上外全新版大学英语综合教程讲义-book2-unit8

大学英语第二册

Unit 8 Protecting our Environment

Homework：

Preview text A

Read the new words and phrases before class，then read the text in detail and surf the internet to fulfill the following tasks.

1.Make the title, Saving Earth, but Only for Man, into a complete sentence.

Suggested answer: We must protect the earth’s environment so that it can better save human beings.

2.What is a sensible environmentalism?

Suggested answer: A sensible environmentalism, the only kind of environmentalism that will win universal public support, begins by unashamedly declaring that nature is hero to serve man. A sensible environmentalism is entirely man-centered: it calls for man to preserve nature, but on the grounds of self-preservation. (in Para5)(Detailed explanation can be found in Paras2,6,8,14)

3. As for sensible environmentalism, what’s your comment?

Suggested answer: I think it is really “sensible” since both humans and environment are taken into consideration in the suggested practices of it. But, sometimes it is difficult to achieve a balance between man and nature. For example, in para11, it is recommended that the cost of preserving the spotted owl is not supposed to the loss of livelihood for 30,000 logging families. Sensible environmentalism is still not a perfect solution, since an alternative has to be made.

4. Surf the internet to find out how our environment is polluted.

Suggested answer: air pollution, water pollution, soil pollution

Air pollution is the accumulation in the atmosphere of substances that, in sufficient concentrations, endanger human health or produce other measured effects on living matter and other materials. Among the major sources of pollution are power and heat generation, the burning of solid wastes, industrial processes, and, especially, transportation. The six major types of pollutants are carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, particulates, sulfur dioxide, and photochemical oxidants.

Water pollution is the introduction into fresh or ocean waters of chemical, physical, or biological material that degrades the quality of the water and affects the organisms living in it. This process ranges from simple addition of dissolved or suspended solids to discharge of the most insidious and persistent toxic pollutants (such as pesticides, heavy metals, and nondegradable, bioaccumulative, chemical compounds)

Soil pollution is the degradation of the Earth's land surface through misuse of the soil by poor agricultural practices, mineral exploitation, industrial waste dumping, and indiscriminate disposal of urban wastes. It includes visible waste and litter as well as pollution of the soil itself.

Teaching Objective

Ss should grasp the main idea——we should adopt a sensible environmentalism

Ss should grasp the structure——each part contains a contrast

Period One (90 minutes)

1. Introductory Remarks & Discussion

Nowadays with the rapid development of science and technology, people’s life has been improved a lot. But at the same time it has brought many problems. The issue of environmental protection has been talked about over and over again, and people have gained a deeper understanding of the relationship between environment and development. In our view environment