研究生英语精读教程[上册]Unit 5.ppt

《研究生英语精读教程》(第三版·上);Unit Five;The End Is Not at Hand;impending adj. (of something unpleasant) about to happen行将发生的 catastrophe△ n. disaster灾难 aura n. an effect or feeling that seems to surround and come from a person or place气氛;It also typifies environmentalisms rhetorical excesses, which, in any other context, would be seen as wild exaggeration* or simple dishonesty. [ 2 ] Up to a point, our environmental awareness has checked a mindless enthusiasm for unrestrained economic growth.;We have sensibly curbed* some of growths harmful side effects. But environmentalism increasingly resembles a holy crusade* addicted to hype* and ignorant of history. ;Every environmental ill is depicted* as an onrushing calamity* that—if not stopped will end life as we know it. [ 3 ] Take the latest scare: the greenhouse effect①. We re presented with the horrifying specter* of a world that incinerates* itself.;Act now, or sizzle* later. Food supplies will wither. Glaciers* will melt. Coastal areas will flood. In fact, the probable losses from any greenhouse warming are modest*: 1 to 2 percent of our economys output by the year 2050, estimates economist William Cline①.;The loss seems even smaller compared with the expected growth of the economy (a doubling) over the same period. [ 4 ] No environmental problem threatens the planet or rates with the danger of a nuclear war.;No oil spill ever caused suffering on a par with* todays civil war in Yugoslavia, which is a minor episode* in human misery. World WarⅡ left more than 35 million dead. Cambodias civil war resulted in 1 million to 3 million deaths.;The great scourges* of humanity remain what they have always been: war, natural disaster, oppressive government, crushing poverty and hate. On any scale of tragedy, environmental distress is a featherweight*.;[ 5 ] This is not an argument for indifference or inaction. It is an argument for perspective and balance. You can believe (as I do) that the possibility o