Dialogue. ARNOLD: Hey, Jack. What do you think of that oil spill1 near Valdez, Alaska?

ARNOLD: Hey, Jack. What do you think of that oil spill¹ near Valdez, Alaska? More than ten million gallons of oil all over the place! The newspaper says it's the worst oil spill in U.S. history.

JACK: Yeah, what a tragedy!

ARNOI.D: Why does this kind of thing happen so often? Why don't we find an-other way to transport oil?

JACK: We don't have the technology to transport it any other way.

ARNOID: But oil spills like this one kill thousands of birds and fish and other wild-life. They ruin the beaches.

JACK: How do they clean up all the oil from a major spill? Do they ever clean it all up?

ARNOLD: No. I read an article that says they usually recover only about ten percent of the oil from a spill. Some of the rest evaporates, but most of it turns into thick black stuff and sinks to the bottom of the ocean.

JACK: Then what happens? What kind of damage does the oil cause next?

ARNOLD: Well, the experts don't know for sure, but they think the oil deposits on the bottom release harmful chemicals for months or even years. Those chemicals contaminate ² microorganisms³ first. Then small fish eat the microorganisms. Then the larger fish, the birds, and the seals eat the small fish. How long does the damage go on? Whip knows? And what do we do to stop these oil spills? Nothing! What's the matter with us?

JACK: Well, luckily it doesn'thappen that often. And, besides, don't we need the oil? This country depends on oil imports. I think we import around forty billion dollars worth of oil a year. Look at that plastic pen in your hand. Where does it come from? Oil, right?

ARNOLD: True, but that doesn'tmean that we can't be more careful about pollution. How often do we hear that the people in Washington⁴ are working on alternative sources of energy⁵? Does the government really care that much about pollution?

¹oil spill means «the accidental escape of oil into the ocean from a tanker».

²Contaminate means «to pollute; to make impure».

³Microorganism means «a living thing that can be seen only under a microscope».

⁴The people in Washington means «the members of the federal government».

⁵Alternative sources of energy means «other ways to produce energy besides oil, such as solar energy, gasoline made from alcohol, and so on.»

JACK: I don't know how to answer that question. And, speaking of pollution of the oceans, what do you think of all that medical waste that washed up on the New Jersey beaches a couple of summers ago?

ARNOLD: It's scary all right. The oceans just don'thave the ability to take care of all the world's garbage anymore.

Date: 2015-08-06; view: 367; Нарушение авторских прав