Academic exploration 1

Reading & understanding

一、Getting the skill

1、Using headings to predict contect

视频中选择题的答案是 C

2、Practicing the skill 1

答案：Paragraph:6

Subheading:Global glacier melting

My predictions:The disappearance of Himalayan glaciers isforecast within the next two decades

Text evidence:The disappearance of Himalayan glaciers isforecast within the next two decades

Reflection:True

3、Practicing the skill 2

答案：1)  one main heading

2)  four subheadings

3) the greenhouse effect, how it forms and what we can do

4) it follows the convention of this type or genre

5) what a greenhouse is in our real life

6) how the Earth's temperatures change over time

7) how greenhouse gases cause global warming

8) what we can do to solve these problems

三、Understanding the text

1、Comprehension 1

1）B.Hasn't...

2）C.Is human...

3）D.How does...

4）E.How have...

5）G.Can we...

6）A.Is there...

7）F.Can it...

2、Comprehension 2

1）C.Not given

2）B.False

3）A.True

4）C.Not given

5）A.True

6）A.True

7）A.True

8）B.False

四、Language focus

2、Words in use(注意变形)

1）unprecedented

2）metabolic

3）counteract

4）thermal

5）erosion  

6）finite

7)  prolong

8)  skeptical

3、Translation

1）周一，一份关于生物多样性和生态系统的里程碑式的新报告在巴黎发布，对全球自然界前所未有的衰退速度发出了警告。

2）土壤侵蚀是水、风以及耕作导致的肥沃表土流失，这已是全球性问题，其后果正受到越来越广泛的关注。

3）如果适量的船体没入水中，强大的浮力足以抵消将船向下拉坠的重力，船就会漂浮起来。

4）热带地区接收到大量太阳直射的能量，比高纬度地区产生更多的蒸发。

Thinking & exploring

一、Interpreting the text

1、Interpreting the text

1）Why does the author mention the survey results from the Pew Research Center in Para. 1?

答案：The author mentions the survey results from the Pew Research Center to stress the point that there remain a large number of people who do not believe that human activity causes climate change, although researchers seem to have reached a scientific consensus. This further convinces readers that this article is of great significance and necessity, thus inviting readers to continue reading.

2）Is modern climate change naturally occurring? Why or why not?

答案：Based on the text, I don't think so. Our Earth does have natural and frequent climate fluctuation; however, this change normally takes place in a slow and gradual manner. For example, ice ages occur, on average, every 100,000 years. The climate change we are experiencing now is unprecedented, with 25% of the temperature increase over the 7,000–18,000-year period since the end of the last ice age occurring in the last 200 years. This rapid change in temperature does not conform with the way the Earth's climate fluctuates. There should be a correlation between frequent human activity in the last 200 years and modern climate change.

3）How does human activity cause the increases of greenhouse gases?

答案：Human activity causes the increases of greenhouse gases in multiple ways. Burning of finite resources, deforestation for agriculture, and industrial expansion have all increased the concentration of CO2 in the Earth's atmosphere; the cultivation of domestic livestock and the expansion of landfills have increased the level of methane; soil cultivation has increased nitrous oxide.

4）What is the relationship between climate change and extreme weather events?

答案：The relationship between climate change and extreme weather events remains unclear. People suspect that a rise in the sea levels could increase the frequency and intensity of coastal flooding and a rise in the temperature could create favorable conditions for more intense rain and snowstorms. Droughts are caused by changes in planetary waves, which are influenced by certain temperature conditions. However, the infrequency of extreme weather events means that there is a lack of reliable evaluation, making the relationship inconclusive.

5）This text adopts a question & answer writing format. What do you think are the advantages of it?

答案：There are multiple advantages of adopting the question & answer writing format. First, under this format, the information is divided into smaller chunks, which are more digestible, and it makes the content of the text less formidable to readers. Second, this question & answer writing format uses a conversational tone, like a discussion between two people, so it makes the text more interactive and interesting.

6）Is this text more likely to be published in a magazine or in an academic journal? Why?

答案：This text is more likely to be published in a magazine. By reading the text's title and its content, we can realize that it is an introductory piece, which provides fundamental and basic knowledge about climate change rather than an in-depth analysis of it. Normally, in texts of this type, breadth is preferred as opposed to depth. Thus, it is more likely to be published in a magazine, whose readers are the general public. Readers of academic journals are normally scholars and researchers who need more in-depth and focused discussion on the latest research topics concerning climate change.

二、Thinking critically

1、Sharing your opinions

1）How compelling do you find the evidence is that human activity is the main cause of climate change? Explain your reasons.

答案：Measurements of theatmosphere and air in ice indicate a 40% increase in CO² levels in the 200-yearperiod to 2012 . This rapid increase is almost certainly a consequence of humanactivity. Over the last century, burning of finite resources such as coal andoil, deforestation for agriculture, and industrial expansion have all greatly ncreased the concentration of CO² in the Earth's atmosphere. Increased levelsof other greenhouse gases are also directly attributable to humanactivity.  The bottom line is that whilethe greenhouse effect is a natural phenomenon, its expansion (and globalwarming by extension) is largely due to human activity.

2）In what way is climate change affecting your daily life?

答案：Summer is hotter. At the same time, moreintense ultraviolet rays cause great damage to our skin.

3）Is it still necessary for us to change our behavior if it takes thousands of years to reverse the damage caused by climate change? If yes, what can we do to combat climate change?

答案：Yes,it is. Use clean energy instead of fossil energy.

Academic exploration 2

Reading & understanding

二、Understanding the text

1、Comprehension 1

Para 1——D.Water...

Para 2——F.Altering...

Para 3——A.Utilizing......

Para 4——B.Principles...

Para 5——C.Reducing...

Para 6——E.The...

2、Comprehension 2

第一部分

1）B.Mekonnen...

2）A.Professor...

3）D.The United...

4）E.Wikstrom

5）C.Jean Chretien

第二部分

1）C.Although...

2）A.The...

3）E.There...

4）B.This...

5）D.Water...

三、Language focus

2、Words in use(注意变形)

1）equate to

2）precipitation

3）dissipate

4）proponent

5）viable

6）extract

7)  permeable

8)  staggering

3、Translation

1)  在新型冠状病毒大流行期间曾帮助拯救人类生命的口罩对野生动物构成了致命威胁，被凌乱地丢弃在动物栖息地的口罩数量惊人，鸟类和海洋生物被困其中。

2）芬兰研究人员表示，如果电价更便宜，那么将二氧化碳排放转化为燃料的商业化生产将具有可行性。

3)  多年以来，虽然塑料处理技术已经取得了巨大进步，但事实上，塑料污染仍继续破坏着欧洲环境，污染着河流和海洋。

4)  一项针对该核电站的计划即将实施，将从受损的反应堆中提取高放射性燃料。

Thinking & exploring

一、Interpreting the text

1、Interpreting the text

答案：1）Although most of our planet is covered by water, only 3% of it is drinkable fresh water. Of the fresh water, 99% is inaccessible as it is buried beneath the world's glaciers. As the world's population is growing rapidly, coupled with the growth of water consumption in agriculture and manufacturing, the fresh water supply has reached an unsustainable level. Thus, the world's population is still facing water scarcity.

2）It is true that switching to a vegetarian or vegan diet can reduce water consumption, as the production of meat is much more water-intensive than the production of vegetables. However, asking people to consume less (or no) meat means asking them to significantly change their dietary habits or even culture. As most of the population in almost all countries are not vegetarians, the feasibility of switching dietary habits is doubtful.

3）Desalination cannot be applied widely to address water shortage issues, at least not right now. First, desalination is a capital-intensive process, meaning that it costs lots of money. When a place cannot afford it financially, even if this place is located in coastal areas, desalination is not a viable option. Second, desalination is fairly inefficient. The water produced by 18,426 desalination plants around the world can only meet the needs of 1% of the world's population. Therefore, desalination can only be applied in certain areas where there is a balance between investments and rewards.

4）The author mainly mentions two ways to reduce water consumption in the manufacturing sector. One way is to use alternative sterilization methods, such as carbon dioxide cleaning. This will save water and make sterilization more eco-friendly. The second way is to recycle more. Recycling more products means that few new products will be produced, and thus less water will be consumed.

5）The author uses a number of strategies to increase the persuasiveness of this article. First, the author mainly explains from a third-person perspective. By avoiding using first-person perspective often, third-person perspective increases the objectivity of the whole article. Second, the author uses statistics and research to support major arguments. By appealing to logic, the author makes these arguments more convincing. Third, the author uses language cautiously and precisely and does not oversimplify or overgeneralize problems and solutions. For example, in the sentence "While desalination is arguably a necessary solution in some countries …," the adverb "arguably" is a hedging word, showing that the author uses words cautiously and does not oversimplify the solution.

三、Getting the skill

1、Identifying commentary

视频中选择题的答案是 B D

2、Practicing the skill 1

1）Assertive:    答案：A B E G I J

2）measures:    答案：C D F H K L

3、Practicing the skill 2

1）Assertive：it is undeniably the case that; categorically proving that

2）Cautious：in some way; which would seem to suggest that; it would seem to suggest that

Critical thinking

一、Getting the skill

1、Evaluating an appeal to authority

视频中选择题的答案是A B C

2、Practicing the skill 1

答案：1）Main argument: Cloud seeding is one of the best solutions for dealing with drought.

Data: It has proven to be a successful technique for generating rainfall in five different countries.

2）Possible answers:

What was the accepted standard of "proof"?

How much rainfall has it generated?

Is it possible to directly attribute the rainfall to cloud seeding or might it have rained anyway?

Which countries? Do they have climatic or geographical features in common?

What is the success of other solutions?

3、Practicing the skill 2

答案：1）The degree to which carbon emissions have risen; the percentage of this increase that is directly attributable to human activity. The United Nations is likely to have published these figures.

2）A breakdown of energy consumption per country by comparing those that desalinate water and those that don't; the volume of the energy that is used to power the desalination plants. Government official websites are likely to hold this data.

3）A comparative breakdown of energy consumption by different ways of producing renewable energy in the twelve countries. Government official websites are likely to have this information.

Academic writing

Writing model

一、Essay prompt

1、Essay prompt

Problems:

food shortages

rising sea levels

unpredictable weather

Solutions:

dietary changes

focus on renewable energy

recycling

My own ideas:

Problems: diseases; decreased biodiversity

Solutions: take public transportation; use energy-saving electrical appliance

二、Model analysis

1、Task 1

1）Which of the six ideas in the "Essay prompt" are covered?

答案：food shortages, dietary changes

2、Task 2

第一部分

1）Write down the citation used in the essay.

答案：According to the World Bank (2016), the world needs to produce at least 50% more food to feed nine billion people by 2050. But climate change could cut crop yields by more than 25%.

第二部分

1）Does the writer agree with the citation?

答案：Yes.

2）Does the writer use cautious or assertive language?

答案：Yes.Assertive: clearly, significantly.

3）Do you agree with the writer of the essay?

答案：Yes.

Language for writing

一、Vocabulary development

1、Verb and noun collocations

第一部分

1）embrace——E.to see...

2）address ——A.to try...

3）allocate ——B.to give...

4）assess   ——H.to make a...

5）cast       ——F.to make sth...

6）consider——D.to think...

7）reduce   ——G.to lower...

8）slow      ——C.to reduce...

第二部分

1）reducing demand     (reduce→reducing)   

2）slow the decline 

3）assess the impact

4）embrace a change  

5）considering the role     (consider→considering)

6）cast doubt

7）allocate resources 

8）address the issue

二、Grammar

1、Verb patterns

第一部分

1）A.to take

2）B.making

3）A.to make

4）A.building

5）A.to drive

6）B.constructing

第二部分

1）to develop

2）to living

3）encouraging

4）to waste

5）to pay

Writing skill

一、Getting the skill

2、Practicing the skill 1

答案：Commentary:

1. This is likely to result in a higher risk of flooding and droughts across different regions.

2. While arguably only a contributory factor, it is clear that it is a significant one.

Cautious and assertive language:

1. This is likely to result in

2. arguably only a contributory factor; it is clear that

3、Practicing the skill 2

答案：In addition, global warming exerts a clear impact on global economy. Burke (2015) estimated that global warming could slow economic growth and reduce worldwide individual wealth levels by 23% in 2100. When that happens, world economy would certainly be significantly impacted.