unit 12 Ships in the desert 词汇

3)According to our guide, the biologist Tom Lovejoy, there are more different species of birds in each square mile of the Amazon than (s) exist in all of North America – which means we are silencing (v) thousands of songs we have never even heard. (O) 3）据给我禽鸟种类多于整个北美洲现存的禽鸟 种类——这就意味着我们正在使成千上万种我们从来没有听到过 的飞禽的歌声永远消失。
1)As it happens, some of the most disturbing images of environmental (s) destruction can be found exactly halfway between the North and South (v) poles -precisely at the equator in Brazil -where billowing clouds of (o) smoke regularly black-en the sky above the immense but now threatened Amazon rain forest. 1）凑巧的是，破坏生态环境的一些最典型的、最令人担忧的事 例刚好都发生在南北极正中间的地方——巴西境内的赤道带上— —那儿滚滚浓烟时常弥漫着辽阔但现又面临着破坏的亚马孙热带 雨林的上空。
now, with more than one Tennessee's worth of rain forest being slashed and burned each year. (v) 2）亚马孙雨林正被人们大片大片地烧毁，以便腾出空地作 饲养速食肉牛的牧场。我1989年初去那儿时得知，现在旱 季时节放火焚烧森林的时间正逐年提前，其结果是每年都 有面积比整个田纳西州还大的大片森林遭到砍伐焚烧。

Ships in the Desert 课文讲解/Detailed StudyShips in the DesertDetailed Study1. Ships in the Desert [im age-7]: Ships anchored in the desert. This is an eye-catching title and it gives an image that people hardly see. When readers read the title, they c an’t help wondering why and how. Paragraph 1. typical example of environmental destruction[image-7]2. capable of processing a fifty-ton catch on a good day: having the ability of cleaning and preparing for marketing or canning fifty-tons of fish on a productive day.catch: the am ount of som ething caught; in the sentence it refers to the am ount of fish caught e.g. The boat brought back a big catch of fish.3. but as I looked out over the bow, the prospects of a good catch looked bleak: a good catch did not look promising / hopeful.This is obviously an understatem ent because with sand all around there was no chance of catching fish, to say nothing of catching a lot of fish.bow[audio-1] : the front part of a shipant. sterncom pare: bow[audio-2]: v. & n. to bend the upper part of the body forward, as a way of showing respect, admitting defeat, etc.bow [audio-3]: n. a weapon for shooting arrowa long thin piece of wood with a tight string fastened along it, used for playing musical instruments that have stringsa knot form ed by doubling a string or cord into two curved pieces, and used for decoration in the hair, in tying shoes, etcbleak: a) If a situation is bleak, it is bad, and seem s unlikely to im prove.e.g. His future looked bleak.bleak prospect; the bleakness of the post war yearsb) If a place is bleak, it looks cold, bare, and unattractivee.g. the bleak coastlinec) When the weather is bleak, it is cold, dull, and unpleasante.g. the bleak wintersd) If som eone looks or sounds bleak, they seem depressed, hopeless, or unfriendlye.g. his bleak featuresbleakly adv.e.g. He stared bleakly ahead.―What,‖ he asked bleakly, ―are these?‖4. waves lapping against the side of the ship: waves touching the side of the ship gently and makes a soft sound lap can also be used as a noun.e.g. Your lap is the flat area form ed by your thighs when you are sitting down.Her youngest child was asleep in her lap.He placed the baby on the wom an’s lap.In a race, when you say that a com petitor has com pleted a lap when he or she has gone round the course race.5. as far as I could see in all direction: that extended as far as the eye could see;6. that stretched all the way to the horizon: that extended to the far off place where the sky m eet the earth7. com parable: som ething that is com parable to som ething else is a) as good as/ as big as/ as important as the other thing; b) similar to the other t hinge.g. This dinner is com parable to the best French cooking.Our house is not com parable with yours. Ours is just a sm all hut while yours is a palace.8. Now it is disappearing because the water that used to feed it has been diverted in an ill-considered irrigation schem e to grow cotton in the dessert: Now it is becoming sm aller and sm aller because the water that used to flow into the sea has been turned away to irrigate the land created in the desert to grow cotton. The schem e was an ill-conceived one because it failed to take into consideration the ecological effect.9. dock: v. anchor, m oorParagraph 2. thesis statem ent: travel around the world to check and study cases in order to find out the basic causes behind the environmental crisis [image-8]10. My search for the underlying causes of the environmental crisis has led me to travel around the world to examine and study m any of these im ages of destruction: I travelled around the world because I wanted to see, check and study cases of such destruction in order to find out the basic causes behind the environmental crisis.This sentence is the thesis statem ent, expressing the m ain idea and indicating the developm ent of a causal essay.images of destruction: typical exam ples of destruction11. the sun glaring at m idnight through a hole in the sky: the sun shining at midnight through the ozone depletion[image-9]midnight sun: phenom enon occurring only in the polar regionsa hole: ozone depletion 臭氧层空洞12. about the tunnel he was digging through time: about the tunnel he was drilling for samples from the glacier, which estim ates the tim e. The deeper he drilled, the farther the sample in time; in other words, the surface of the glacier [image-10] is an indication of recent tim e while the deeper part of the glacier tells of situation of a m uch m ore remote period.13. Slipping his parka back to reveal a badly burned face that was cracked and peeling [image-11]: Pushing his parka back, he revealed a badly burned face because of overexposure to direct sunlight; on the face there were lines that were split open and piec es of skin were coming down.parka: [image-12] n. waterproof jacket with a hood attached (as worn for skiing, mountain climbing, etc.)14. He moved his finger back in tim e to the ice of two decades ago: Following the layers of ice in the core sample, his finger cam e to the place where the layer of ice was form ed 20 years ago.15. two continents: South Am erica and Antarcti ca16. emission: the am ount of pollutants discharged17. least accessible place on earth: the place which is the m ost difficult to get to in the world Paragraph 3. the global warming seen in the Antarcti c [im age-13]18. Industry m eant coal: the developm ent of industry meant the use of large am ount of coal as fuel to generate power.19. bringing rising levels of carbon dioxide: ma king the amount of carbon dioxide in the atm osphere grow20. with its ability to trap m ore heat in the atm osphere and slowly warm the earth: heat cannot easily get through carbon dioxide and go into the high altitude so carbon dioxide plays the role of a cover, keeping the heat near the earth.21. the part after the dash (--) serves as an adverbial of result22. upwind from the ice runaway where the ski plane lands and keeps its engines running to prevent the metal parts from freeze-locking together, scientists m onitor the air several times every day to chart the course of that inexorable change: upwind from the ice runaway where the ski plane lands and keeps its engines running so that the m etal parts will not be frozen solid, scientists watch the air several tim es every day to m ark the course of that unalternable change.upwind: in the direction from which the wind is blowing or usually blowsice runway : runway is a strip of paved ground for use by airplanes in taking off and landing, and here in th e South Pole the runway is a strip of ice groundto prevent the m etal parts from freeze-locking together: to stop the m etal parts from being frozen solid monitor the air: watch or check on the airto chart the course: to show the onward m ovement on an outline mapinexorable: that cannot be changed; unalternablee.g. the inexorable rise in the cost of living23. graph: usually a m athematical diagramParagraph 4. a thinning cap as the result of Arctic air warm s [image-14]24. pitch: pitch a tent m eans put up a tente.g. They pitched their tent near the stream.They pitched their tent at the edge of the field.25. slab: A slab of som ething is a thick flat piece of it.e.g. a slab of rock; a concrete slab; a slab of cheese26. frigid: cold; icy; freezinge.g. frigid weather27. a hearty breakfast: a satisfying and rich breakfastto describe m eals: sumptuous dinner; humble bread and cheese; square m eal28. snowmobile [image-15]: a kind of m otor vehicle for traveling over snow, usually with steer able runners at the front and tractor treads at the rear29. rendezvous point: the place where a subm arine was to pick them uprendezvous: a) A rendezvous is a m eeting often a secret one, that you have arranged with someone for a particular tim e and place.e.g. We m ake a dawn rendezvous.b) A rendezvous is a place where you have arranged to m eet som ebody often s ecretly.e.g. I m et him at a secret rendezvous outside the city.30. hover: to wait close by, especially in an overprotective, insistent or anxious wayWhen a bird or insect hovers, it stays in the sam e position in the air by m oving its wings very quickly.If som ebody is hovering, they are waiting in one place, for example, because they cannot decide what to do.e.g. A figure hovered uncertainly in the doorway.31. After it crashed through the ice, took on its new passengers, and resubmerged: After it b roke through the ice, picked up it new passengers, and went below the surface of water againem erge: appearsubmerge: go below the surface of water32. the polar ice cap [im age-14]: 极地冰冠33. to secure the release of previously top secret data: to ensure the m aking public of data which was originally classified as top secret .34. from submarine sonar tracks: obtained from submarine sonar trackssonar: [U] (an acronym for sound navigation ranging) an apparatus using sound waves for finding the position of underwater objects, such as m ines or submarines声纳（利用声波探测如水雷或潜艇等的水底目标的仪器）Baiqi dolphins [image-16]:have sonar. Bats have sonar.35. and then I was standing in an eerily beautiful snowscape, windswept and sparkling white, with the horizon defined by l ittle hummocks, or ―pressure ridges‖ of ice that are pushed up like tiny m ountain ranges when separate sheets collide: and then I was standing in the vast scene of snow which was fearfully beautiful, windswept and shining white, with the stretch of ice field characterized by sm all ridges because of the force of the collision of the separate layers.eerily: m ysteriously or uncannily, especially in such a way as to frighten or disturbsnowscape: scene of snow. Com pare with landscape and seascape.windswept: swept by or exposed to windswith the horizon defined by little hummocks: with stretch of i ce field characterized by sm all ridges36. the ice here will thin: the ice here will becom e thin37. the consequences of a thinning cap could be disastrous: the result of a thinning cap m ay indicate the possibilities of disasterscould: the word indicates ―possibilities‖Paragraph 5. the rising tem perature of the earth[im age-17]38. Considering such scenarios is not a purely speculative exercise: Thinking about how a series of events might happen as a consequence of the thinning of the Polar cap is not just a kind of practice in conjecture / speculation, it has got practical value.scenario: a) an outline for an proposed or planned series of events, real or imagined 方案b) the scenario of a film is a piece of writing that gives an outline of the story 脚本speculative: m editating; thinking; pondering; guessing39. the pattern of ice distribution: the regular way ice is distributed40. a still controversial claim: a statem ent which som e scientists still do not completely accept41. which a variety of data now suggest: data coming from different sources point to this conclusion42. the Arctic Circle [im age-18]: an imaginary line drawn round the world at a certain distance from the most northern point (the North Pole), north of which there is no darkness for six months of each year and almost no light for the other six months. cf. the Antarcti c Circle43. tundra [image-19]: any of the vast, nearly level, treeless plains of the Arctic regionsParagraph 6. the disturbing images of environm ental destruction at the equator[image-20]44. billowing: large swelling m ass ofbillow v. When smoke or cloud billows, it m oves slowly upwards or across the sky45. Am azon rain forest[im age-21]: The Brazilian Amazon contains about a third of the Earth's remaining tropical forest and a very high portion of its biological diversity. One hectare (2.47 acres) of Am azonian moist forest contains more plant species than all of Europe. Yet still it is being destroyed just like other rainforests around the world.46. Acre by acre, the rain forest is being burned to create fast pasture for fast-food beef: Bit by bit trees in the rain forest are felled and the land is cleared and turned into pasture where cattle can be raised quickly and slaughtered and the beef can be used in hamburgers.Pay attention to the con nection of the two ―fasts‖ in fast pasture and fast food. With that com es the ―fast‖ disappearance of the rain forest.fast pasture for fast-food beef: alliteration47. the dry season: ant. in the wet season—the rainy seasonsimilarly: the football season, the breeding season, the planting season, the holiday season, the harvest season, the cold season, the tourist season, the gam e season, a season of filmin season: If a fruit or vegetable is in season, it is the tim e of year when it is tim e for eating a nd it’s widely available.Ant. be out of seasonseason v. e.g. season the food with salt48. with m ore than one Tennessee’s worth of rain forest being slashed and burned each year: the area of rain forest burned in one year is bigger than the state of Tennessee.worth: equal in area or sizeslash: cut with a sweeping strokeIf you slash something, you make a long, deep cut in it.e.g. Jack’s face had been slashed with broken glass.49. which m eans we are silencing thousands of songs we have never even heard: Since miles of forest are being destroyed and the habitat for these rare birds no longer exists, thousands of birds which we have not even had a chance to see will becom e extinct.Paragraph 7. images of destruction seen almost anywhere [image-22/noctilucent_clouds/pix.html ]50. Images that signal the distress of our global environment are now commonly seen almost anywhere: Typical examples showing the dangerous environmental situation in the world can be found almost anywhere.51. On some nights, in high northern latitudes, the sky itself offers another ghostly image that signals the loss of ecological balance now in progress: On som e nights, in the area at a high northern latitude, the sky alone presents another example of ill omen showing there is ecological imbalance and this kind of imbalance is developing.latitude (s): an area at a particular latitudein high northern latitude 在北纬高纬度地区cf. longitude经度52. blot out: hide entirely; obscureIf one thing blots out another thing, it is in front of the other thing and prevents it from being seen.e.g. The dust cloud blotted out the sun.53. This ―noctilucent cloud‖[image-22] occasionally appears when the earth is first cloaked in the evening darkness; shimmering above us with a translucent whiteness, these clouds seem quite unnatural: This ―luminous cloud‖ occasionally appears when the earth is first hidden in the evening darkness; shining unsteadily ab ove us with a partially transparent whiteness, these clouds don’t seem natural.noctilucent cloud: nocti- m eans night; lucent m eans shining, translucentdesignating or of a luminous cloud visible at nightto cloak: to conceal; hideshimmer: shine with an unsteady lighttranslucent: partially transparent54. because of a huge buildup of m ethane gas in the atm osphere: because there has been a big increase of m ethane gas in the at m osphere55. m ethane is released from landfills, from coal mines and rice paddies, from billons of term ites that swarm through the freshly cut forestland, from the burning of biomass and from a variety of other hum an activities: m ethane is emitted from garbage disposal, from coal mines and rice fields, from billions of termites （白蚁）[image-23]moving in large numbers through the freshly cut forestland, from the burning of am ount of living organism in a particular area and from a variety of other human activities.release: let go; em itswarm: to m ove in large numberse.g. As the fire spread, people cam e swarming out of the building.The photographers swarmed round her.56. Even though noctilucent clouds were som etimes seen in the past, all this extra m ethane carries m ore water vapor into the upper at m osphere, where it condenses at much higher altitudes to form m ore clouds that the s un’s rays still strike long after sunset has brought the beginning of night to the surface far beneath them: The implication is that the night com es earlier than the upper part. The balance between day and night is broken. altitudes: a high area e.g. At high altitudes it is difficult to breathe.Paragraph 8. human attitudes towards the im ages of destruction [imgage-24 ]57. What should we feel toward these ghosts in the sky: What should our attitude be toward these noctilucent clouds in the sky?58. Simple wonder or the mix of em otions we feel at the zoo: Should it only be a feeling of surprise and admiration or a com bination of different feelings we experience in the zoo?the mix of em otions we feel at the zoo: on the one hand we feel excited about seeing those animals, but on the other hand, we feel sorry for them because they have been deprived of freedom.59. Perhaps we should feel awe for our own power: Perhaps we should feel amazed and frightened at our own power.60. just as m en tear tusks from elephants’ heads in such quantity as to threaten the beast with extinction: m en are killing such large number of elephants for their tusks that the species will soon extinguish.61. we are ripping matter from its place in the earth in such volume as to upset the balance between daylight and darkens: we are using and destroying resources in such a big am ount that we are disturbing the balance between daylight and darkness.rip: tear; When you rip som ething or when it rips, it is torn violently.e.g. The poster had been ripped to pieces.Two of the canvas bags had been rippedin such volume: in such quantityupset: When the word is used as a verb or a predicative, the second syllable is stressed; When it is used as an adjective in an attributive position, the first syllable is stressed.e.g.: You are up`set. I’ve got an `upset stom ach.to upset the balance: to cause som ething to go wrong62. greenhouse gases, and is third only to carbon dioxide and water vapor in total volume: gases that will trap heat at the surface of the earth like a greenhouse and ranks third only to carbon dioxide and water vapor in total volum e. This means of all t he gases, water vapor occupies the largest portion, carbon dioxide the second. Methane-natural gas, greenhouse gases- the thirdgreenhouse: A greenhouse is a glass building in which you grow plants that need to be protected from cold weather, wind or frost. Here it’s a metaphor.third only to : similarly second only toe.g. He is second only to his elder brother.63. changing the chemistry of the upper at m osphere: changing the chem ical com position of the upper atm osphere64. But, without even considering that threat, shouldn’t it startle us that we have now put these cloudsin the evening sky which glisten with a spectral light? Or have our eyes adjusted so com pletely to the bright lights of civilization that we can’t see these clouds for what they are—a physical m anifestation of the violent collision between human civilization and the earth? These are two rhetorical questions.As for rhetorical questions, there’s no need to give the answer, and the answer is implied in the questions. If the rhetorical question is negative, the answer is positive and vice versa. So the first rhetorical question means it should s tartle us…; the second one m eans our eyes haven’t adjusted so com pletely to the bright lights of civilization that we can’t see….startle: to alarm suddenly or unexpectedlyglisten: to shine or sparkle with reflected light, as a wet or polished surfacespectral: like a ghost; ghostlyOr have our eyes adjusted so completely to the bright lights of civilization that we can’t see these clouds for what they are—a physical m anifestation of the violent collision between human civilization and the earth?: Or have we been so accustom ed to the bright electric lights that we fail to understand the threatening implication of these clouds / …we fail to understand that it is a glaring sign of the violent clash between human activity and nature?adjust (to) : to change so as to fit, conformsee : understandfor what they are: in their real light; the real nature ofmanifestation: displayParagraph 9. human’s puzzling response [image-25]65. Even though it is som etimes hard to see their m eaning, we have by now all witnes sed surprising experiences: Even though it is som etimes hard to understand the threat of these clouds, we have so far all seen surprising experiences.66. [surprising experience] whether it’s the frequency of days when the tem perature exceeds 100 degrees, the new speed with which the sun burns our skin, or the new constancy of public debate over what to do with growing m ountains of waste: whether it is the fact that recently there are m ore hot days when the tem perature is over 100 degrees Fahrenheit (=38 degree Celsius), or the fact the sun burns our skin m ore quickly in recent tim es, or the fact that the debate over the way of disposing of the growing am ount of waste matter com es up more frequently.67. But our response to these signals is puzzling: But our reaction to these signals is so baffling that it is difficult to understand.68. Why haven’t we launched a m assive effort to save our environment: Why haven’t we started a large-scale m ovement to save our environment?69. To com e at the question another way: To approach the question in a different way; to put the question differently70. Why do som e images startle us into immediate action and focus our attention on ways to respond effectively? : Why do some signs so alarm us that we immediately t ake action and concentrate on ways of dealing with them effectively?som e images: e.g. white pollution, (immediate action: stop producing)sandstorm (immediate action: plant grass and trees)71. And why do other images, though sometimes equally dramatic, produce instead a kind of paralysis, focusing our attention not on ways to respond but rather on som e convenient, less painful distraction? : And why do other signs, though sometimes no less striking, only cause a kind of loss and inactivity and we concentrate our attention not on the ways to deal with them but instead, on som e other substitutes which are easy to get and less painful?other images: e.g. gases from cars (distraction: people still want cars, and have an easy and less painful way to deal with this issue, say, it’s a natural cycle, not because of hum an activities)Paragraph 10. the importance of organizing our thoughts [im age-26 ]72. it m ay be helpful to classify them and thus begin to organize our thoughts and feelings so that we may be able to respond appropriately: it m ay be useful to arrange them into differe nt groups, thus getting our thoughts and feelings straightened out / organized so that we will be able to take the m ost suitable action.Paragraph 11. the military system: ―local‖ skirmishes, ―regional‖ battles, and ―strategic‖ conflicts [image-27]73. theater: scene of operatione.g. This was the Pacific theatre of World War II.这里是第二次世界大战的太平洋战区。

In the scorching desert, one can always find sand ships passing by in the silent night.Sand ships are a unique feature of the desert, a kind of common transportaion specifically used in desert areas. Most of them are made of carpets, which can be spread out on the sand like a sailboat, allowing people to ride on them for a long distance. Some are also made of cloth, sheepskin and other materials according to their preferences.The most special thing about sand ships is that they are heading east and west in the desert like ghosts in the middle of the night. No one can know exactly where they are heading or what they are looking for, except that they are travelling between the east and the west, like the wind in the desert, blurring and disappearing in the darkness.Although sand ships seem to be out of place in the desert, they are an indispensable part of its ecosystem. Under such a harsh climate, sand ships have become an important means of transportation in some remote desert areas. It saves time, money and trouble as well as reduce the difficulty of travelling in the desert.In the desert night,the figure of sand ships never stops passing by. They always representing the endless beauty and mystery of the desert.在灼热的沙漠中，人们总能在寂静的夜晚找到过往的沙船。

LANGUAGE POINTS – PARA. 1
look out:



1.当心 2. 朝…外看 3. He looked out some detective story books for his friend. 他为朋友挑选了几本侦探小说。


4. My window looks out into a street. 我的窗户面对着一条街。
one place We anchored off the coast of Spain.
我们在西班牙沿海抛锚停泊。
2) to fasten something firmly so that it cannot move 把… 系住；使稳住；使固定 The shelves should be securely anchored to the wall. 3) anchorman a man who is the main news reader on a television or radio news programme 新闻节目主播


bleak: not hopeful; bare or empty; cold.


bleak: a) If a situation is bleak, it is bad, and seems unlikely to improve. e.g. His future looked bleak. the bleakness of the post war years b) If a place is bleak, it looks cold, bare, and unattractive e.g. the bleak coastline c) When the weather is bleak, it is cold, dull, and unpleasant e.g. the bleak winters d) If someone looks or sounds bleak, they seem depressed, hopeless, or unfriendly e.g. his bleak features