nullAt War with the PlanetAt War with the PlanetBarry CommonerAuthor: Barry Commoner (1917-)
Author: Barry Commoner (1917-)
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.
nullHis 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 for U.S. president in 1980.
nullCommoner's activist career can be defined as an attempt to weave together a larger vision of social justice. Since the 1960s, he has called attention to parallels between the environmental, civil rights, labor, and peace movements, and connected environmental decline with poverty, injustice, exploitation, and war, arguing that the root cause of environmental problems was the American economic system and its manifestations.
nullHe was instrumental in pointing out that there was a direct association between socioeconomic standing and exposure to environmental pollutants and that economics, not social responsibility, was guiding technological decision making.
Outline of the essay (eight parts)Outline of the essay (eight parts)Part Ⅰ (pp. 1)
Introduction: people live in 2 worlds, natural world and our own world.
Part Ⅱ (pp. 2-5): Why the two worlds are at war?
Part Ⅲ (pp. 6-9) Deal with the first law of the ecosphere and the law governing the relationship between man-made object and the surroundingsnullPart IV. (pp. 10-11) The closed cyclical process of ecosphere and the linear process of techno-sphere.
Part V. (pp. 12-14) The consistent and harmonious nature of ecosphere as contrasted to the rapid change and variation of the techno-sphere.
Part VI. (pp. 15-16) The consequences of failure of the ecosphere and the techno-sphere.
Part VII. (pp. 17-21) The danger for us to take sides
Part VIII. (pp. 22-23) The importance of interplay.
null
Detailed analysis
1. abridge: vt. To make shorter by using fewer words.
e.g.
The story was abridged from the original work.
The rights of citizens must not be abridged. 公民权利不能擅予削减。 He decided to abridge his stay here after he received a letter from home. 他接到家信后决定缩短在这里的逗留时间。null2. watershed: n. an event marking a unique or important historical change of course or one on which important developments depend; (= landmark; turning point) e.g.
Leaving her first job was a watershed in her life. 辞去她的第一份工作是她生活中的一个转折点。
Her visit to India proved to be a watershed in her life. 她的印度之行成了她一生的转折点。
as such: （in and of itself, per se)本身,确切地说as such: （in and of itself, per se)本身,确切地说e.g.
Wealth, as such, doesn’t matter much.
（财富本身并不重要．）
I don’t have a nervous breakdown as such, it was more a reaction to overwork.（我不是真的得了精神上的病，那只是工作过度的反映．）
instigate: serve as the inciting cause for (＝promote, inspire, incite; ≈cause, stimulate)instigate: serve as the inciting cause for (＝promote, inspire, incite; ≈cause, stimulate)e.g.
The antigovernment gangsters instigated a rebellion.
My children finally instigated me to buy a laptop.
instigator: 教唆犯；煽动者
Para. onePara. oneWe live in two worlds: the natural world and the world of human creation.
The common unthinking attitudes towards the two worlds: we are responsible for events of our own world, but not for what occurs in the natural one.exempt; except exempt; except exempt: to release from obligation
except: to leave out, omit
e.g.
He is exempt from punishment about this thing. 关于此事对他已免于处分。
No one is exempt from talking nonsense; the mistake is to do it solemnly. 谁也难免会讲些废话，错就错在一本正经地讲。
No admittance except on business. 非公莫入。
I have no other wish except to pass the examination. 我除了要通过考试之外，没有别的心愿。
I like her except when she is angry. 除了她发怒的时候,我挺喜欢她。
Para. two: on a planetary scale, this division has been breached.Para. two: on a planetary scale, this division has been breached.Globally, the two worlds are no longer separated, having nothing to do with each other. What we do in our world will have effect on the natural world.
Transitional sentencebreachbreachIf you breach an agreement, a law, or a promise, you break it. (=violate)
If someone or something breaches a barrier, they make an opening in it, usually leaving it weakened or destroyed (formal). (=rupture)
e.g.
Traders who breach the rules could face a fine of up to $ 10,000.
The enemy’s fierce attack finally breached the walls of the city.
unwitting: adj.unwitting: adj.If you describe a person or their actions as unwitting, you mean the person does something or is involved in something without realizing it. (=unintentional; ≠witting)
e.g.
We are unwitting victims of the unfair system.
I feel sorry for my unwitting interruption of their private conversation.Like the Creation, the portending global events are cosmic…(pp.3):
Like the Creation, the portending global events are cosmic…(pp.3):
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:portend:to serve as an omen or a warning of;
e.g.
Black clouds portend a storm.乌云是暴风雨的前兆。
What do these strange events portend? 这些奇怪的事件预示着什么?
It portends the approach of a violent revolutionary storm. 预示一场猛烈的革命风暴的来临.
exert: exercise; put to useexert: exercise; put to usee.g.
His teachings still exert a strong influence. 他的教导仍在产生巨大影响。
You'll have to exert yourself more if you want to pass your exam. 你若想考试及格, 就必须更加努力.
To achieve this goal, you must have ambition; likewise you need to exert great efforts. 要实现这一目标,你必须有雄心壮志,同时还得十分努力。govern: direct or strongly influence the behavior of; rule govern: direct or strongly influence the behavior of; rule e.g.
You should govern your temper 你应该控制你的情绪。
Governed by supply and demand, price is the invisible hand in economics 在经济生活中，价格是看不见的手，取决於供给与需求关系。
Who are the men who really govern in this country? 谁是这个国家 的真正统治者?We have been… unaware, … of the potentially disastrous …We have been… unaware, … of the potentially disastrous …Notice the structure of the sentence. It could be reconstructed in the following way:
Like the Sorcerer’s Apprentice, we have been tampering with this powerful force, unaware of the potentially disastrous consequences of our actions.
It means: We have been doing things without knowing that they may have serious effects on the planet Earth. tamper:tamper:vi. to touch or make changes to something which you should not, usually without enough knowledge of how it works or when you are trying to damage it: e.g.
Don’t tamper with my affairs. (interfere; meddle)
Someone tampered with the documents on my desk. (篡改）
He got the permission by tampering with an official. （贿赂）nullmundanemundanevery ordinary and therefore not interesting: 现世的, 世俗的, 宇宙的
Mundane matters such as paying bills and shopping for food do not interest her.
Even the most mundane things can become objects of beauty in French eyes.即使是最平凡的事物，在法国人的眼中也是美丽的。
Yet war is in no way supernatural, but a mundane process governed by necessity. That is why Sun Wu Tzu's axiom, "Know the enemy and know yourself, and you can fight a hundred battles with no danger of defeat", remains a scientific truth.但战争不是神物，仍是世间的一种必然运动，因此，孙子的规律，“知彼知己，百战不殆”，仍是科学的真理。 swirlswirl: n. the shape of something rotating rapidly; v. turn in a twisting or spinning motion;
e.g.
Jane today wears a nice hat with a swirl of lace around it.
A swirl of dust forced the girl to cover her face with her hands.
The poor man was swirled away by the current.fleecyfleecysoft and wooly, or looking like this: fleecy clouds 如絮的白云
fleecy hair
柔软的头发
overtovertadjective done or shown publicly or in an obvious way; not secret: 明显的, 公然的, 蓄意的
overt criticism overt racism He shows no overt signs of his unhappiness.
Covert: hidden or secret: covert actions The government was accused of covert military operations against the regime. esotericesotericvery unusual; understood or liked by only a small number of people, especially those with special knowledge: He has an esoteric collection of old toys and games. DISAPPROVING OR HUMOROUS She has a rather esoteric taste in clothes.
registerregisterverb [I or T] to record, show or express something: The Geiger counter registered a dangerous level of radioactivity. The earthquake was too small to register on the Richter scale. FORMAL His face registered extreme disapproval of what he had witnessed. noxiousnoxiousadjective FORMAL 1 describes something, especially a gas or other substance, that is poisonous or very harmful: They died from inhaling noxious fumes. 2 harmful and unpleasant: a noxious smell/influence NicheNichethe specific space occupied by an organism with its habitat e.g.
Amy, trying to keep as far from him as possible, moved across the stone floor of the tower roof, and found a niche which concealed her.
He found the right niche for himself.
(他为自己找到一份称心的工作.)nullniche market就是指“小众市场”，也被称为“缝隙市场、利基市场”。Niche是相对于mass（大众）而言的，与niche market相对的就是mass market（大众市场）。Niche market针对的是被忽略或细分的数量较小的客户群，这部分市场虽然规模不大，但由于传统营销无法满足此类需求，因此蕴含丰富的市场机遇。若能有效地将niche market的市场资源聚合起来，也能产生可观的利润。市场占有率小却针对性强，例如孕妇装。
How about long tail?
nullgrandiose: impressive because of unnecessary largeness or grandeur; used to show disapproval (= grand)
e.g.
He’s always producing grandiose plans that never work.
They have gone through those long and bitter deliberations made in presence of some grandiose purpose they had not the means to carry out.Part three (6-9)Part three (6-9)This part deals with the first law of the ecosphere and the law governing the relationship between man-made objects and the surroundings.nullThe fish is not only, existentially, a fish, but also an element of this network, which defines its functions. ( para. 6):
The function of the fish is determined by the role it plays in the ecological network.
How about a person? Is it also true of a person?nullIndeed, in the evolutionary sense, a good care 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.( para. 6):
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. nullA car, for example, imposes itself on the neighborhood rather than being defined by it…(para. 7):
A car does not respond to its environment but insists on its own needs being met... accommodate v. : accommodate v. :To find a place for; have enough space for e.g.
Are there enough shelves to accommodate all our books ?
A flat can accommodate a family of five.
verb [T] to give what is needed to someone: The new policies fail to accommodate the disabled. We always try to accommodate (= help) our clients with financial assistance if necessary. accommodate yourself verb [R] to change yourself or your behavior to suit another person or new conditions: Some find it hard to accommodate themselves to the new working conditions.
The guests are well accommodated.
待客周到。
afflict; inflictafflict; inflictafflict: cause great unhappiness for; distress; (be afflicted with/by) (使折磨;折磨)
inflict: impose something unpleasant (强加于)
e.g.
She was afflicted by the death of her parents.
Famine and war still afflict mankind. 饥荒与战争依旧给人类带来痛苦。
Don‘t inflict your ideas on me. 别把你的想法强加于我。
nullDefined so narrowly, it is no surprise that cars have properties that hostile to the environment. ( para. 8):
When cars are produced to serve such narrow purposes, it is not surprising that some of their characteristic qualities are harmful to the environment.null. … 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. ( para. 9 ):
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.nullprogressively: advancing in amount or intensity (= more and more, increasingly )
e.g.
His eyesight is becoming progressively worse. 他的视力越来越差.
The bank has progressively increased its liquidity. 银行逐渐地增加其流动资产。
Part four (10-11)Part four (10-11)This part deals with the closed cyclical process of ecosphere and the linear process of technosphere.nullmold: n. any of various fungi that often cause disintegration of organic matter (能引起有机物质分解的真菌)
e.g. Throw that bread away. It has been kept for so many days, and there’s mold on it.
flush; blushflush; blushflush: redden with strong emotion, as anger
blush: redden with modesty, confusion, or shame
e.g.
The young man blushed as he was chosen for a dance.
The young man flushed as his rivals passed him by. depletedepleteverb [T] to reduce something in size or amount, especially supplies of energy, money or similar: If we continue to deplete the Earth's natural resources, we will cause serious damage to the environment. The illness depletes the body of important vitamins. HUMOROUS That last holiday has seriously depleted my bank account! Part five (12-14)Part five (12-14)This part deals with the consistent and harmonious nature of the ecosphere as contrasted to the rapid change and variation of the technosphere.compatiblecompatible- able to exist and perform in harmonious or agreeable combination (= agreeable)
e.g.
People admired this compatible married couple.
Accuracy is not always compatible with haste.忙中难免出错。
This printer is compatible with most microcomputers. 这台打印机是与大多数微型电子计算机兼容的.Left to their own devices, ecosystems are conservative… ( para.12):Left to their own devices, ecosystems are conservative… ( para.12):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 allow to do as one pleases.
e.g.
Parents should leave their children to their own devices for an hour in the afternoon.
Model T Ford: = Ford Model T Model T Ford: = Ford Model T The Ford Model T was an automobile produced by Henry Ford's Ford Motor Company from 1908 through 1927. The model T set 1908 as the historic year that the automobile came into popular usage. It is generally regarded as the first affordable automobile, the car which "put America on wheels“. nullnullquill pen: pen made from a bird's feather
e.g.
There was no sound for a moment but the scratching of Sir Alfred's quill pen across the paper.
innocuousinnocuousadjective completely harmless: Some mushrooms look innocuous but are in fact poisonous. nullA is shorthand for B: A is a simple and brief way of describing B.
e.g.
He’s been “relocated”, which is shorthand for “given a worse job a long way away”.insidious: working or spreading harmfully in a subtle or stealthy mannerinsidious: working or spreading harmfully in a subtle or stealthy mannere.g.
It was the insidious rumor that had finally finished their friendship.
An insidious disease sometimes is worse than the disease that causes a patient’s frequent visit to a hospital.
adj.
阴险的, 狡猾的; 诡计多端的; 背叛的
在不知不觉中进行的, 伺机陷害的
an insidious enemy
阴险的敌人
insidious disease
暗疾
the insidious approach of age
不知不觉就老了…like the fantasies of human society invaded by look-alike but dangerous aliens….(para.14)…like the fantasies of human society invaded by look-alike but dangerous aliens….(para.14)Science fantasy often describes how our world is attacked by aliens who look very much like human beings so it is difficult to detect them.Part six (15-16)Part six (15-16)In this part, the author compares the consequences of failure of the ecosphere and the technosphere.nullYet 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. ( para. 15):
The fault of most modern technology is not with its failure to meet the designed purpose,
but with its adverse effect on the environment.Three Mile Island nuclear power plant Three Mile Island nuclear power plant The Chernobyl DisasterThe Chernobyl DisasternullOn 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.nullThe Chernobyl accident killed more than 30 people immediately, and as a result of the high radiation levels in the surrounding 20-mile radius, 135,00 people had to be evacuated.
nullRegard only as a failure in the plant’s function, the accident at Chernobyl amounts to a serious but local fire that destroyed the plant.
Notice the position of the word “but”. Normally we can say “…amount to merely a serious local fire that…”. If so, the tune is rather flat and pale. Here the author employs the writing skill -- “anticlimax” to achieve the sarcastic tone.anticlimaxanticlimaxe.g.
"Seldom has a city gained such world renown, and I am proud and happy to welcome you to Hiroshima, a town known throughout the world for its---oysters." 这里是广岛市长说的话，作者本意为市长会说广岛之所以闻名于世是因为那场骇人听闻的大灾难（原子弹爆炸），谁知道市长却说广岛是因牡蛎而出名。这里用了突降法的修辞手法，起到讽刺的作用。 resultant: adj. resulting, esp. as the total outcome of more or less opposed forces
resultant: adj. resulting, esp. as the total outcome of more or less opposed forces
e.g.
Use shaded skylights to compensate for any resultant loss of natural daylight. 运用带有遮阳的天窗以弥补自然光的损失。
If the syllabus was accepted by the majority of students , it would be unnecessary to answer all resultant complaints.如果课程
规划
污水管网监理规划下载职业规划大学生职业规划个人职业规划职业规划论文
当初 得到了大多数同学接受，那么就没有必要回答由此而来的抱怨。 null 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. (Para.16):
In the economic field, debts are repaid with the production of goods. Debts are required to be repaid, unless they are canceled.disseminate v. fml.: to spread ( news, ideas, etc.) widely (= spread)disseminate v. fml.: to spread ( news, ideas, etc.) widely (= spread) e.g.
Whatever the defects of American universities
may be, they disseminate no prejudices.
I hate those who disseminate rumors. 散布谣言
They use the press to disseminate right-wing views. 他们利用报刊来传播右翼观点.
What happened in Bhopal?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. nullMore 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.
Part seven (17-21)Part seven (17-21)Since the two worlds that human society occupies are at war, the issue can only be understood in terms of their interplay. It will be dangerous for us to take sides, ignoring the interests of one combatant or the other.nullOf course, as in a conventional war, the issues can be simplified by taking sides; ignoring the interests of one combatant or the other. But this is done only at the cost of understanding.(Para.18):
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 sol
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