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47_Too_High_a_Price

47 Too High a Price

Pollution is the price we pay for an overpopulated, overindustrialized planet. When you come to think about it, there are only four ways you can deal with rubbish: dump it, burn it, turn it into something you can use again, attempt to produce less of it. We keep trying all four methods, but sheer volume of rubbish we produce worldwide threatens to overwhelm us.

Rubbish, however, is only part of the problem of polluting our planet. The need to produce ever increasing quantities of cheap food leads to a different kind of pollution. Industriallized farming metheods produce cheap meat products: beef, pork and chicken. The use of pesticides and fertilizers produces cheap grain and vegetables. The price we pay for cheap food may be already too high: Mad Cow Disease (BSE) in cattle, salmonella in chicken and eggs, and listeria in dairy products. And if you think you'll abandon meat and become a vegetarian, you have the choice of very expensive organically-grown vegetables or a steady diet of pesticides every time you think you're eating fresh salads and vegetables, or just having an innocent glass of water!

However, there is an even more insidious kind of pollution that particularly affects urban area and invades our daily lives, and that is noise. Burglar alarms going off at any time of the day or night serve only to annoy passers-by and actually assist burglars to burgle. Car alarms constantly scream at us in the street and are a source of profound irritation. A recent survey of the effects of noise revealed (surprisingly?) that dogs barking incessantly in the night rated the highest form of noise pollution on a scale ranging from 1 to 7. The survey revealed a large number of sources of noise that we really dislike. Lawn mowers whining on a summer's day, late-night parties in apartment blocks, noisy neighbours, vehicles of all kinds, especially large container trucks thundering through quiet villages, planes and helicopters flying overhead, large radios carried round in public places and played at maximum volume. New technology has also made its own contribution to noise. A lot of people object to mobile phones, especially when they are used in public places like restaurant or on public transport. Loud conversations on mobile phones invade our thoughts or interrupt the pleasure of meeting friends for a quiet chat. The noise pollution survey revealed a rather surprising and possibly amusing old-fashioned source of noise. It turned out to be snoring! Men were found to be the worst offenders. It was revealed that 20% of men in their mid-thirties snore. This figure rises to a staggering 60% of men in their sixties. Against these figures, it was found that only 5% of women snore regularly, while the rest are constantly woken or kept awake by their trumpeting partners. Whatever the source of noise, one thing is certain: silence, it seems, has become a golden memory.

污染就是我们为这个人口过密、过度工业化的星球所付出的代价。当我们开始考虑垃圾问题时，我们只有4种对付垃圾的方法：倾倒、焚烧、把垃圾变成再生材料或试图少产生一些垃圾。我们一直在试这4种方式，但是，我们在世界范围内仅产生的垃圾的量就有把我们覆盖的危险。

然而，垃圾只是我们这个星球的污染问题的一个方面。日益增长的对廉价食物的需求导致了另一种形式的污染。工业化的农作方式生产出廉价的肉类制品——牛肉、猪肉和鸡肉。使用杀虫剂和化肥生产出了廉价的谷物和蔬菜。为了廉价食物我们付出的代价已经太高了：牛肉中的疯牛病，鸡肉和鸡蛋中的沙门氏菌，奶制品中的利斯特杆菌。如果你想放弃肉类而变成一位素食者，那么你可以两者择一：或是选用价格昂贵、有机培植的蔬菜，或是当你认为在享用新鲜色拉和新鲜蔬菜或饮用一杯无害的水的时候，实际上每次都不断吃进杀虫剂。

但是，还有一种更加隐蔽有害的污染，它专门影响城镇地区，侵袭我们的日常生活，那就是噪音。防盗警报器在白天和黑夜的任何时候都会响起来，它的作用只是骚扰过路行人，而实际上却帮助窃贼入室行窃。在街上，汽车的防盗警报不断对我们吼叫，这是人们极度烦燥的一个原因。最近一个有关噪音的作用的调查（令人吃惊地）指出，夜间连续不断的狗叫声，在一个从1级至7级刻度表上应列为最严重的噪间污染。这个调查揭示了我们所不喜欢的大量的噪音的来源：夏天呜呜作响的割草机，公寓楼里深夜聚会的喧哗声，大声吵闹的邻居，各式各样的车辆，特别是穿越寂静的村庄的集装箱卡车，从头顶飞过的飞机和直升机，被带到公共场所、音量开到最大的大功率收音机。新技术也为噪音作了它的贡献。许多人都反对移动式电话，特别是在如饭店、公共交通车等公共场所使用移动电话。用移动电话大声交谈干扰我们的思路，破坏我们和朋友在一起轻声聊天所得到的乐趣。这个有关噪音的污染调查还揭示了一种出人意外而同时可能会引人意外发笑的老式噪音源。它原来是鼾声。人类是这方面的罪魁祸首。调查指出，20%的35岁左右的男人打鼾；而到60岁这个年龄段，这个数字上升到令人惊愕的60%。与这些数字相比，只有5%的女性经常打鼾；而其余则经常被与她们同睡、像吹号似地打着鼾的男人吵醒或弄得睡不着。不管噪声来自何方，有一点是肯定的：看来寂静已变成一种珍贵的回忆。

Words

  • Pollution /pəˈluʃən/ n. 污染
    1. Many cities have become dependent on cars, which contributes to air pollution.（L46）
    2. People tend to do more outdoor activities when the pollution levels are low.
    3. She was conscious that her actions could contribute to air pollution.
  • overpopulated /ˌovɚˈpɑpjəletɪd/ adj. 人口多的
    1. People are keen to leave overpopulated cities because they want more space and quieter places to live.
    2. She is keen on solving the problems faced by overpopulated cities.
    3. Despite the challenges of living in overpopulated cities, some people are keen to experience the vibrant culture..
  • overindustrialized /ˌovərɪnˈdʌstrɪəˌlaɪzd/ 过度工业化
  • sheer /ʃɪr/ adj. 纯粹的
    1. I am impressed by the sheer size of the stadium.
    2. The mere fact that you can keep up with the sheer volume of new words in this lesson shows how much you've improved.
  • overwhelm /ˌovɚˈwɛlm/ v. 淹没
    1. What invariably happens is that she is overwhelmed with work on her desk.
    2. I have to remind myself that he may feel overwhelmed by the responsibility of being a leader.
  • polluting /pəˈlutɪŋ/ v. 污染
    1. They seem to have been polluting the area for the past nine years.
    2. The mere fact that they continued to pollute the area is enough to put them under arrest.（L34&L40）
    3. They cherish the hope that those who polluted the environment will be punished in the end.
  • pesticides /ˈpɛstəˌsaɪdz/ n. 杀虫剂
    1. It is a chance in a million that the overuse of pesticides will not harm the environment.
    2. Farmers need to accept the fact that overuse of pesticides can have long-term consequences on soil health.（L36）
    3. It seems highly improbable that the pesticide did not contribute to the water pollution in the area.（L36）
  • fertilizers /ˈfɝtəˌlaɪzɚz/ n. 肥料
    1. Scientists presume that the overuse of fertilizers is strongly correlated with the damage in soil quality.（L36）
    2. Farmers often take videos of their fields to record the effects of different fertilizers on plant growth.
    3. The scientist felt bewildered by the unexpected results of the fertilizer experiment.
  • salmonella /ˌsælməˈnɛlə/ n. 沙门氏菌
    1. He found scanty evidence of salmonella in the restaurant's kitchen.
    2. I was puzzled by the mysterious disappearance of the salmonella samples.
  • listeria /lɪˈstɪriə/ n. 李斯特杆菌
    1. Scientists deduced from the lab results that the outbreak was caused by listeria.
    2. With the advent of advanced testing methods, detecting listeria in food products has become easier.
  • organically-grown /ɔrˈɡænɪkli ˌɡron/ adj. 有机的
    1. The store offered a bewildering variety of organically-grown fruits and vegetables.
    2. Visitors to the farm were often bewildered by the sheer amount of organically-grown products available.
    3. The new study shed light on the benefits of eating organically-grown foods.
  • insidious /ˌɪnˈsɪˌdiəs/ adj. 暗中为害的
    1. It's all too easy to underestimate the harm of insidious disease.
    2. She is under the delusion that the most insidious problem of public education will be solved quickly.
  • urban /ˈɝbən/ adj. 城市的
    1. Whether we should recover the cost of urban development projects through taxes is something we need to discuss.（L43&L29）
    2. Workers had to haul construction materials into the urban area for the building project.
  • Burglar /ˈbɝɡlɚ/ n. 窃贼
    1. She woke up to find that there was a burglar in her house.
    2. The burglars went direct to the jewelry store.
    3. He reflected that they needed to take better precautions against burglars.（L37）
  • scream /skrim/ v. 尖叫
    1. It was not that she didn't understand, but his harsh words hurt deeply when he screamed at her.
    2. He had a sense of guilt after he screamed at her.
    3. What a relief it was when he finally apologized after screaming at her.
  • profound /proˈfaʊnd/ adj. 极度的
    1. It’s not that she enjoys getting angry, but losing her job had a profound effect on her mental well-being.
    2. It’s possible that his words had a profound influence on her decision.
  • irritation /ˌɪrɪˈteʃən/ n. 烦躁
    1. A series of mistakes caused irritation among the customers.
    2. Stray dogs in the neighborhood are a source of irritation for the residents.
  • incessantly /ˌɪnˈsɛsəntli/ adv. 连续不断地
    1. He was on the phone incessantly, discussing the project with his team.
    2. She hung up on her friend after arguing incessantly about their plans.
  • whining /ˈwaɪnɪŋ/ v. 呜呜声
    1. The computer's fan would whine every time it overheated.
    2. The air conditioner, which had been running non-stop for days, began to whine loudly.
  • helicopters /ˈhɛlɪˌkɑptɚz/ n. 直升机
    1. The pilot must be punctual for the helicopter flight at sunrise.
    2. Before taking off, the pilot consulted the helicopter manual for pre-flight checks.
    3. The helicopter will fly direct to the remote mountain.
  • maximum /ˈmæksəməm/ adj. 最大地
    1. I dread having the math test, but I know I have to complete it at maximum speed.
    2. She cherishes the hope that her son will run toward the end at maximum speed.
  • snore /snɔr/ v. 打鼾
    1. The hotel room was equipped with special pillows to cater for guests who snore.（L3&L46）
    2. He tended to snore when he slept on his back.
    3. He finally put his snoring problem right with a new breathing technique.
  • staggering /ˈstæɡɚˌɪŋ/ adj. 令人惊愕的
    1. The nursery school teacher's dedication to early childhood education had a staggering impact on her students' development.（L45&L9）
    2. It is extremely doubtful whether the project will succeed because of the staggering challenges it faces.
    3. Sleep always comes in snatches because my partner makes trumpeting noises during the night.
    4. The trumpeting noise from the construction site kept the neighbors awake all night.
  • trumpeting /ˈtrʌmpətɪŋ/ 吹号

Expressions

  • the sheer volume/size of sth. 某物巨大的数量/尺寸
  • be/feel overwhelmed by/with sth. 被某物压垮
  • scream at sb. 冲着某人尖叫
  • profound e ect/in uence/impact/ 深刻的影响
  • consequence etc 后果等
  • at maximum speed/volume 以最大速度/音量
  • make … contribution to 为……做贡献
  • the worst o ender 最恶劣的违规者
  • have the choice of a or b 在 A 和 B 之间选择
    1. As far as I could see, we have the choice of taking the bus or taking a taxi to get to the airport.
    2. As far as I could see, we have the choice of staying in this hotel or finding another one nearby.
  • go off 响起；爆炸
    1. Whether you like it or not, the alarm clock will go off at 6 a.m. tomorrow.
    2. She failed to give a satisfactory explanation for why the smoke alarm went off suddenly during the day.
  • serve to do sth. 起……的作用
    1. Practical jokes often serve to entertain people.
    2. It's time to stop doing activities that serve only to harm our environment.
    3. As it has come to be known, challenges could serve to help us improve and grow.
  • assist sb. to do sth. 帮助某人做某事
    1. She promised to assist her friend to lay out the decorations for the party.
    2. She pleaded ignorance of the rules and asked me to assist her to complete the task.
    3. He nagged his brother to assist him to build the lego castle.
  • a source of ……的来源
    1. Exercise has proven to be a source of energy.
    2. The support group acts as a source of comfort for people going through difficult times.
    3. Much as I want to pay attention to the book, the constant noise from the construction site next door is a source of irritation.
    4. range from …to …
    5. It is not uncommon to hear that the prices of the things in a store range from affordable to quite expensive.
    6. She added that the sizes of this dress range from extra small to extra large.
    7. it was revealed that…
    8. It was revealed that she was a victim of a hoax.
  • range from…to … 范围从……到……
  • it was revealed that… 据透露……
  • in one’s+年龄段（twenties/thirties… )
  • it was found that… 发现……
  • keep sb. awake/be kept awake… 使某人保持清醒
    1. The bright streetlight that was switched on outside my window kept me awake all night.
    2. The painting depicted on the wall kept him awake these nights.
    3. How a simple love story kept her awake all night is beyond me.