1. 污染

pollute = contaminate

pollution = contamination 污染

pollutant 常pl.

environmental hazards

serious/severe/grave/grievous pollution严重的污染

1.1 大气污染

car exhaust fumes 汽车尾气

è acid rain 酸雨

è ozone hole 臭氧层空洞

emissions of carbon dioxide 二氧化碳排放 

emitter 排放者（比如国家、比如用电器）

è greenhouse gases

è global warming

1.2 水污染

Effluents/sewage discharged from chemical factories从化学工厂排出、释放出的污水

exert profound/far-reaching/significant impacts on people and future generations 深远的影响

deteriorate 恶化 è ecological deterioration (environmental problem)

Relations between the Thai government and the red shirt protesters have deteriorated sharply in recent weeks.

aggravate 使…变得严重 ≈ exacerbate

Excessive and random lumbering aggravates water loss and soil erosion.

2. 环保、保护环境

protect/preserve/conserve the environment

environmental protection/preservation/conservation

ecological conservation …

sth. is environment-friendly = environmentally friendly

eco-friendly 有益于环保的

environment-friendly sources of energy

environmentalist

我们能做些什么？

1.1 环保能源

我们应该提倡开发和使用环保能源。

We should promote/advocate the development as well as the use of eco-friendly sources of energy.

solar energy

wind energy

tidal power

hydroelectric power

nuclear power/radiation

geothermal energy (i.e. Iceland)

If the nuclear material falls to the hands of terrorists, there will be unimaginable disasters.

1.2 化石能源 fossil fuels

coal

petroleum (BrE)/ oil/ petrol/ gasoline(AmE)

natural gas

Carbon dioxide is produced in huge amounts when fossil fuels are burned.

The deposits/reserves of fossil fuels are limited, which means that they will be used up one day in the future.

2.1 节能用品

节能灯

energy-saving lamp

塑料袋

(ban) plastic bags

2.2 不环保、不节能的用品

disposable plastic bags

disposable chopsticks

sewage disposal 废水处理

throw-away lunchboxes

白色污染产生的垃圾

inorganic trash

wastes that cannot decompose or break down

degrade 有降解的意思，但是degradation没有。

non-biodegradable garbage

塑料袋的使用

Nowadays, Chinese people use up to three billion plastic bags a day. While being very convenient to shoppers, plastic bags also cause serious “white pollution” and waste resources.

限塑令

ban on free plastic bags

limiting the use of plastic bags

例句

As we all know, China begins to limit the use of plastic bags from June 1, 2008.

From June 1st, 2008, shops and supermarkets are forbidden from offering free plastic bags to customers, according to a new law. A nationwide campaign against plastic bags has been launched.

限塑令

China’s limiting of the use of plastic bags has cut crude oil （原油）consumption last year, according to the National Development and Reform Commission (NDRC).

限塑令

Since June 1, 2008, consumption of plastic bags in supermarkets has been cut by about 2/3. This has saved about 2.4 to 3 million tons of crude oil and cut 7.6 to 9.6 million tons of carbon dioxide emissions, the NDRC said.

* NDRC = 中国国家发改委National Development and Reform Commission

3. 公共交通工具

means of transport

transportation tools/vehicles

为了缓解交通压力和减少环境污染，公共交通应该被提倡广泛使用。

Public transportation vehicles should be encouraged to use for the sake of relieving the traffic congestion and reducing/alleviating environmental pollution/contamination.

4. 培养环保意识

awareness/consciousness of sth./doing sth.

家庭中的每一个成员包括孩子都应该培养环保意识。

The consciousness of environmental conservation should be developed/cultivated in every one of us in the household including children.

* 政府的宣传：awareness campaign

5. 所有国家需联合起来

Countries on this planet must join forces / make a concerted effort / unite to (联合起来) combat /tackle / resolve/ address (解决) environmental problems.

5. 所有国家需联合起来

只有经过长期的共同努力，我们才能解决环境问题。

It calls for long-term concerted efforts before we can address environmental hazards.

例题：The increase in the production of consumer goods results in damage to the natural environment. What are the causes of this? What can be done to solve this problem?

Cause 2:

From the perspective of consumers, they produce more greenhouse gases than ever before. With the traditional age of temperance ushered out by a new era of hedonism, the popularity enjoyed by various consumer goods actually demonstrates a high consumption demand of people. To afford better consumer products or even an extravagant lifestyle, working people would devote more time to their workplace, which consumes enormous electricity and fossil fuels and emit more greenhouse through, for example, daily commuting, central air-conditioning and office business. Meanwhile, when the products purchased grow in number, domestic waste also multiplies. Although each snowflake in an avalanche pleads not guilty, the worldwide ecological deterioration is accumulated by every consumer’s daily activity.

Ecological deterioration has gradually become the focus of public attention in recent years and it incurs many environmental problems, among which some people regard the extinction of particular species of animals and plants as the main one while others assume some problems like water and soil erosion are severer. Both views have some reasonable supporting arguments.

People supporting the former argument hold a view that if an increasing number of plants and animals diminish from the world, the balance of food chain will be broken and the whole ecology system will be on the verge of collapse. Every creature plays a non-substitutable role in this dynamic system. Once some creature disappears, species adjacent to it will be influenced first and then the detrimental impact will be amplified through circulation. For example, if cats and other predators of mice vanished for a certain reason, mice and their ticks would proliferate/multiply unnaturally, having a disastrous impact on farmers.

However, other people assert that, compared with species extinction, problems which are more linked with citizens’ daily life affect human beings to a greater degree, since people would suffer more once they worsen. One case in point is air pollution, for example, PM 2.5, a joint name for microscopic air pollutants, is a chief index of air condition, which is in a constantly increasing trend and morbidity of respiratory disease surge accordingly. This denotes the significance of air pollution which outweighs that of species extinction.

From my perspective, attractive as the latter arguments seem, they cannot bear closer analysis. Some consequences brought about by loss of species is so hard for people to perceive in a short time that they are prone to be ignored. Nevertheless, it does not mean they are not important. Reversely, the extinction of some creatures is a signal that the environment is deteriorating to a more severe degree and it will exacerbate other environmental issues.

Some people think that children should obey rules or do what their parents and teachers want them to do. Other people think that children controlled too much cannot deal with problems themselves in adulthood. Discuss both views and state your own opinion.

Children are expected to obey different rules either at home or at school. However, there have been still debates on whether children should follow their parents’ and teachers’ arrangements or be allowed more freedom.

Those suggesting imposing rules might argue that children themselves have not been equipped with enough abilities yet to discriminate between right and wrong, and sometimes they may make some unwise decisions, producing detrimental effects that they are not aware of. Hence, established rules may hold children accountable for their behavior and help them develop good behavioral pattern from a young age. Besides, children nowadays can get easier access to the portrayal of violence than ever before. Studies have shown that teenagers fail to realize the seriousness of crime in most of the juvenile delinquency cases. Therefore, it is necessary for families and schools to provide the immature with essential guidance and teach them good manners. This is an effective way to prevent children from going astray.

The opposition side, however, argues that actively empowering children would develop their independence and problem-solving abilities. Educating with enough freedom encourages children to think independently and creatively, which also cultivate their confidence to try different solutions when encountering difficulties. After growing up and entering the workplace, for instance, they are able to take the initiative to identify problems and work towards solutions, rather than to wait for the orders from their bosses. As a result, compared with those raised under strict rules, the subjectively motivated ones are more likely to achieve success in their future career prospects.

In my opinion, strict rules are not as necessary as their advocates think they could be. In fact, because of the generation gap, the rules (that) the elders have set up may not be appropriate to the current situations. What is worse, strict rules can stifle children’s creativity and they dare not put their ideas into practice, since they are afraid of being punished if disobeying rules. Some teachers, for example, require students to abide by strict essay writing rules, and the consequence is that children will not know how to express their ideas in the ways other than what the rules have formulated. In the real world where the problems are much more complex than writing, these grownups would hardly use their imagination to find solutions, when there are no prescribed rules.

Empower：1. 授权；2. Give somebody enough control over their own lives, interests, and rights.