Section 27

Environment

What exactly is the environment?

It’s the world around us.

You mean the sky and trees and things like that.

Well, yes. But it can be even closer to home.

In fact, your home is an environment.

So it is anything that is around us, yah?

Yah. But most people today think of it as nature.

That’s what I thought at first.

Well, it has become very important today to think of the natural environment.

Is that because we are afraid of what is happening in nature?

Sure. It is really only in the last 50 years that we have realized what harm we are causing to the natural environment.

But the damage was started long before that, wasn’t it?

I suppose it’s started with industrial revolution about 300 years ago.

That’s not very long, if you think how old the world is.

No. But most of the environmental damage had been increasing dramatically over the past 100 years.

Yes. But now we are aware of it, we are doing our best to rectify it.

Section 27 Environment二十七　环境

1.What exactly is the environment? 到底什么是环境?

2.It’s the world around us. 是我们周围的世界。

3.You mean the sky and trees and things like that. 你指的是天空、树木等等。

4.Well, yes. But it can be even closer to home. 没错，但可以说它更接近我们的家。

5.In fact, your home is an environment. 实际上，你的家也是一个环境。

6.So it is anything that is around us, yah? 那么，就是指我们周围的一切吗?

7.Yah. But most people today think of it as nature. 是的，但现在大多数人认为环境就是大自然。

8.That’s what I thought at first. 一开始，我也这么想。

9.Well, it has become very important today to think of the natural environment. 嗯，现在人们对自然环境的关注已经显得十分重要地。

10.Is that because we are afraid of what is happening in nature? 是不是因为我们都担心大自然发生的变化?

11.Sure. It is really only in the last 50 years that we have realized what harm we are causing to the natural environment. 没错，只是到了近50年我们才真正认识到我们对自然环境的破坏。

12.But the damage was started long before that, wasn’t it? 但危害的产生远比这个时间更久，不是吗?

13.I suppose it’s started with industrial revolution about 300 years ago. 我认为它大约始于300年前的工业苦命时期。

14.That’s not very long, if you think how old the world is. 与地球的年龄相比，这不算太久远。

15.No. But most of the environmental damage had been increasing dramatically over the past 100 years. 说得对，几乎所有的环境破坏老师近百年来才开始不断加剧的。

16.Yes. But now we are aware of it, we are doing our best to rectify it. 是的，但是现在我们已经意识到这一点，并正在设法挽救。