step by step 2000 第三册 Unit 4 Earth and Environment.ppt

Unit 4 World News:Earth and Environment Part 1 1.??? The National Geographic Society(国家地理协会) just finished measuring Mount Everest（珠穆朗玛峰）and it is seven feet taller than was thought when it was last measured in the 1950s. In this case, a global positioning satellite put the precise height of the world’s tallest mountain at 29,035 feet. 2.??? New research on the likely impact of climate change suggests that damage to crops in low-lying coastal regions could be worse than previously thought. A draft report by leading climatologists（气候学家） predicts huge problems as a result of a falling crop yield in tropical and subtropical zones, and more floods and drought in temperate and humid regions. 3.??? More than 2,000 delegates from around the world have gathered in northern Brazil for the third United Nations Conference on Desertification(沙漠化). According to experts almost one-third of the world’s dry land is either desert or runs the risk of becoming so. More than 200 million people are directly affected. 4.??? The disappearance and deformity of amphibians (两栖类动物)such as frogs and salamanders（蝾螈）from rain forests and mountain lakes worldwide has attracted wide-spread scientific attention over the last decade. Now a new study says reptile species including turtles, snakes, and alligators(钝吻鳄)are in even greater trouble. Twice as many reptiles as amphibians, or some 100 species, are currently listed as endangered by the World Conservation Union(世界自然保护协会). The study says habitat loss and degradation, pollution, disease, climate change, and over-collection for food, pets and drugs are the major threat to reptiles（爬行动物）. 5.??? Four regional governors from Columbia, on a visit to Washington, have sharply criticized an American-backed aerial offensive to eradicate thousands of hectares of illegal coke and poppy（罂粟） plantations. At a news conference the governors called for a different approach in the fight against the illegal drugs trade, saying that the herbicides（除草剂） currently