Lesson 3 At War with the Planet

Barry Commoner

Lesson 3 At War with the Planet 理论课（√ ）、实践课（ √ ）、 教学时数 实习（ ） After finishing this text, students will be able to ● get an whole idea of the text ● learn to use new words and expressions ● improve reading ability ● grasp some rhetorical devices 8 periods Backgrounding information about the text, informatins about the author and guide to reading; Language points; 主要 Difficult sentences’ meaning; 知识点 Figure of speech; The organizition of the text; Some important notes. Reading skills practice: Recognizing generalizations; Translating skills practice: Multiples; 教学 Writing skill:Organization of the text; 重点、 Practical exercise: explanation and translation; 难点 Questions on appreciation: rhetorical devices Lecture 教学 Explanation and Discussion 方法 Student-centered (group work, then class work). 及手段 教学 Two periods for background information and the meaning of the text 内容 Four periods for language points and the text meaning 的衡接 Two periods for the figure of speech and organization of the text. 及学时 分配 教学 后记

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Lesson 3 At War with the Planet

教学目的与要求：本课从全新的角度探讨人类与环境的问题。 教学重点、难点：文章涉及许多专业词汇。注意“举例说明”、“对比”等修辞手法。 教学方法：讲练、课堂讨论 教学时数：8学时

Questions for Discussion:

1. What are the two worlds that we live in?

2. What are the three basic laws of the ecosphere? Please give a brief explanation and cite an example to illustrate each law.

3. What are the laws that govern the technosphere?

4. How does the author define the “environmental crisis”? Does he think the issue can be solved by taking side? Why (not)? What is his solution?

Preparation:

Author: Barry Commoner

(born May 28, 1917, Brooklyn, N.Y.) U.S. biologist and educator. He studied at Harvard University and taught at Washington University and Queens College. His warnings, since the 1950s, of the environmental threats posed by modern technology (including nuclear weapons, use of pesticides and other toxic chemicals, and ineffective waste management) in such works as his classic Science and Survival (1966) made him one of the foremost environmentalist spokesmen of his time. He was a third-party candidate (Citizens Party) for U.S. president in 1980.

2. Cultural notes

1) Three Mile Island: The accident at the Three Mile Island Unit 2 (TMI-2) nuclear power plant near Middletown, Pennsylvania, on March 28, 1979, was the most serious in U.S. commercial nuclear power plant operating history, even though it led to no deaths or injuries to plant workers or members of the nearby community.

But it brought about sweeping changes involving emergency response planning, reactor operator training, human factors engineering, radiation protection, and many other areas of nuclear power plant operations. It also caused the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission to tighten and heighten its regulatory oversight. Resultant changes in the nuclear power industry and at the NRC had the effect of enhancing safety

2) The Chernobyl Disaster

On April 25th -26th, 1986 the World's worst nuclear power accident occurred at Chernobyl in the former USSR (now Ukraine). The Chernobyl nuclear power plant located 80 miles north of Kiev had 4 reactors and whilst testing reactor number 4 numerous safety procedures were disregarded. At 1:23am the chain reaction in the reactor became out of control creating explosions and a fireball which blew off the reactor's heavy steel and concrete lid.

The Chernobyl accident killed more than 30 people immediately, and as a result of the high

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radiation levels in the surrounding 20-mile radius, 135,00 people had to be evacuated. 3) What happened in Bhopal?

On the night of Dec. 2nd and 3rd, 1984, a Union Carbide plant in Bhopal, India, began leaking 27 tons of the deadly gas. None of the six safety systems designed to contain such a leak were operational, allowing the gas to spread throughout the city of Bhopal. Half a million people were exposed to the gas and 20,000 have died to date as a result of their exposure.

More than 120,000 people still suffer from ailments caused by the accident and the subsequent pollution at the plant site. These ailments include blindness, extreme difficulty in breathing, and gynecological disorders. The site has never been properly cleaned up and it continues to poison the residents of Bhopal.

3. Outline of the essay Part 1 (para. 1)

Introduction: people live in two worlds, natural world and the world of our own creation. Part II (paras. 2-5): The author explains why the two worlds are at war.

Part III (paras. 6-9) discusses the first law of the ecosphere and the law governing the relationship between man-made object and the surroundings

Part IV. (paras.10-11) The closed cyclical process of ecosphere and the linear process of techno-sphere.

Part V. (paras.12-14) The consistent and harmonious nature of ecosphere as contrasted to the rapid change and variation of the techno-sphere.

Part VI. (paras. 15-16) This part compares the consequences of failure of the ecosphere and the techno-sphere.

Part VII. (paras. 17-21) the environmental crisis and the harms for us to take side.

Part VIII. (paras. 22-23) The solution of environmental crisis lies in understanding the interplay of the two worlds.

II. Detailed Study of the Text

Part 1 two worlds, natural world and our own world Para. 1

1. What are the two worlds that people live in?

The two worlds refer to the natural world and the world of human creation. 2. What is the common, unthinking attitude towards the two worlds?

The attitude is: we are responsible for events of our own world, but not for what occurs in the natural world.

Part 2 (paras. 2-5) Why the two worlds are at war? Para. 2

3. On planetary scale, the division between the two worlds has been breached:

Globally, the two worlds are no longer separated, having nothing to do with each other. What humans do in the technosphere will have effect on the ecosphere.

This is a transitional sentence, linking up the following part with the first paragraph. It also leads to further explanation of the interaction between the two worlds.

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breach: to break a law, rule, or agreement

4. …even droughts, floods, and heat weaves may become unwitting acts of man: What people do may unintentionally cause droughts, floods and heat waves.

Para. 3

5. Like the Creation, the portending global events are cosmic:

Like the Creation of the universe, events that happen in this world may have vast effects, especially on the relationship between the planet Earth and the sun.

portend: to be a sign that something is going to happen, especially something bad

6. We have been tampering with this powerful force, unaware, like the Sorcerer’s Apprentice, of the potentially disastrous consequences of our actions.

paraphrase: We have been doing things without knowing that they may have serious effects on the planet Earth.

tamper with something: interfere with;

a. meddle, esp. for the purpose of altering, damaging, or misusing (usually fol. by with):

Someone has been tampering with the lock.

b. make changes in something, esp. in order to falsify (usually fol. by with): to tamper with official records.

c. to engage secretly or improperly in something.

d. to engage in underhand or corrupt dealings, esp. in order to influence improperly (usually fol. by with): Any lawyer who tries to tamper with a jury should be disbarred.

Sorcerer’s Apprentice: The tale begins as an old sorcerer departs his workshop, leaving his apprentice with chores to perform. The apprentice tires of fetching water for a bath or tank, and enchants a broomstick to do the work for him, using magic he is not yet fully trained in. However, soon the floor is awash with water, and he realises that he cannot stop the broom because he does not know the magic word to make it stop. Despairing, he splits the broom in two with an axe, but each of the pieces takes up a pail and continues fetching water, now faster than ever. When all seems lost in a massive flood, the old sorcerer returns, quickly breaks the spell and saves the day.

Para. 4

7. We have become accustomed to the now mundane image of the Earth… no overt signs of human activity are visible. … is misleading.

Mundane: ordinary and not interesting or exciting What is the author’s view of the image?

The author thinks that the image is spectacular but is misleading, because it fails to show human damage to Earth.

8. But this image, now repeatedly thrust before us in photographs, posters, and advertisements, is misleading: The Earth we see in photos, posters, and ads, which appears so beautiful, is not the true reflection of the world we live in; such image lulls us into complacency. 9. noxious flames of smog blanket over major cities… blanket: to cover with a thick layer.

10. niche: a). the conditions of its environment within which a particular type of living thing can live successfully

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b). if you find your niche, you find a job or activity that is very suitable for you

c). an opportunity to sell a product or service to a particular group of people who have similar needs, interests etc

d). a hollow place in a wall, often made to hold a statue Para. 5

11. Ecosphere: according to the author, the ecosphere refers to the air, water, and soil that cover the Earth and the plants and animals that live on it.

12. … catastrophically diminishing our ability to provide for basic human needs:

Frequent natural disasters (caused by or worsened by human disruption of the ecological system) have reduced our ability to satisfy the needs of people on earth. Instigate:

Part III( paras.6-9) Para.6

13. One of the basic laws of the ecosphere can be summed up as “Everything is connected to everything else.”

The first law is that in ecosphere, every component is related to other components, thus forming an elaborate network.

14. The fish is not only, existentially, a fish, but also an element of this network, which defines its functions.

The function of the fish is determined by the role it plays in the ecological network.

15. Indeed, in the evolutionary sense, a good part of the network – the microorganisms and plants, for example – preceded the fish, which could establish itself only because it fitted properly into the preexisting system.

The fish could play its role because it became a necessary link with the processes preceding it and the processes following it in the ecological system.

Para. 7

16. A car, for example, imposes itself on the neighborhood rather than being defined by it… A car does not respond to its environment but insists on its own needs being met...

densely packed: extremely crowded

Para. 8

17. Defined so narrowly, it is no surprise that cars have properties that hostile to the environment:

When cars are produced to serve such narrow purposes, it is not surprising that some of their characteristic qualities are harmful to the environment.

Para. 9

18. Yields rose, but … year by year, less and less of the applied fertilizer was taken up by the crop and progressively more drained through the soil into groundwater, in the form of nitrates that contaminated river, lakes, and water supplies.

When the soil is saturated with nitrogen fertilizer, it cannot take in more so the excess fertilizer finds its way into underground water, thus causing water pollution.

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progressively: gradually

Part IV ( Paras. 10-11)

Para. 10

19. closed cyclical processes: 封闭的循环流程

Para.11

20. Crops and the animals to which they are fed are eaten by people; their waste is flushed into the sewer system, altered in composition but not in amount at a treatment plant, and the residue is dumped into rivers or the ocean as waste --- which upsets the natural aquatic ecosystem.:

People, after digestion, excrete the waste which is flushed into the sewer system. The sewage gets to a treatment plant which modifies it, but it is still waste after being processed. The waste does not reenter the life cycle but disturbs the natural processes wherever it is dumped. The residue of the waste will go into rivers, oceans and will have harmful effect on the aquatic ecosystem. (Red Tides)

21. ineffectually thus far: So far nuclear waste has not been effectively treated to avoid long-term risks of contaminating the environment.

Part V ( Paras 12-14) Para. 12

22. finely tuned adaptation: 经过精细调整后的适应能力 23. Left to their own devices, ecosystems are conservative.

If the ecosystems are not upset by outside intrusion, they will remain the same with very little change.

leave to one’s own devices: to be free to do as one wishes

Para. 13

24. In contrast to the ecosphere, the technosphere is composed of objects and materials that reflect a rapid and relentless process of change and variation.

The characteristics of the objects and materials in the technosphere are of rapid change and great variety.

relentless: endless; continuous

25. annually modified cars: 每年加以改进的汽车

26. Nylon, for example, unlike a natural polymer such as cellulose, is not biodegradable

biodegradable: able to be broken down into harmless products by the natural action of living things (e.g. bacteria) 生物分解;降解

Para. 14

27. A is shorthand for B: A is a simple and brief way of describing B.

shorthand: shorter way of saying something: a shorter or quicker way of referring to something

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28. petrochemical: any chemical substance obtained from petroleum or natural gas 29. They therefore can play an insidious, destructive role in living things insidious: working or spreading harmfully in a subtle or stealthy manner

Part VI ( Paras. 15 – 16 )

Para. 15

30. with respect to: concerning or in relation to something

31. Yet nearly every modern technology has grave faults, which appear not as a failure to accomplish its designed purpose but as a serious impact on the environment.

The fault of most modern technology is not with its failure to meet the designed purpose, but with its adverse effect on the environment.

32. Regarded only as a failure in the plant’s function, the accident at Chernobyl amounts to a serious but local fire that destroyed the plant.

If you regard the disaster at Chernobyl as a technical matter, then the disaster can be seen as the destruction of the nuclear plant by a fire.

But the resultant release of radioactivity threatens… with cancer.

resultant: adj. resulting, esp. as the total outcome of more or less opposed forces

Para.16

33. In the technosphere, debts are repaid from within and, at least in theory, are always capable of being paid off, or, in some cases, canceled.

In the economic field, debts are repaid with the production of goods. In this sense, they are repaid within the system. Debts are required to be repaid, unless they are canceled.

34. These debts were merely transferred to the victims, and are paid as they sicken and die. People who suffered from radioactivity or toxic chemicals are the victims of the debts created by the technosphere. They paid the debt with sickness or even death.

Part VII ( Paras. 17-21) Para. 17

35. This paragraph serves as a summing-up of the war between the two worlds.

Para.18

36. Of course, as in a conventional war, the issues can be simplified by taking sides; ignoring the interests of one combatant or the other.

take sides: to support one of the parties in a discussion, dispute, etc.

37. But this is done only at the cost of understanding.

If we take sides in the war of the two worlds, we are doing so at the risk of failing to have a clear understanding of the nature and cause of the war. Thus, we lose the chance to really solve the grave environmental crisis.

at the cost of: at the loss or expense of

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Para. 20

38. What is the author’s view on the questions raised in this paragraph?

The author thinks that the ecosphere can be protected without depriving people of the useful and necessary facilities they now enjoy. And there are some technologies in the technosphere which are compatible with the ecosphere.

Para. 21

39. inhuman: very cruel or without any normal feelings of pity

40. dictate: to prescribe or lay down authoritatively or peremptorily; command unconditionally 41. albeit: although

42. entail: to involve something as a necessary part or result Part VIII (Paras. 22 -23)

Para. 22

43. This paragraph serves as a summing-up of conflicting interpretations and points out that as long as we fail to understand the causes and nature of the conflict, we will fail to find way to resolve the conflict. It then leads to the proposal of the author in the last paragraph.

Para. 23

44. The purpose is less a lament over the war’s numerous casualties than an inquiry…

The purpose is not to find a culprit for the damage that has been inflicted on the environment but to find a way to avoid future damage.

45. It is not so much a battle cry for one side or the other, as a design for negotiating an end to this suicidal war---for making peace with the planet.

The purpose is not to support the ecosphere or the technosphere but to find a way to end the war and to allow peaceful accommodation to the needs of the natural order.

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