格桑珍嘎
聯(lián)合國成員國已同意制定一項具有法律約束力的全球條約,該條約將涵蓋塑料的整個“生命周期”,包括塑料的生產(chǎn)、設(shè)計和處置。
1The United Nations countries have agreed to create atreaty that deals with plastic pollution in the worldsoceans, rivers and land. The UN Environment Assemblyvoted Wednesday at its meeting in Kenyas capital Nairobifor a resolution“to end plastic pollution”. It is the beginningof international negotiations designed to produce a treaty by 2024.
“Today we wrote history. Plastic pollution has grown into a big threat,”said EspenBarth Eide. He is Norways Minister of Climate and the Environment and the assemblyspresident.“With todays resolution we are officially on track for a cure,”he added.
3Negotiators debated on the resolution for a week. Plans presented by Peru, RwandaIndia and Japan were used as the basis of the global plan to prevent and reduce plastic pol?lution. The treaty would cover the production, design and removal of plastic.
4“It is not always that you get such a major environmental deal,”said Inger Andersen,executive director of the UN Environment Programme. Andersen called the agreement byrepresentatives of 175 member countries“the most significant global environmental gover?nance decision since The Paris Agreement in 2015”.
5A recent study by the Pew Research Center said that the worldwide plastic industryis valued at $522.6 billion. The study also reported that 11 million metric tons of plasticend up in the oceans every year.
6The environmental group Greenpeace said the UN decision is a“big, bold step to endplastic pollution”
7Graham Forbes is head of the global plastic project at Greenpeace USA. He said thatuntil a strong international treaty is signed, the organization and its allies will keep workingtoward a world free of plastic pollution.
“This is a big step that will keep the pressure on Big Oil and Big Brands to reducetheir plastic footprint and switch their business models to refill and reuse,”Forbes said.
Detail
1. What do we know about the treaty?
A. It was produced in Paris.
B. It will be finished by 2024.
C. It involves four countries.
D. Its aim is to limit plastic production.
Inference
2. What did Espen Barth Eide think of plastic pollution?
A. Its a big trouble.
B. Its under control at present.
C. Its impossible to solve it now.
D. Its beyond peoples imagination.
Vocabulary
3. What does the underlined word“bold”in paragraph 6 mean?
A. Unique. B. Cautions.
C. Different. D. Brave.
Inference
4. In which part of a newspaper can we read the text?
A. Environment. B. Education.
C. Travel. D. Life.
Ⅰ. Difficult sentence in the text
The United Nations countries have agreed to create a treaty that deals with plastic pol?lution in the worlds oceans, rivers and land. 聯(lián)合國成員國已同意制定一項處理世界海洋、河流和陸地塑料污染的條約。
【點石成金】本句是一個主從復(fù)合句。句中,that引導(dǎo)定語從句,修飾先行詞atreaty。
Ⅱ. Text?centered chunks
agree to do 同意做……;贊成做……
deal with 處理;應(yīng)付
on track 走上正軌
end up 最終;結(jié)果