第一篇（英译汉） Passage 1（E----C）

相关词语 Related Words and Expressions

at the expense of 以…为代价

respiratory illness 呼吸系统疾病

body of water 水体

water table 地下水位

greenhouse gases 温室气体

decision maker 决策者

come to grips with 跟上；紧跟

implementation 实施

insulation 绝缘

mess 脏乱不堪

Economic development is the premier mission of each nation. But, it should not be carried out at the expense of environment. Respiratory illness from air pollution is now China’s number one health problem. Every major body of water is polluted. The water table is dropping all over the country. China is about to assume the unfortunate distinction of replacing the United States as the largest emitter of greenhouse gases that are dangerously warning our planet.

Increasingly, pollution at home—whether in China or the United States or elsewhere—has become a worldwide environmental problem, as well as a health, environmental, and economic problem for people in their home countries. Climate is a real and growing issue. The five hottest years recorded on the planet since 1400 have all occurred in the 1990s. If present trends continue, this year will be the hottest year ever recorded.

Now, unfortunately, it is still the dominant opinion in virtually all developing countries—and I might add, in many sectors of the United States, including among many in the Congress— that there is an iron, unbreakable link between economic growth and industrial age energy practices. If that is the link, we can hardly expect decision-makers in countries with a lot of poor people trying to come to grips with the enormous economic changes of the global economy, to do anything other than either deny the environmental problems or say that their children will have to fix them. Happily, it is not true. It is simply not true.

We have examples of countries whose economies are doing well as they adopt more sensible environmental and energy practices, and many companies are making a significant share of profits through conservation and the implementation of new technologies. For example, they use more natural gas, use better lighting and insulation material, use waste heat from power generation facilities to provide heating, cooling, and lighting, etc. All these things are available. An energy revolution should be set out. Our objective is to obtain faster economic growth, less resources invested in cleaning up the mess later and less resources invested in taking care of the sick people who won't get sick if more is done to preserve the environment.

But we have to do something to break the idea in people's mind that the only way to grow the economy of a developing country is to adopt industrial age energy use patterns. It's not true; it is a huge problem. It is still a problem in the United States, and I ask you to lead the way.

It is reported that in the U.S. since 1970, every time the country has adopted higher environmental standards, businesses have created new technologies to meet them. And as a result, the U. S. has actually had faster economic growth with better and better paying jobs. Such a phenomenon is thought-provoking. Governments and businesses of developing nations could be inspired from it and come up with measures to use cleaner energy to guarantee faster and economic growth.