科技英语阅读(健版).docVIP

PAGE \* MERGEFORMAT PAGE \* MERGEFORMAT 21 Unit 1 Environment Earth’s Health in Sharp Decline, Massive Study Finds 大规模研究发现：地球的“健康”每况愈下 The report card has arrived from the largest ever scientific Earth analysis, and many of the planet’s ecosystems are simply not making the grade. 有史以来对地球进行的最大规模的科学分析结果表明，地球上的许多生态系统都达不到标准。 The UN-backed Millennium Ecosystem Assessment Synthesis Report found that nearly two-thirds of Earth’s life-supporting ecosystems, including clean water, pure air, and stable climate, are being degraded by unsustainable use. 由联合国主持的《千年生态系统评估综合报告》指出，由于不可持续的使用，地球上将近三分之二的用来维持生命的生态系统（包括干净的水源、纯净的空气以及稳定的气候）正遭受破坏。 Human has caused much of this damage during the past half century. Soaring demand for food, fresh water, timber, fiber and fuel have led to dramatic environmental changes, from deforestation to chemical pollution, the report says. The already grim situation may worsen dramatically during the first half of the 21st century, the report’s authors warn. 以上大部分的破坏都是人类在过去的半个世纪里造成的。据报告分析，随着人类对食物、淡水、木材、纤维以及燃料等资源的需求日趋激增，环境发生了极大的变化，引发了诸如滥伐森林、化学污染等问题。因此，该报告的作者警告说，照此下去，本已岌岌可危的生态环境将会在21世纪的上半叶进一步恶化。 Over 1,300 governmental and private-sector contributors from 95 countries collaborated to create the landmark study. For four years they examined the plant’s many habitats and species and the systems that bind them together. The United Nations Environment Programme compiled the report and released the results yesterday in Beijing, China. 这项历史性的研究由来自世界95个国家的政府部门以及民间组织的1,300多位科学家共同完成。四年来，他们考察了地球上许多生物的生长环境、物种以及将他们联系起来的生态体系。联合国环境规划署对该报告进行了编辑整理并于昨天在中国北京公布了研究结果。 “Only by understanding the environment and how it works, can we make the necessary decisions to protect it,”UN Secretary General Kofi Annan said in a press statement accompanying the report’s release.“Only by valuing all our precious natural and human resources, can we hope to build a sustainable future.” 在公布该报告的新闻发布会上，联合国秘书长科菲·安南指出：“只有了解环境及其运作过程，我们才能制定出必要的措施加以保护它。”他还说，“只有珍惜所有宝贵的自然资源和人类资源，我们才有希望去建设一个可持续发展的未来