口译文本

Ex. 1 E –C（口）p.141 Cheap coffee bad for the environment

The fact that we can drink cheaper and cheaper coffee actually means coffee growers are getting less and less out of the same field they plant. So they have to grow more in order to maintain the income. This however, means destruction to forests and the eco-environment. With every cup of coffee drunk, we are helping toward the destruction.

Every new round of earth exploration doesn’t bring human beings material enjoyment alone, but also ecological catastrophe. Forests and greenbelt are the lungs of the earth, which keep the air on the earth fresh and provide necessary oxygen for survival of animals. But with the development of human society, the earth’s lungs are shrinking dramatically due to destruction. Dimos O’Brien, a scientist from the World Wildlife Conservation society, said, if no appropriate protective measure is taken, every cup of coffee we drink brings damage to the environment or even accelerates the extinction of some species.

Though people are spending more and more money on coffee consumption, coffee growers are getting less and less. Partly due to the increased costs of production, storage, transportation and distribution, partly to the decreased price of coffee. To get as much profits possible. The manufactures and sellers have to go all out to lower the purchase price of coffee beans. The annual sales volume of coffee in USA is 70 billion US dollars, only 5.5 billion goes to the coffee growers.

Sumatra is the second largest island of Indonesia and is known for its typical tropical rain forest and dozens of rare animals and plants. The beautiful Sumatra is also home to cheap instant coffee. In order to maintain their income against the dropping price, coffee growers have to plant more coffee trees. Since 1996 the coffee planting area on the island has increased 28% at the price of 30% vanished forests. Ecological diversity is greatly destroyed in those coffee plantations since only coffee trees are found making it difficult for wild animals to survive.

In order to protect the rare wildlife eco-environment, experts call on international society to protect the purchasing price of coffee beans and the local governments to limit the expansion of coffee planting areas.

Ex. 2 E –C（口）p.144 It’s time to be green

Distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen,

I feel humbled to be asked to give this speech. I feel like I am bringing coals to Newcastle in the presence of this distinguished audience here.

The essence of my speech today is this: Never underestimate the power of a few committed people to change the world. If you remember nothing else I hope you will never forget that all of you, everyone one of you, can make a positive difference in this world. What's more, if you act collectively with other people, your influence will be that much greater.

We need to make a difference, because we face real and serious threats to our very survival. We know there is only one earth yet human beings refuse to respect that fact. We continually abuse the ecology of the planet to the point that it is collapsing.

At ground level the earth seems huge, indestructible, but beneath the surface of that beautiful blue ocean is devastation. Tonnes of fertilisers, pesticides, other chemicals and silt are poisoning and smothering marine creatures. In many places, the ocean floor is barren, where bottom trawling has felled ancient coral forests and unique marine communities still unknown to science. Many species of fish and marine mammals and birds are gone or rare. Ecologists worldwide are warning that we face ecological collapse in the oceans, and that means the collapse of our fishing industry too.

Climate change is a direct consequence of our massive consumption of fossil fuels: coal, gas and oil. Our oil consumption has been so extravagant that we have used up, in just one century, around half of what the planet has to offer. When that half-way point known as peak oil is reached, it becomes physically impossible to increase production no matter how hard you pump it.