1. An Integrated English Course Book 2 Unit Thirteen

2. Learning Objectives By the end of this unit, you are supposed to By the end of this unit, you are supposed to understand the main idea, structure of the text and the author’s writing style understand the main idea, structure of the text and the author’s writing style master the key language points and grammatical structures in the text master the key language points and grammatical structures in the text know something more about greenhouse effect, global warming and the environmental problems. know something more about greenhouse effect, global warming and the environmental problems.

3. Teaching Procedure Pre-reading Questions Text I. Focus on Global Warming ● Passage ● Structure analysis ● Main idea of the passage ● Language points ● sentence studies ● sentence studies ● vocabulary studies ● vocabulary studies Text II. The Villain in the Atmosphere

4. Pre-reading Questions What do you know about global warming? What is the cause of global warming? What do you know about global warming? What is the cause of global warming? Global warming is one of the most serious challenges facing us today. It is reported that the Earth ’ s mean surface temperature has risen by about 1 degree Fahrenheit in the past century, with accelerated warming during the past two decades. As a result, global warming is heavily attributable to human activities, which led to the increase concentration of carbon dioxide.

5. What changes could the greenhouse effect create in the Earth ’ s climate? What changes could the greenhouse effect create in the Earth ’ s climate? The greenhouse effect is referred to as the rise in global temperature resulting from excessive absorption of infrared radiation. Under the influence of the greenhouse effect, the Earth ’ s surface temperature is increasing, so that the snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere and floating ice in the Arctic Ocean have decreased.

6. Can you give some suggestions for tackling the greenhouse effect? Can you give some suggestions for tackling the greenhouse effect? Use public transportation, walk or cycle to school or work Use renewable energy sources – like solar heat Switch from coal and oil to natural gas in power plants and factories, for natural gas release the least amount of carbon dioxide.

7. Text I Focus on Global Warming Twenty-five years ago if you made a trip to the local library and perused the periodical section for articles on global warming, you ’ d probably have come up with only a few abstracts from hardcore science journals for maybe a blurb in some esoteric geopolitical magazine. As an internet search on global warming now attests, the subject has become as rooted in our public consciousness as Madonna or microwave cooking. perusedperiodicalabstracts hardcorejournalsblurbesotericAs an internet search on global warming now attests, the subject has become as rooted in our public consciousness as Madonna or microwave cooking. Perhaps all this attention is deserved. With the possible exception of another world war, a giant asteroid, or an incurable plague, global warming may be the single largest threat to our planet. For decades human factories and cars have spewed billions of tons of greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, and the climate has begun to show some signs of warming. Many see this as a harbinger of what is to come. If we don ’ t curb our greenhouse gas emissions, then low-lying nations could be awash in seawater, rain and drought patterns across the world could change, hurricanes could become more frequent, and El Ninos could become more intense.asteroidharbingeremissionslow-lyingEl Ninos

8. Our Warming Planet What has worried many people now is that over the past 250years humans have been artificially raising the concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Our factories, power plants, and cars burn coal and gasoline and spit out a seemingly endless stream of carbon dioxide. We produce millions of pounds of methane by allowing our trash to decompose in landfills and by breeding large herds of methane-belching cattle. Nitrogen- based fertilizers, which we use on nearly all our crops, release unnatural amounts of nitrogen oxide into the atmosphere. power plants spit outcarbon dioxidemethanetrashdecomposelandfills breedingmethane-belchingNitrogen-fertilizersnitrogen oxide power plants spit outcarbon dioxidemethanetrashdecomposelandfills breedingmethane-belchingNitrogen-fertilizersnitrogen oxide Once these carbon-based greenhouse gases get into the atmosphere, they stay there for decades or longer. According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), since the industrial revolution, carbon dioxide levels have increased 31percent and methane levels have increased 151 percent. Paleoclimate readings taken from fossil records show that these gases, two of the most abundant greenhouse gases, are at their highest levels in the past 420,000 years. Many scientists fear that the increased concentrations of greenhouse gases have prevented additional thermal radiation from leaving the earth. In essence, these gases are trapping excess heat in the Earth ’ s atmosphere in much the same way that a windshield traps solar energy that enters a car. the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the industrial revolution Paleoclimatethermalwindshieldthe Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), the industrial revolution Paleoclimatethermalwindshield

9. Much of the available climate data appear to back these fears. Temperature data gathered from many different sources all across the globe show that the surface temperature of the Earth, which includes the lower atmosphere and the surface of the ocean, has risen dramatically over several decades. Worldwide measurements of sea level show a rise of 0.1 to 0.2 meters over the last century. That ’ s an increase of roughly 1 ℃ every 4,000 years. Readings gathered from glaciers reveal a steady recession of the world ’ s continental glaciers. Taken together, all of these data suggest that over the last century the planet has experienced the largest increase in surface temperature in 1,000 years. recession Not surprisingly, many scientists speculate that such changes in the climate will probably result in hotter days and fewer cool days. According to the IPCC, land surface areas will increase in temperature over the summer months much more than the ocean. The mid-latitude to high-latitude regions in the Northern Hemisphere- area such as the continental United States, Canada, and Siberia- will likely warm the most. These regions could exceed mean global warming by as much as 40 percent. speculatemid-latitude Hemisphere-speculatemid-latitude Hemisphere-

10. As far as human health is concerned, those hit hardest will probably be residents of poorer countries that do not have the funds to fend against changes in climate. A slight increase in heat and rain in equatorial regions would likely spark an increase in vector-borne diseases such as malaria. More intense rains and hurricanes could cause more severe flooding and more deaths in coastal regions and along riverbeds. Even a moderate rise in sea level could threaten the coastlines of low-lying islands such as the Maldives. All across the globe, hotter summers could lead to more cases of heat stroke and deaths among those who are vulnerable, such as older people with heart problems. The warmer temperatures may also lead to higher levels of near-surface ozone from cars and factories, which would likely cause more perilous air quality days and hospital admissions for those with respiratory problems. fend sparkvector-bornemalariaMaldivesheat stroke vulnerableozonerespiratoryfend sparkvector-bornemalariaMaldivesheat stroke vulnerableozonerespiratory Taking Actions Fortunately, we can take actions to slow global warming. Global warming results primarily from human activities that release heat-trapping gases and particles into the air. The most important causes include the burning of fossil fuels such as coal, gas, and oil, and deforestation. To reduce the emission of heat- trapping gases like carbon dioxide, methane, and nitrous oxide, we can curb our consumption of fossil fuels, use technologies that reduce the amount of emissions wherever possible, and protect the forests in the world.

11. We can also do things to mitigate the impacts of global warming and adapt to those most likely to occur, e.g., through careful planning and other strategies that reduce our vulnerability to global warming. mitigateimpactsmitigateimpacts But we can ’ t stop there. We are also advocating policies that will combat global warming over the long term, things like using clean cars that run on alternative fuels, environmentally responsible renewable energy technologies, and stopping the clear-cutting of valuable forests. alternative Clearly, global warming is a huge problem. It will take everyone- governments, industry, communities and individuals working together to make a real difference. Fortunately you can be part of them.

12. Structural Analysis The text can be naturally divided into three parts: Part One: (Paragraphs 1-2) As an introduction part, the author mentions how global warming, which used to be a topic of academic journals, has become a matter of increasing public concern.

13. Part Two: (Paragraphs 3-7) Under the subtitle of “ Our Warming Planet ”, consists of three sub-ideas – the causes of the rising concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere (Paragraphs 3-4), the effect of such concentration on climate changes (Paragraphs5- 6), and the potential threat of global warming to human health and survival (paragraph 7).

14. Part Three: (Paragraphs 8-11) Under the subtitle “ Taking Actions ” indicates, it puts forward some suggestions on what could be done to deal with the problem.

15. Main idea of the text: The text is mainly concerned about the global warming problem. The second part of the text centers on the causes of global warming by three sub-ideas: the increasing concentration of greenhouse gases; the effect of such concentration on climate changes and the potential threat of global warming to human health and survival. Of course, the author still take optimistic attitude toward coping with the problems in the future.

16. Language points 1. Rooted a. (suffix) firmly fixed and unchangeable e.g. He had a deeply-rooted belief in free trade. 2. Deserve v. to be worthy of to be worthy of e.g. I ’ m glad she got the first prize at the English Speech Contest – she thoroughly deserved it. I said some cruel things to him, but he deserved it for the way he treated me. Deserving a. e.g. The money is only given to the most deserving cases – to the people who need it most. Spew v. to pour out, esp. quickly and violently e.g. One engine of the plane caught fire and spewed black smoke. He spewed forth what he had recently learned about the true facts.

17. Curb v. to stop something that is harmful to stop something that is harmful e.g. This government had made pioneering strides towards curbing air pollution. Concentration n. the direction of attention on something the direction of attention on something Concentrate (on) v. e.g. School science courses, I remember, concentrated on the unimportant parts of science, leaving major insights almost untouched. Abundant a. more than enough more than enough Abundance n. e.g. Timber was one commodity which the country possessed in great abundance.

18. Result in v-phrase to have as a result, to lead to, to cause e.g. Americans believe if you are not moving ahead, you are falling behind. This attitude resulted in a nation of people committed to researching, experimenting and exploring. Exceed v. to be greater than, as in quantity or degree e.g. America ’ s chemical exports are to exceed imports this year. According to the law of this country, working hours must not exceed 42 hours a week. Take action v-phrase to begin to act e.g. If you have already paid the amount shown on this bill, you need take no further action. Result from v-phrase to happen as a result of e.g. The organizers of the party are being held legally responsible for damages resulting from the fire.

19. Occur v. to happen e.g. Tornadoes occur when a warm weather front meets a body of very cold air. Occurrence n. e.g. The drug is being tested to assess the occurrence of the side effect. Advocate v. to support e.g. Some extremists are now openly advocating violence. Combat v. to fight against e.g. The president emphasized the importance of combating international terrorism. The government sees price controls as a way to combat inflation.

20. Words and Expressions Peruse v. (fml.) to read through carefully Periodical n. a regularly published magazine, esp. one of a serious kind Abstract n. 摘要 Hardcore a. often (derog.) very strongly following a particular belief Journal n. a serious magazine, usu. Produced by a specialist society Blurb n. a short description of the contents of a book, printed on the cover or in the advertisement Esoteric a. known only by a few people Attest v. to declare to be true Asteroid n. one of many small planets between the Mars and the Jupiter Harbinger n. something that indicates or foreshadows what is to come back to the text back to the text

21. Emission n. the act of sending forth; discharge Low-lying a. (of land) not much above the level of the sea Awash a. level with and washed over by waves El Nino n. 厄尔尼诺现象 Power plant: a plant that produces electric power Spit out to flow out suddenly or violently Carbon dioxide 二氧化碳 Methane 沼气，甲烷 Trash n. something of extremely low quality or value Decompose v. to (cause to )decay Landfill n. 废渣填埋地 Breed v. to produce; to cause Belch v. to come forth, to send forth; to send out gas noisily from the stomach through the mouth Nitrogen n. 氮 Fertilizer n. any substance to make the soil more fertile Back to the text Back to the text

22. Nitrogen oxide 氧化氮 Paleoclimate n. 古气候，地质气候 Thermal a. of or caused by heat Windshield n. 挡风玻璃 Recession n. the act of receding; a period of reduced trade and business activity Speculate v. to guess Latitude n. the angular distance of a place north or south of the earth ’ s equator, usu. Expressed in degrees 纬度 Hemisphere n. a half of the Earth Fend v. to keep or push away Spark v. to give out sparks; to stimulate or activate Vector n. （传播疾病的）媒介昆虫 Malaria n. 疟疾 Back to the text Back to the text

23. Maldives n. 马尔代夫（群岛） Heat stroke : a sometimes severe condition of fever and weakness caused by too much heat 中暑 Vulnerable a. weak and easily affected by illness Ozone n. 臭氧 Respiratory a. connected with breathing Mitigate v. to make an unpleasant situation or its effect less serious and less difficult to bear Impact n. a strong influence or effect produced by an idea, invention, etc. Alternative a. other, different from the usual Back to the text Back to the text

24. Notes for Text I. As an Internet … as Madonna or microwave cooking An Internet search on global warming proves that the subject has got fixed in people ’ s mind, just like Madonna and microwave cooking. IPCC recognizing the problem of potential global climate change, the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme established the IPCC in 1988. it is open to all members of the UNEP and WMO. The role of the IPCC is to assess the scientific, technical and socio-economic information relevant for the understanding of the risk of human-induced climate change. It does not carry out research nor does it monitor climate-related data or other relevant parameters. It bases its assessment mainly on per reviewed and published scientific/technical literature. recognizing the problem of potential global climate change, the World Meteorological Organization and the United Nations Environment Programme established the IPCC in 1988. it is open to all members of the UNEP and WMO. The role of the IPCC is to assess the scientific, technical and socio-economic information relevant for the understanding of the risk of human-induced climate change. It does not carry out research nor does it monitor climate-related data or other relevant parameters. It bases its assessment mainly on per reviewed and published scientific/technical literature. The industrial revolution The change in social and economic organization resulting from the replacement of hand tools by machinery and the development of large-scale industrial production in Britain in the 60s of the 18th century.

25. Text II. The Villain in the Atmosphere Isaac Asimov The villain in the atmosphere is carbon dioxide. It does not seem to be a villain. It is not very poisonous and it is present in the atmosphere in so small a quantity that it does us no harm. For every 1,000,000 cubic feet of air there are only 340 cubic feet of carbon dioxide – only 0.034 percent. What ’ s more, that small quantity of carbon dioxide in the air is essential to life. Plants absorb carbon dioxide and convert it into their own tissues, which serve as the basic food supply for all of animal life (including human beings, of course). In the process, they liberate oxygen, which is also necessary for all animal life. But here is what this apparently harmless and certainly essential gas is doing to us: The sea level is rising very slowly from year to year. The high tides tend to be progressively higher, even in quiet weather, and storm batter at breakwaters more and more effectively, erode the beaches more savagely, batter houses father inland. In all likelihood, the sea level will continue to rise and do so at a greater rate in the course of the next hundred years. This means that the line separating ocean from land will retreat inland everywhere. It will do so only slightly where highland abuts the ocean. In those places, however, where there are low-lying coastal areas (where a large fraction of humanity lives) the water will advance steadily and inexorably and people will have to retreat inland.

26. Virtually all of Long Island will become part of the shallow offshore sea bottom, leaving only a line of small islands running east to west, marking off what had been the island ’ s highest points. Eventually the sea will reach a maximum of two hundred feet above the present water level, and will be splashing against the windows along the twentieth floors of Manhattan ’ s skyscrapers. Naturally the Manhattan streets will be deep under water, as will the New Jersey shoreline and all of Delaware. Florida, too, will be gone, as will much of the British lows, the northwestern European coast, the crowded Nile Valley. And the low-lying areas of China, India, and the Soviet Union. It is not only that people will be forced to retreat by the millions and that many cities will be drowned, but much of the most productive farming areas of the world will be lost. Although the change will not be overnight, and though people will have time to leave and carry with them such of their belongings as they can, there will not be room in the continental interiors for all of them. As the food supply plummets with the ruin of farming areas, starvation will be rampant and the structure of society may collapse under the unbearable pressures. And all because of carbon dioxide. But how does that come about? What is the connection? It begins with sunlight, to which the various gases of the atmosphere (including carbon dioxide) are transparent. Sunlight, striking the top of the atmosphere, travels right through miles of it to reach the Earth ’ s surface, where it is absorbed. In this way the Earth is warmed.

27. The Earth ’ s surface doesn ’ t get too hot, because at night the Earth ’ s heat radiates into space in the form of infrared radiation. As the Earth gains heat by day and loses it by night, it maintains an overall temperature to which earthly life is well-adapted. However, the atmosphere is not quite as transparent to infrared radiation as it is to visible light. Carbon dioxide in particular tends to be opaque to that radiation. Less heat is lost at night, for that reason, than would be lost if carbon dioxide were not present in the atmosphere. Without the small quantity of that gas present, the Earth would be distinctly cooler on the whole, perhaps a bit uncomfortably cool. Less heat is lost at night, for that reason, than would be lost if carbon dioxide were not present in the atmosphereLess heat is lost at night, for that reason, than would be lost if carbon dioxide were not present in the atmosphere This is called the “ greenhouse effect ” of carbon dioxide. It is so called because the glass of greenhouse lets sunshine in but prevent the loss of heat. For that reason it is warm inside a greenhouse on sunny days even when the temperature is low. We can be thankful that carbon dioxide is keeping us comfortably warm, but the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is going up steadily and that is where the villain comes in. in 1958, when the carbon dioxide of the atmosphere first began to be measured carefully, it made up only 0.0316 percent of the atmosphere. Each year since, the concentration had crept upward and it now stands at 0.0340 percent, or nearly twice what it is now. This means that in the coming decades, the Earth ’ s average temperature will go up slightly. Winters will grow a bit milder on the average and summers a bit hotter. That may not seem frightening. Milder winters don ’ t seem bad, and as for hotter summers, we can just run our air-conditioners a bit more. But consider this: if winters in general grow wilder, less snow will fall during the cold season. If summers in general grow hotter, more snow will melt during the warm season. That means that, little by little, the snow line will move away from the equator and toward the poles. The glaciers will retreat, the mountain tops will grow more bare, and the polar ice caps will begin to melt.

28. That might be annoying to skiers and to other devotees of winter sports, but would it necessarily bother the rest of us? After all, if the snow line moves north it might be possible to grow more food in Canada, Scandinavia, the Soviet Union, and Patagonia. Still, if the cold weather moves poleward, then so do the storm belts. The desert regions that now exist in subtropical areas will greatly expand, and fertile land gained in the north will be lost in the south. More may be lost than gained. It is the melting of the ice caps, though that is the worst change. It is this which demonstrates the villainy of carbon dioxide. Something like 90 percent of the ice in the world is to be found in the huge Antarctica ice cap, and another 8 percent is in the Greenland ice cap. In both places the ice is piled miles high. If these ice caps begin to melt, the water that forms them won ’ t stay in place. It will drip down into the ocean and slowly the sea level will rise, with the results that I have already described. Even worse might be in storeEven worse might be in store, for a rising temperature would manage to release a little of the carbon dioxide that is tied up in vast quantities of limestone that exist in the Earth ’ s crust. It will also liberate some of the carbon dioxide dissolved in the ocean with still more carbon dioxide, the temperature of the Earth will creep upward a little more and release still more carbon dioxide. Even worse might be in store All this is called the “ runaway greenhouse effect ”, and it may eventually make the Earth an uninhabitable planet. “ runaway greenhouse effect “ runaway greenhouse effect But as you see, it is not carbon dioxide in itself that is the source of the trouble; it is the fact that the carbon dioxide concentration in the atmosphere id steadily rising and seems to be doomed to continue rising. Why is that?

29. To blame are two factors. First of all, in the last few centuries, first coal, then oil and natural gas, have been burned for energy at a rapidly increasing rate. The carbon contained in these fuels, which has been safely burned underground for many millions of years, is now being burned to carbon dioxide and poured into the atmosphere at a rate of many tons per day. Some of that additional carbon dioxide may be absorbed by the soil or by the ocean, and some might be consumed by plant life, but the fact is that a considerable fraction of it remains in the atmosphere. It must, for the carbon dioxide content of the atmosphere is going up year by year. To make matters worse, the Earth ’ s forests have been disappearing, slowly at first, but in the last couple of centuries quite rapidly. Right now it is disappearing at the rate of sixty-four acres per minute. Whatever replaces the forest – grasslands or farms or scrub – produces plants that do not consume carbon dioxide at a rate equal to that of forest. This not only is more carbon dioxide being added to the atmosphere through the burning of fuel but as the forests disappear, less carbon dioxide is being subtracted from the atmosphere by plants. But this gives us a new perspective on the matter. The carbon dioxide is not rising by itself. It is people who are burning the coal, oil, and gas, because of their need for energy. It is people who are cutting down the forests, because of their need for farmland. And the two are connected, for the burning of coal and oil is producing acid rain which helps destroy the forests. It is people, then who are the villains.

30. What is to be done? First, we must save our forests, and even replant them. From forests, properly conserved, we get wood, chemicals, soil retention, ecological health – and a slowdown of carbon dioxide increase. Second, we must have new sources of fuel. There are after all fuels that do not involve the production of carbon dioxide. Nuclear fission id one of them, and if that is deemed too dangerous for other reasons, there is the forthcoming nuclear fusion, which may be safer. There is also the energy of waves, tides, wind, and the Earth ’ s interior heat. Most of all, there is the direct use of solar energy. All of this will take time, work, and money, to be sure, but all that time, work, and money will be invested in order to save our civilization and our planet itself. After all, humanity seems to be willing to spend more time, work, and money in order to support competing military machines that can only destroy us all. Should we begrudge less time, work, and money in order to save us all?

31. Main idea of Text II. The text tells about the villain in the atmosphere. The write firstly introduces the functions of carbon dioxide to the environment and then the bad influence it might bring to human beings. Later, the writer analyzes the causes of the increase of carbon dioxide which lead to the true villain in the atmosphere – human beings themselves.

32. Topics for discussion What does the word “ Villain ” in the title refer to? What does the word “ Villain ” in the title refer to? Carbon dioxide. It causes the sea level to rise continually and force mankind to retreat inland. It leads to the loss of much of the most productive farming areas of the world, which means that starvation is in store. It generates the “ greenhouse effect ”, keeping the global temperature on the rise.

33. What is “ greenhouse effect ” ? What is “ greenhouse effect ” ? Less heat is lost at night because of the presence of carbon dioxide, which makes the Earth warmer. This is just like a greenhouse, which lets in sunshine but prevents the loss of heat, resulting in a rise of the temperature inside it.

34. Notes for Text II. Less heat is lost at night, … than would be … Less heat is lost at night, … than would be … The subject in the dependent clause after “ than ” is often omitted. Back to the text Back to the textBack to the text Even worse might be in store … Even worse might be in store … Something worse might happen in the near future. Back to the text Back to the text Runaway greenhouse effect Runaway greenhouse effect It means such greenhouse effect as develops quickly and cannot be controlled Back to the text Back to the text