2013-2014学年高中英语译林版必修五教师用书Unit+2　The+environment.docVIP

Unit 2　The environment 【美文阅读】 人类的贪婪是环境恶化的主要原因。然而，除此之外还有其他因素吗？ Is our environment being destroyed by greed? The environment has been suffering from all forms of damage；especially in recent years global warming seems to be the main problem.Many times，environmental worsening，in the form of running out of natural resources，and air，water and land pollution，is caused by the irresponsible behavior of humans.Nations，like the United States，set themselves above the ruin and damage of the environment.However，it will be unfair to state that environmental worsening is brought about only by greed.Other factors，such as the inability of some developing countries to find other choices of survival，also play a part in contributing to environmental problem. The state of the environment has been the concern of scientists in recent years.In the case of global warming，greed，in the sense of economic benefits of a country，actually contributes to the ruin of the environment.This is seen in the case of the United States refusal to carry out its agreement to the Kyoto Protocol(京都议定书)，where countries come together and help deal with the increasing emission of greenhouse gases.If the US agreed to it，it would mean that it has to cut back on its Gross Domestic Product(GDP)growth. Another reason for environmental worsening is that some developing countries have few or no other choices to making money for their survival.For example，slash-and-burn(刀耕火种)is the cheapest way for poor farmers even though it creates a serious environmental problem.Should they not practice slash-and-burn，they may not be able to clear the land in time for agricultural activities to support themselves and their family members.For them，environment concerns are secondary as compared to their survival. Therefore，to save the environment，everyone，be it young or old，rich or poor，should play a part in protecting the earth，as a collective effort definitely makes a big difference. 【诱思导学】 1．What are the forms of environmental worseni