15篇文章贯通六级词汇MP3（字幕版）Unit11-Part1
UNIT11
Acting Today for Tomorrow
Protecting the natural environment,
the ecology of a country,
is a major concern
for every country these days.
It is mandatory not to
minimize the importance of clean air,
clean water, and clean land.
It is a sad commentary on today's society
that industries have been permitted
to contaminate our natural surroundings.
A dreadful discrepancy exists
between the importance placed on economic development
and the protection of the environment's heritage.
If allowed to proceed unchecked,
the public will eventually inherit a major catastrophe.
Even countries who practice strict pollution
control measures may still be affected
by countries adjacent to or adjoining them,
when air pollution permeates the air.
It is important for media coverage
to compile accurate data
to enable the public to boycott
increased irresponsible industrialization.
To disguise the people's safety calling it progress
will eventually lead to many casualties.
Canada has a land and water mass of 9 970 610 km2,
with a population of 30 million people.
This is a country where the ratio of people
compared to the mass of the land is very low.
Can you conceive that
in such a gigantic land
that a garbage problem exists?
I wish that I could reassure you that
the answer is in the negative.
The commodity most needed
to address this problem is space.
However, as urban areas grow,
the abundance of waste also increases.
Where once ample disposal sites were available,
now every municipal government
is scrambling to comply with
and uphold local and national health regulations.
Large metropolitan cities
are having an especially difficult time.
Local recycling programs have been authorized
in many localities to safeguard the country's ecology.
Even after the establishment of such token measures,
reports from five consecutive years
have indicated only negligible progress
in solving this very perplexing problem.
If we are to seriously address the problem
we will need to minimize
the amount of refuse we dispose of.
New areas will need
to be allocated for this purpose.
The database of information collected
should be detailed enough
to responsibly direct our future actions.
Every community, whether large or small,
is searching for a solution to this problem.
Municipalities, in attempting to appraise the situation,
have spent countless years in research,
expending both time and money,
looking for a homogeneous answer.
The public, hoping to avoid the tragic consequences
of a manipulated decision,
refuses to give enthusiastic support
to most proposals.
Solicitors are hired to prepare confidential reports
to convince the public to accept the municipalities suggestions.
The choice of a specific piece of farmland
as a landfill site often causes
an instantaneous hysterical reaction.
At local meetings citizens reproach
government officials yelling their disapproval
at the choice of a specific site.
They vent their anger
but are not always able
to mobilize sufficient public support
to effect a wise and acceptable decision.
Even though researchers claim that
lined pits will not cause a drainage problem,
the room for error is marginal.
One flaw in the plan could be responsible
for an epidemic or worse,
causing multiple deaths.
Any leaching from a landfill pit
will create recurring difficulties
in polluting a farmer's well and the ground water.
Polluted water flowing into lakes
will affect fish and wildlife
and will hinder the sportsman's pleasures.
To articulate their concerns beforehand,
will hopefully avoid grief in the future.
A veiled threat to public health
immediately creates a bias
towards protecting the people's safety
and interests and establishing an educated suspicion.
