一威胁,可是世界各国领导人却仍然拿不出来一个应对挑战的计划。

"The scientific method has worked pretty well. The political method has not worked at all," he added.

“科学的方法行之有效,但政治的手段却一事无成。”

Presence of private companies

But while delegates debate possible agreements, many people around the world, on their own, have developed plans to reduce emissions.

正当代表团在坎昆辩护有关可能达成的协议时,世界各地的很多人正在想方设法减少温室气体排放。

Even private companies are contributing ideas.

就连私营公司也在献计献策。

Google is here with a large version of Google Earth that allows people to visit various parts of the world to check on the effects of climate change.

谷歌在大会展示了一个大型谷歌地球场景视频,让人们看到地球的各个角落,查看气候变化造成的影响。

Google representative Raleigh Seamster says a tribe in Brazil put its forest online to gain international support.

谷歌代表罗利.西姆斯特说,巴西的一个部落为了保护他们的森林,为了赢得国际支持,把森林上了网。

"Now that these partners have their forest visualized 6 on Google Earth, they can use this to create a Google Earth tour that explains why the forest is important," said Seamster. "They can show it to people, they can demo it to decision makers 7 and they can also create YouTube videos."

他说:“这些合作者把他们的森林展现在谷歌地球场景视频上,他们可以利用视频制作一个谷歌地球观光,让网友参观森林,告诉大家为什么树林特别重要。他们可以展示给大家,展示给政策制定者们,还可以制作YouTube 录像。”

'Youngo' push for action

The Internet was also key in drawing hundreds of young people around the world to join a coalition 8 called Youngo. They keep in touch by email and social media, and they came here to push for action.

互联网还是吸引世界各地成百上千年轻人加入全球青年NGO联盟--YOUNGO的关键途径。他们以电子邮件和社交网站保持联系,他们也来到坎昆推动采取环保行动。

Jeremy Osborn from New York City says his generation sees what needs to be done to curb climate change.

来自纽约市的杰里米.奥斯伯恩说,他们这一代人看到如何能为抗击气候变化出力。

"Young people are probably making those connections more easily because they have been brought up with the issue and with the science much more so than older generations, but everyone is beginning to get on board," Osborn said.

“比起老一辈人,年轻人也许更容易建立起这些联系,因为他们就是跟这些议题、跟科学一起成长起来的。有越来越多的人加入我们的行列。”

One Youngo member who came here is Logaswari from Singapore. She says she connected with other young activists online and is now here with them, meeting with delegates and decision makers.

来自新加坡的洛加斯沃丽是他们中的一员。她说,她跟年轻的环保活动人士在网上保持联系,现在又跟他们一起来到坎昆,与各国代表和政策制定者们会面。

"Over here, you are able to talk to the person," said Logaswari. "You get to meet everybody and you can work in a more relaxed manner because you can go out for coffee. It is a lot more efficient, really."

她说:“在这里你可以找到人谈话,可以见到所有的人,你可以以一种更轻松的方式工作,因为大家可以一起出去喝咖啡。这样做真是更效率。”

These young people hope their activism will eventually bring about change that could prevent the worst consequences of global warming.

这些年轻人希望,他们的积极活动能够最终带来改变,防止气候变化造成的最坏后果真正发生。



1 binding
有约束力的,有效的,应遵守的
  • The contract was not signed and has no binding force. 合同没有签署因而没有约束力。
  • Both sides have agreed that the arbitration will be binding. 双方都赞同仲裁具有约束力。
2 activists
n.(政治活动的)积极分子,活动家( activist的名词复数 )
  • His research work was attacked by animal rights activists . 他的研究受到了动物权益维护者的抨击。
  • Party activists with lower middle class pedigrees are numerous. 党的激进分子中有很多出身于中产阶级下层。 来自《简明英汉词典》
3 curb
n.场外证券市场,场外交易;vt.制止,抑制
  • I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
  • You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。
4 emissions
排放物( emission的名词复数 ); 散发物(尤指气体)
  • Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
  • Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。
5 catastrophe
n.大灾难,大祸
  • I owe it to you that I survived the catastrophe.亏得你我才大难不死。
  • This is a catastrophe beyond human control.这是一场人类无法控制的灾难。
6 visualized
直观的,直视的
  • I had visualized scientists as bearded old men. 我曾经把科学家想像成长满胡子的老人。
  • "I visualized mangled and inadequate branches for my fires. 我想像中出现了砍得乱七八糟的树枝子,供不上壁炉烧的。 来自名作英译部分
7 makers
n.制造者,制造商(maker的复数形式)
  • The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
  • The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》
8 coalition
n.结合体,同盟,结合,联合
  • The several parties formed a coalition.这几个政党组成了政治联盟。
  • Coalition forces take great care to avoid civilian casualties.联盟军队竭尽全力避免造成平民伤亡。
学英语单词
acoustic homing system
address matcher circuit
alphanumeric program
Anicetus
antirheumatoid drug
apparent turbulent stress tensor
aseptic filling
astronomic transit
atlee
automated batch mixing
Bac Giang, Tinh
bioconcentration
bistable polarization
branch coverage testing
brems
bus hut
cant rail
checking book
chrysanthemum leucanthemums
close-to-nature forestry
cobalt slass
coffee black beans
coodes
crested penguins
crystal-controlled
customer evaluation
daryosphere
diffused base transistor
distributed element
ditylenchus
externally-imposed
flower primordia
foresworn
full crystal
gateway charge
geographical classification of 8oils
guardlike
heteromorphic chromosomes
heterosperminous hybridization
histoimmunological
historical jurisprudence
horn cleat
hydroaluminations
iraqgates
knife tool
laughland
lent an ear to
liasons
limit of aperidicity
local buffer storage
lomasome
longitudinal dispersion
low transmission
mazatzal pk.
medical nomenclature
microcode assembler
mild-mannered
mine swept route
Mugila, Mts.
multispectral satellite data
noboes
obv
Osborne, L.
Paranari
patently
payment notice
Perisporiales
pick his steps
price plan
primary vaccination
protocollyris sauteri
pterygomandibular
Puusepp's reflex
raddicle
read-message
real-time data structure
recosting
reverse mottle
RNA probe
rosin adduct
scutellarin
segmented address space
spread for
sudor anglicus
Symes
symmetric game
tank clean-out opening
televisuality
the eight manifestations of infantile convulsion
theophanous
tisiyeh (tasiyeh)
torpedo bombardment aeroplane
tribenzylethyltin
trickle-irrigated
triphenoxazin
two for one twister
unquenches
versche
vica
wear resistant alloy steel
widely spaced stanchions
zapanta