1、Unit 2Protecting Our Planet國際交流英語視聽說優(yōu)秀課文Book 4Think and DiscussViewing the WorldExploring the ThemeAnalytical ListeningSharing Your IdeasEngagingFurther ListeningContentThink and DiscussUnit 2 Protecting Our PlanetQuestionsAn endangered turtle floats over a dead coral reef.1. Look at the photo and r

2、ead the caption. What do you imagine this scene looked like 50 or 60 years ago? What caused the change?2. What are some reasons that animals become extinct?3. Who do you think should be responsible for protecting endangered species? Governments? Companies? Citizens?Example AnswersFifty or 60 years a

3、go, the scene was probably much more colorful, with different species of live coral and different kinds of fish. The damage was probably caused by human activities such as commercial fishing or scuba diving. Rising ocean temperatures from global warming can also cause the death of coral reefs.Questi

4、ons1. Look at the photo and read the caption. What do you imagine this scene looked like 50 or 60 years ago? What caused the change?Example Answers Species can become extinct due to over-hunting or over- fishing , climate change, loss of habitat, or competition from invasive species. Questions2. Wha

5、t are some reasons that animals become extinct?Example Answer 1I think governments should be responsible for protecting endangered species because they have the power to pass and endorse laws that protect the species. Questions3. Who do you think should be responsible for protecting endangered speci

6、es? Governments? Companies? Citizens?Example Answer 2I think companies should be responsible for protecting endangered species because they sometimes cause environmental damage, and they have financial resources. Saving an endangered species might also be good for a companys public image. Questions3

7、. Who do you think should be responsible for protecting endangered species? Governments? Companies? Citizens?Example Answers 3I think citizens should be responsible for protecting endangered species because governments and companies have not done enough. Citizens should join together to protect thes

8、e species through education and public pressure on companies and governments. Questions3. Who do you think should be responsible for protecting endangered species? Governments? Companies? Citizens?Exploring the ThemeUnit 2 Protecting Our PlanetProtecting Our PlanetInternational Union for Conservatio

9、n of Nature (IUCN): the worlds oldest and largest global environmental organization founded in 1948. With more than 1,200 member organizations, today it is a leading authority on the environment protection and sustainable development. Almost 11,000 scientists and experts from the world do volunteer

10、work for it. 世界自然保護(hù)聯(lián)盟A | Look at the photos and read the captions. Then discuss the questions.1. Lions and other types of big cats are dying at a rapid rate. What do you think is the biggest threat to these animals?2. If a plant species becomes extinct, what effect does this have on the environment?

11、Protecting Our PlanetAn African lion rests near a tree in Botswana. Over the past 20 years, many African lions have died.Protecting Our PlanetAround the planet, human impact has resulted in the destruction of animal and plant life. Now conservationists are trying to save these plants and animals fro

12、m extinction. Once a plant or animal is extinct, there will be no living members of that species left on the planet.Protecting Our PlanetAround the planet, human impact has resulted in the destruction of animal and plant life. Now conservationists are trying to save these plants and animals from ext

13、inction. Once a plant or animal is extinct, there will be no living members of that species left on the planet.Protecting Our PlanetExample AnswersThe biggest threat to big cats is probably hunting. People want their skins, or in some cases, they might think the big cats are a threat to people or to

14、 domestic animals. Habitat loss could be another factor that is endangering big cats.1. Lions and other types of big cats are dying at a rapid rate. What do you think is the biggest threat to these animals?Protecting Our PlanetExample AnswersIf a plant species becomes extinct, then any insect specie

15、s or animal that depends on it could go without food and shelter. In addition, plants are important to the soil and the air, so losing a plant species could have several negative effects on the environment.2. If a plant species becomes extinct, what effect does this have on the environment?Protectin

16、g Our PlanetB | Look at the chart. Then discuss the questions.Each year, the International Union for Conservation of Nature studies plants and animals. Many of the species studied are threatened or at risk of dying. The graph shows the percentage of threatened species in each category. The numbers a

17、t the top of the bars show how many species were studied.Protecting Our Planet1. Which group is the most threatened? Which is the least?2. Which categories of species are common in China?Protecting Our PlanetExample Answers Tropical palms have the greatest percentage of species in danger, while lobs

18、ters, on the other hand, have the smallest percentage and number of species in danger. Therefore, tropical palms are the most threatened and lobsters are the least threatened.Which group is the most threatened? Which is the least?Protecting Our PlanetExample AnswersAll of the categories of species a

19、re common in China except for tropical palms, which can be only seen in several provinces. Coral reefs used to be common in the oceans around China, but a majority of the reefs have been destroyed due to over-fishing and pollution.2. Which categories of species are common in China?Protecting Our Pla

20、netAnalytical ListeningUnit 2 Protecting Our PlanetListening 1 dusky seaside sparrow n. 海濱灰雀（主要分布在美國佛羅里達(dá)州的梅里特島，已經(jīng)絕跡）habitat n.（植物的）生長地；（動物的）棲息地Merritt Island 梅里特島（位于美國東部佛羅里達(dá)州）steelhead trout n. 硬頭鱒enforce v. 執(zhí)行，實施（規(guī)定或法律）Idaho 愛達(dá)荷州（美國西北部州）deforestation n. 砍伐樹林buckwheat n. 蕎麥Listening 1 Endangered Spe

21、cies Act (ESA): a U.S. environmental law which was passed in 1973. It was designed to help protect plants and animals that are threatened by extinction as a result of human activities. 瀕危物種法案Listening 1 People generally speak more quickly than they can write. To take good notes quickly while listeni

22、ng to a lecture, we should write only the most important ideas. Here are some tips: Write only the key words. Dont write complete sentences. Use abbreviations (short forms) and symbols when possible. Indent specific information, such as examples.A | Predicting Content. Form a group with two or three

23、 other students. Look at the photos and read the caption. Then discuss the questions below. Listening 1 The dusky seaside sparrow was a bird species of southern Florida.A | Predicting Content. Listening 1 1. The dusky seaside sparrow is now extinct. What kind of habitat do you think this bird lived

24、in?2. What do you think are some possible causes for its extinction?Listening 1 Example Answers1. The dusky seaside sparrow is now extinct. What kind of habitat do you think this bird lived in?The bird is sitting on a branch, so it must have lived in places with trees. Southern Florida is also a war

25、m place with a lot of wetlands.Listening 1 Example Answers2. What do you think are some possible causes for its extinction?The bird may have become extinct because of habitat loss, environmental pollution, or disease. (Its a small bird, so people wouldnt want to hunt it.)B | Note-Taking. Listen to t

26、he first part of a guided tour and look at a students notes. Notice the use of key words, indentations, abbreviations, and symbols. Listening 1 C | Pair Work. Work with a partner. Using the notes from exercise B, retell the first part of the guided tour in complete sentences. Use your own words. Lis

27、tening 1 Listening 1 Example AnswersThe dead bird in the jar is the dusky seaside sparrow, a small bird that lived on Merritt Island in southern Florida, but which is now extinct. The species became extinct when people used chemicals to kill the mosquitos on the island. Those chemicals altered the w

28、etlands so they were no longer a good habitat for the sparrow.Tour Guide: OK, everyone, heres our next exhibit. Do you see the body of the little bird in that bottle? That is a dusky seaside sparrow. It was an old male that died on June 16, 1987. Its kind of sad because he was the very last dusky se

29、aside sparrow in the world. Theyre now extinct. Yes, you have a question? Male: Do you know why they became extinct? Tour Guide: Basically, they lost their habitat. See, the dusky seaside sparrow lived only in one placeon Merritt Island in Florida. The island had a lot of mosquitoes and wetlands. Th

30、e people on Merritt Island used chemicals to kill the mosquitoes. Those chemicals were also very harmful to the sparrows, and many died. In addition, the people on Merritt Island tried to control and exploit the wetlands. As they altered them, the wetlands were no longer a good habitat for the sparr

31、ows. The birds died one by one until there werent any left.Listening 1 A | Note-Taking. Listen to the guided tour and complete the notes. Be sure to use key words, abbreviations, and symbols. Notice the indentations. A Guided TourListening 1 Endangered Species Act (ESA)1973Protects animals and their

32、 _ Ex.: _Ongoing conflict between _ and _ Ex.: _ESA protects _; ranchers feellaw violates _habitatssteelhead trout in Washington statelandownersgovernmentgray wolf in Wyoming and Idaholandtheir rightsA | Note-Taking. Listening 1 Endangered Species TodaySituation today is _ than in 19731. _ species l

33、isted as _ or _2. Since 1973 only _ species removed from list3. BUT only _ removed because they recovered; _ became extinct, others listed by mistake4. _ more species may soon be added to listworse 1,300endangeredthreatened39149300A | Note-Taking. Listening 1 ConclusionEven w/ ESA in place, _ not ma

34、king much progressListening 1 B | Listening for Main Ideas. Read the questions and answer choices. Then listen again and choose the correct answers. Use your notes from exercise A to help you.1. What is the main topic of the talk? a. Why the dusky seaside sparrow became extinct.b. The difficulties o

35、f protecting both animals and their habitats.c. Reasons that the Endangered Species Act isnt working.bListening 1 B | Listening for Main Ideas. Read the questions and answer choices. Then listen again and choose the correct answers. Use your notes from exercise A to help you.2. What does the Endange

36、red Species Act protect?a. Endangered animals and their habitats.b. Endangered animals but not their habitats.c. Animal habitats but not endangered animals.aListening 1 B | Listening for Main Ideas. Read the questions and answer choices. Then listen again and choose the correct answers. Use your not

37、es from exercise A to help you.3. What has happened since the passage of the Endangered Species Act?a. The number of species that are endangered has greatly decreased.b. The number of species that are endangered has increased a lot.c. The number of species that are endangered has not changed much.cL

38、istening 1 The Miami blue butterflyDiscussion. Work with your partner. How might the extinction of the dusky seaside sparrow have been prevented? Explain your ideas.Tour Guide: OK, everyone, heres our next exhibit. Do you see the body of the little bird in that bottle? That is a dusky seaside sparro

39、w. It was an old male that died on June 16, 1987. Its kind of sad because he was the very last dusky seaside sparrow in the world. Theyre now extinct. Yes, you have a question?Male: Do you know why they became extinct?Tour Guide: Basically, they lost their habitat. See, the dusky seaside sparrow liv

40、ed only in one placeon Merritt Island in Florida. The island had a lot of mosquitoes and wetlands. The people on Merritt Island used chemicals to kill the mosquitoes.To be continued Listening 1 Tour Guide: Those chemicals were also very harmful to the sparrows, and many died. In addition, the people

41、 on Merritt Island tried to control and exploit the wetlands. As they altered them, the wetlands were no longer a good habitat for the sparrows. The birds died one by one until there werent any left.Female: So, if people were to blame, cant we make sure something like that never happens again?Tour G

42、uide: Were trying. The situation with the dusky seaside sparrow makes one thing very clear. We need to protect endangered animals. However, its a better strategy to protect the animals andtheir habitats, too. After all, if an animals habitat is destroyed, the animal will likely become extinct.To be

43、continued Listening 1 Tour Guide: Were trying. The situation with the dusky seaside sparrow makes one thing very clear. We need to protect endangered animals. However, its a better strategy to protect the animals andtheir habitats, too. After all, if an animals habitat is destroyed, the animal will

44、likely become extinct. Thats why the Endangered Species Act, which was passed in the United States in 1973, protects both endangered animals and their habitats. For example, the steelhead trout lives in rivers and streams on the west coast of the United Statesthe Columbia River in Washington state f

45、or instance. Recently, both the fish and the river came under the protection of the Endangered Species Act.To be continued Listening 1 Male: But how can we protect large areas such as rivers and forests? No onenot even the governmentcan afford to buy or control all the land that endangered species l

46、ive on.Tour Guide: Good point. In fact, thats what makes the Endangered Species Act difficult to fully enforce. Theres an ongoing conflict between some landowners and the government. Take the case of the gray wolf, for instance. At one time, the wolves were common all over North America, but by the

47、1930s they were nearly all killed. Then in 1973, the wolves came under the protection of the Endangered Species Act, along with huge areas of landin Wyoming and Idaho, for example. This angered ranchers. They think they should have the right to shoot wolves that threaten their sheep and cows. To be

48、continued Listening 1 Tour Guide: So, landowners may understand the need for the protection of endangered species, but its understandable that they might also feel that the Endangered Species Act violates their rights. Yes? Female: Is the law working? I mean, what is the status of endangered species

49、 today in the United States?Tour Guide: Unfortunately, the situation of threatened and endangered animals is worse now than in 1973, even with the Endangered Species Act in place. Reports on topics such as habitat loss, deforestation, and overfishing show that the situation for many species is far w

50、orse now than it was in 1973. Let me be more specific. Right now over 1,300 species in the United States are listed as endangered or threatened. Listening 1 To be continued Tour Guide: And, its important to keep in mind that not many species are ever taken off the list. Since 1973, in fact, only aro

51、und 39 species have been removed from the Endangered Species list. But that number doesnt indicate the complete story. Whats significant about that number is that only 14 species were removed because they had actually recovered. Nine species became extinct, and the others were removed from the list

52、after scientists found evidence that listing the species had been a mistake in the first place. Meanwhile, another 300 species may soon be added to the list, including a plant, the Las Vegas buckwheat, and an insect, the Miami blue butterfly. So, you see, even with the Endangered Species Act in plac

53、e, were not making as much progress as we would like. Any more questions? OK, lets move on to the next exhibit. This way, please.Listening 1 Listening 2 elk n. 駝鹿；麋Yumi 由美（ 人名）Raoul 拉烏爾（人名）hectare n. 公頃（相當(dāng)于10, 000 平方米）outlaw v. 將（某事）定為非法pose v. （使）擺好姿勢Virginia 弗吉尼亞州（美國州名）Listening 2 Yosemite Nationa

54、l Park: scenic mountain region in east-central California, U.S, which is surrounded on all sides by national forest lands and encompasses 1,189 square miles. It is internationally recognized for its spectacular cliffs, waterfalls, clear streams, and biological diversity. It was designated a UNESCO W

55、orld Heritage site in 1984. 約塞米蒂國家公園Listening 2 Shenandoah National Park: a national park in the U.S. state of Virginia. It covers part of the Blue Ridge Mountains (藍(lán)領(lǐng)山脈) and is famous for its wonderful scenery. 謝南多厄國家公園Listening 2 Duck Stamp: a stamp which is issued in the U.S. by the state and nat

56、ional governments. The stamp is required to hunt waterfowl (水鳥), and money from selling the stamps goes to support the wetlands where waterfowl live. 美國聯(lián)邦鴨票Listening 2 Hunters and their dogs look for animals.Prior Knowledge. Discuss the questions with a partner.Listening 2 1. Ducks, quail, turkeys,

57、and pheasants are popular birds to hunt. Elk and deer are popular four-legged animals to hunt. What other animals do you know that are hunted?2. Have you ever gone hunting? If you have, did you like it? If you havent, would you like to try it? Why or why not?Listening 2 Example AnswersDepending on t

58、he place, people also hunt rabbits, squirrels, bears, moose, lions, elephants, alligators, and other animals.1. Ducks, quail, turkeys, and pheasants are popular birds to hunt. Elk and deer are popular four-legged animals to hunt. What other animals do you know that are hunted?Listening 2 Example Ans

59、wer 1Yes, I have. I liked it because I enjoy being outdoors, and it was exciting to look for an animal, even if I didnt kill one. 2. Have you ever gone hunting? If you have, did you like it? If you havent, would you like to try it? Why or why not?Listening 2 Example Answer 2Yes, I have. I didnt like

60、 it because the reality of killing and processing an animal for food was unpleasant. 2. Have you ever gone hunting? If you have, did you like it? If you havent, would you like to try it? Why or why not?Listening 2 Example Answer 3No, I havent. I would like to go because I want to learn how to use a