高中英语 Unit3《Travel journal》课件 必修1.pptVIP

China to Further Co-op with Mekong River Countries 　　The Mekong River(known in Tibet as Dza-chu, China as the Lancang River and Thailand as Mae Namkhong), is the longest river in Southeast Asia, running 4, 800 kilometers through six countries(China, Burma, Thailand, Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam). It is the lifeblood of Southeast Asia. The Mekong River Basin contains all the streams and rivers that flow into the Mekong River. From its headwaters thousands of meters high on the Tibetan Plateau, it flows through six distinct geographical regions, each with characteristic features of elevation, topography(地形学) and land cover. 　　The Mekong River has the beautiful natural scenery and rich resources in the world. The most abundant resources are water and biodiversity（生物多样性）. On average, 15, 000 cubic meters of water passes by every second. This water nourishes（滋养） large tracts of forest and wetlands which produce building materials, medicines and food, provides habitats for thousands of species of plants and animals and supports an inland capture fishery with an estimated commercial value of US 1. 45 billion dollars per year. Known mineral resources include tin, copper, iron ore, natural gas, potash and gem stones. The river has become a tourist route and major transport channel for oil, production and other commodities between China and members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). In the past five years, the river has carried up to two million tons of goods, representing trade worth more than 10 billion yuan (1. 28 billion US dollars). 　　However, because of the worse changes of the climate, Mekong also has witnessed the lowest water level in the past 50 years. The MRC(湄公河委员会)Summit has drawn a lot of attention since southwest China and some areas of the four MRCmembers—Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and Vietnam—have been suffering severe drought since 2009. Here, the annual dry season started much earlier than usual, dropping