The green consumer
绿色消费者
This book says our world is in danger.
这本书讲我们的地球正处于危险之中。
It is describes the various threats to the environment.
该书描写环境所面临的各种威胁。
The situation is so serious that we must do something to save the Earth.
情况非常糟糕，我们必须得采取措施来拯救地球。
The Greenhouse Effect
温室效应
The writers ask us to 'imagine that the earth inside a kind of greenhouse with the atmosphere around it.
作者让我们‘设想地球是处于一个周围充满大气的温室中。
The atmosphere acts like the glass: it lets sunlight in and keeps warmth from getting out.
大气就像玻璃一样：它可以让阳光透进来，也能防止温暖流失。
The atmosphere is essential to all living things.
大气对一切生物而言是必不可少的。
Without it, the earth would be as cold and lifeless as the surface of the moon.'
没有它，地球就会像月球表面一样寒冷且死气沉沉。’
'The trouble is that our atmosphere is changing because we are polluting it with chemicals-in the form of gases-and it is keeping in too much heat!'
‘问题是现在大气正在发生变化，因为我们正在用各种各样以气体形式存在的化学物质污染大气，大气中包含了太多的热量！’
These gases, mainly carbon dioxide (CO2), are produced by burning fuels such as petrol.
这些气体主要是二氧化碳（CO2），是汽油等燃料燃烧产生的。
The Greenhouse Effect may cause the level of the sea to rise and flood cities and even whole countries.
温室效应可能会导致海平面上升，进而淹没城市甚至是整个国家。
Damage to the ozone layer
对臭氧层的破坏
The writers tell us that 'ozone is a gas which occurs 20-50 km above the ground.
作者告诉我们‘臭氧是存在于地面以上20-50千米处的一种气体。
It forms an essential protective layer around the earth.
它是地球周围非常重要的一个保护层。
Without it, the sun would burn us up.'
如果没有它太阳就会将我们烧毁。’
We are making holes in the ozone layer, mainly by using chemicals called CFCs.
我们主要是用一种叫做氟氯化碳的化学物质将臭氧层弄出了洞。
We use these in fridges and spray cans and to make plastic items such as fast food boxes.
我们将氟氯化碳用于冰箱和喷雾罐中，也用来制作塑料制品，比如快餐盒。
Destruction of the forests
对森林的破坏
The burning and cutting down of forests is making the greenhouse effect worse because trees take in CO2.
烧毁和砍伐树木使温室效应更加严重，因为树木可以吸收二氧化碳。
It also causes soil erosion and flooding, as well as destroying the homes of people and animals that live in the forests.
过渡砍伐也会引起土壤流失以及洪水泛滥，还会摧毁那些居住在森林的人或动物们的家园。
Bad habits
坏习惯
Many of our habits cause pollution, especially our habit of using things once and then throwing them away.
我们的许多坏习惯会造成污染，尤其是东西用过一次就扔掉的习惯。
This creates massive mountains of rubbish.
这种行为创造出了堆积如山的垃圾。
We do not know what to do with the rubbish and it pollutes our land and sea.
我们不知道该如何处理这些垃圾，并且它们污染了我们的土地和海洋。
For example, people throw away as many as seven billion drink cans in Britain each year.
比如，每年在英国人们就会扔掉70亿个饮料罐。
That is enough to reach from the earth to the moon.
这些饮料罐足以从地球连到月球。
How can we save the earth?
我们怎么样挽救地球呢？
The book is asking us to become 'green consumers'.
这本书要我们成为‘绿色消费者’。
That means we should only buy and use environmentally friendly goods so that we can save the Earth.
也就是说，我们应该只买并只用那些对环境无害的东西，这样我们才能拯救地球。
These goods will not damage the environment.
这些东西不会破坏环境。
Let's be green consumers and enjoy living a better life on the Earth!
让我们成为绿色消费者，享受更好的地球生活！
