Unit 2  Making a difference
A Reading and Interaction
Island story
“When I was a little boy,I loved to go fishing in the sea with my spear,” says John Sailike, sadly. “When I leave the island,I’ll lose the sea and the happiness of this place.I’ll miss the sound of the waves at night ... I won’t hear it any more.”
John is a fisherman from the Carteret Islands in the South Pacific,a beautiful and peaceful semicircle of white sand,palm trees and crystal clear waters.Each day,he goes out in a small boat to catch fish for his family,while his wife looks after the children and grows vegetables in their garden.The family lives in a wood hut with sand floors and they don’t use much electricity,so when the sun goes down,it is usually time for bed.This peaceful,underdeveloped place has a tiny population and only one contact with the outside world—a ship which brings supplies from Bougainville,a large island 86 km away.But all this
is about to change,because John,along with 3,000 other people,is leaving his island home.The question is,why?
Take a closer look at the islands and the reason becomes clear.The Carterets are the victim of global warming.High tides often flood across the villages and wash away people’s homes.Salt water from the sea is overflowing into vegetable gardens and destroying fruit trees.It’s polluting the fresh water supply too.Islanders are struggling to survive on coconut milk and fish,and children are suffering from malnutrition.The dying trees are home to mosquitoes that spread diseases,like malaria.John and his fellow islanders are facing great challenges,and they know that life on the island is coming to an end.
Experts predict that the Carterets will be under water in the not-so-distant future.Before then, the islanders will relocate to places like Bougainville and rebuild their lives.This move will provide people with food and shelter,but what will happen to their culture?The islanders have songs for different everyday activities,and traditions and celebrations linke
d to the sea.They also have their own language,called “Halia”.If they coexist with other cultures,this may die out.
“We’re losing our home,our identity,our whole life,” says one islander. “We hope the world is listening.” It is.In recent years,articles in international newspapers,online videos and an Oscar-nominated documentary film called Sun Come Up have talked about the Carteret Islands. People have supported the islanders and as a result,they have turned their anger and frustration into action.People are also looking for ways to preserve the islanders’ way of life and record their language and traditions for future generations.
Back on the island,John Sailike is getting into his boat for the last time.He’s saying goodbye to his home and to his ancestors.He does not know what the future will bring;he does not know if his culture will survive.He is the human face of climate change.
【参考译文】
岛的故事
“当我还是个小男孩的时候，我喜欢拿着我的矛去海里钓鱼，”约翰·塞里克悲伤地说。“当我离开这个岛，我将失去大海和这个地方的幸福。我会想念夜晚的海浪声……我不想再听了。”
约翰是来自南太平洋卡特里特岛的一名渔民，该岛是一个美丽而宁静的半圆形，由白的沙滩、棕榈树和清澈的海水组成。每天，他乘小船为家人捕鱼，而他的妻子照看孩子，在花园里种蔬菜。这家人住在一间铺着沙地板的小木屋里，他们不用电，所以太阳下山时，通常是睡觉的时间。这个和平、不发达的地方人口很少，与外界只有一种联系——一艘从86公里外的大岛布干维尔(Bougainville)运补给的船。但这一切即将改变，因为约翰和其他3000人，要离开他在岛上的家。问题是,为什么?
仔细看看这些岛屿，原因就一目了然了。卡特里特一家是全球变暖的受害者。涨潮经常淹没村庄，冲走人们的房屋。海水涌进菜园，毁坏了果树。它也污染了淡水供应。岛民靠椰奶和鱼为生，儿童营养不良。濒临死亡的树木是传播疾病的蚊子的家园，比如疟疾。约翰和他的同伴们正面临着巨大的挑战，他们知道岛上的生活即将结束。
专家预测，卡特里特家族将在不久的将来被淹没在水下。在那之前，岛民们将迁移到布干
维尔这样的地方，重建他们的生活。此举将为人们提供食物和住所，但他们的文化将会发生什么呢?岛上的居民为不同的日常活动、传统和与海洋有关的庆祝活动唱歌。他们也有自己的语言，叫做“Halia”。如果他们与其他文化共存，这可能会消亡。
“我们正在失去我们的家园，我们的身份，我们的整个生活，”一位岛民说。“我们希望全世界都在倾听。”它是。近年来，国际报纸、网络视频和奥斯卡提名纪录片《太阳升起来》都在谈论卡特里特岛。人们支持岛民，因此，他们将愤怒和沮丧化为行动。人们也在寻方法来保护岛民的生活方式，并为后代记录他们的语言和传统。
回到岛上，约翰·塞利克正在最后一次上他的船。他在向他的家和祖先告别。他不知道未来会发生什么;他不知道他的文化是否能生存下去。他是气候变化下的人类面孔。
B Grammar activity
The flashmob phenomenon
Flashmobs are public performances given by groups of strangers who find out about events through social media,blogs and text messages.Flashmobbers meet at a precise ti
高中英语课文me and perform a short action together when a signal is given.The performance finishes suddenly,at an arranged time and the people then move away immediately.For some people,flashmobs are about having fun.But for others,they’re a way of getting a group of people together to make an important point. We asked Joel to tell us about his next flashmob event.
Joel is a 19-year-old Canadian and he’s a strong advocate of recycling. “On Saturday,1I’m organizing a flashmob event to promote recycling.2It starts at ten in the morning.3How will we organize the event?Probably through social media.According to the weather forecast,4it’s going to be sunny on Saturday,so 5I hope that lots of people will be there.6We’re going to leave some rubbish near a recycling bin and then wait in the park.I hope we’ll look like ordinary people,enjoying a day out.But everyone’s going to start clapping and cheering as soon as someone picks up the rubbish and puts it in the recycling bin.7I’m sure more people will be joining them then.8Some people may not understand what we’re doing,but I think that it will be fun. Flashmobbing like ours is possible thanks to the
widespread support for the environmental protection around the world.It’s a new way of raising environmental awareness.”