Unit 13 We’re trying to save the earth!

P99 3b

Many have heard of shark’s fin soup. This famous and expensive dish is especially popular in southern China. But do you realize that you’re killing a whole shark each time you enjoy a bowl of shark’s fin soup?

When people catch sharks, they cut off their fins and throw the shark back into the ocean. Without a fin, a shark can no longer swim and slowly dies. This method is not only cruel, but also harmful to the environment. Sharks are at the top of the food chain in the ocean’s ecosystem. If their numbers drop too low, it will bring danger to all ocean life. Many believe that sharks can never be endangered because they are the strongest in their food chain. But in fact, around 70 million sharks are caught and traded in this industry every year. The numbers of some kinds of sharks have fallen by over 90 percent in the last 20 to 30 years.

Environmental protection groups around the world, such as WildAid and the WWF, are teaching the public about “finning”. They have even asked governments to develop laws to stop the sale of shark’s fins. So far, no scientific studies have shown that shark’s fins are good for health, so why eat them? Help save the sharks!

P100 4b

 

When it comes to saving the earth, people_______ think that big things_______ be done. However, many forget that saving the earth begins with small things. For example, you_______ save electricity by turning off the lights when you leave a room. You________ also use paper or reusable bags instead of plastic bags. In some stores, you now________pay for plastic bags. I think this is a great idea. And instead of driving to school or work, you__________ride your bike or walk. If it’s far, you_________ take the bus. All these small things__________ add up and become big things that_________ improve the environment. We cannot afford to wait any longer before taking action!

P102 2b

Rethink, Reuse, Recycle!

Do you oft en throw away things you don’t need anymore? Have you ever thought about how these things can actually be put to good use? Nothing is a waste if you have a creative mind.

You have probably never heard of Amy Hayes, but she is a most unusual woman. She lives in a house in the UK that she built herself out of rubbish.

The windows and doors come from old buildings around her town that were pulled down. The top of the house is an old boat turned upside down. And the gate in front of her house is made of rocks and old glass bottles. Amy recently won a prize from the Help Save Our Planet Society. The president said, “Amy is an inspiration to us all.”

Amy isn’t the only one who is good at recycling. Jessica Wong from Hong Kong uses old clothes that people don’t wear anymore to make bags. She has been doing this for a few years now. She opened a small shop where she sells her bags, and she has also set up a website to sell them online. She especially likes to use old jeans to make handbags. Her bags are cute and useful. “I plan to write a book about new ways to use old clothes,” she said. “I hope people can read my book and enjoy it!”

Wang Tao set up a small business in Shanghai four years ago. He is known for using iron and other materials from old cars to make beautiful art pieces. Some are large pieces that look like animals or humans, and some are smaller pieces you can put at home. The more popular works can even been seen in art shops around the city. Wang Tao hopes to set up a “metal art” theme park to show people the importance of environmental protection. Not only can the art bring happiness to others, but it also shows that even cold, hard iron can be brought back to life with a little creativity.

翻译：

Unit13 We’re trying to save the earth !

Section A 2d

采访者：贾森和苏珊，对于解决这些问题，你们有什么想法？

贾森：为了减少空气污染，我们应该乘坐公共汽车或者地铁，而不是开车。

苏珊：是的，或者骑自行车。骑自行车还有别的好处，它对健康有益而且不用花钱。

采访者：好主意！那么，垃圾污染呢？

苏珊：嗯，我认为一些生活小事有助于减少垃圾污染，比如自带袋子去购物。我去年就这样做了。 贾森：我也是。还有，我买外卖食品的时候，从来不拿一次性木筷或者塑料叉子。我用家里的餐具。苏珊：还要把垃圾扔进垃圾桶，保持公共场所的整洁和美丽，（这是）为了每个人。

采访者：所以，我们一起行动，就能影响他人，创造一个更美好的未来。

Section A ,3a

拯救鲨鱼

很多人都听说过鱼翅羹。这道昂贵又著名的菜在中国南方特别流行。但是每次当你喝鱼翅羹的时候，你是否意识到你杀了一整只鲨鱼？

当人们捕捉到鲨鱼的时候，他们切掉鲨鱼的鱼鳍，然后把它们扔回大海。失去鱼鳍的鲨鱼再也不能再水里游，会慢慢死去。这种做法不仅残忍，而且对环境有害。鲨鱼处于海洋生态系统食物链的顶端，如果他们的数量下降得太多，将会给所有的海洋生物带来危害。很多人认为鲨鱼永远不会濒临灭绝，因为他们是食物链的最强者。但事实上，每年有七百万的鲨鱼被捕杀和交易。在过去的 20 年到 30年，某些品种的鲨鱼数量下降了超过 90%。

世界各地的环保组织，如野生救援协会和世界自然基金会，都在向公众宣讲“猎翅的（残忍）行为。他们甚至已经呼吁政府立法停止鱼翅的销售。到目前为止，没有任何科学研究表明，鱼翅对健康有好处，那么为什么要吃他们呢？帮助拯救鲨鱼吧！ Section B , 2b

重新思考重新使用 重新利用

你经常扔掉你不在使用的东西吗？你是否曾想过这些东西还能很好地重新利用？如果你有一个充满创意的头脑，没有东西是废品。

你可能从来没听说过艾米.海斯，但她是一个非常不寻常的女性。她住在英国，房子是她自己用废弃物建造而成的。窗户和房门来自小镇周围拆毁的房子。房子的顶部是一条翻转过来的旧木船。房子的大门是岩石和旧玻璃瓶搭建的。艾米最近获得了 “救助我们的星球”协会颁发的奖项。协会主席说：“艾米给了我们所有人的一个启示！”

艾米不是唯一一个善于废物利用的人。来自香港的杰西卡.王常利用人们不再穿的旧衣服来制作背包，她已经这么做了好几年了。她开了一家小店出售她制作的包，还在网上出售它们。她特别喜欢用旧牛仔来制作手提包。她制作的包即可爱又实用。“我

计划写一本关于用新方法来改造旧衣服的书，”她说，

“我希望人们能阅读我的书并且喜欢它。”

四年前，王涛开始在上海经营小生意。他因使用旧车的钢铁和其他材料来制作艺术品而闻名。有些（艺术品）很庞大，看起来像动物或者人，有一些小块的可以摆放在家里。你甚至能在这个城市的艺术商店看到一些更受欢迎的作品。王涛希望能建立一个“金属艺术”主题公园，向人们展示环境保护的重要性。艺术不但可以给人们带来快乐，而且也说明只需要一点创造力，即便是冰冷、坚硬的铁也可产生活力。