52 L6-Caring For Our Planet

Introduction On our planet Earth there are many beautiful places. Sadly, some of the things that people do are damaging our planet. We must care for it, to keep it safe and clean for all the plants, animals, and people living here. What beautiful places can you see below? What beautiful places are there in your country? How do people damage our planet? How can we care for our planet? Discover! Now read and discover more about caring for our beautiful planet!

在我们的地球上有许多美丽的地方。 可悲的是，人们做的一些事情正在破坏我们的星球。 我们必须爱护它，为了所有的植物、动物和生活在这里的人保持它的安全和清洁。 你能看到下面哪些美丽的地方? 你们国家有哪些美丽的地方? 人类是如何破坏我们的星球的? 我们怎样才能爱护我们的地球? 发现!现在阅读和发现更多关于关心我们美丽的星球!

Chapter 1 using Resources Carefully Our planet gives us many natural resources like air to breathe and water to drink. It gives us plants and animals to eat, and coal and oil to make electricity. We need to use all these resources carefully. Renewable Resources Some natural resources, like water, sun, wind, soil, animals, and plants, can replace themselves naturally. They are called renewable resources. They will not run out if we don't use them too quickly. If we use them carefully, we will have lots of these resources to use for a long time. We All Need Water Water is one of the most important natural resources on Earth. We need fresh water to drink, and we need it to grow and cook food, and to wash. Plants, animals, and people all need water to live. About 70% of Earth is covered with water, but most of this water is salt water in oceans. People need fresh water to drink, but only about 3% of Earth's water is fresh water. In some countries there isn't enough water. Sometimes, people have to travel a long way to collect water, or they move to a new place where there is water.

我们的星球给了我们许多自然资源，比如可以呼吸的空气和可以饮用的水。 它给了我们植物和动物吃，给了我们煤和石油发电。 我们需要谨慎使用所有这些资源。 可再生资源一些自然资源，如水、阳光、风、土壤、动物和植物，可以自然地自我更新。 它们被称为可再生资源。 如果我们不太快使用它们，它们就不会用完。 如果我们谨慎使用它们，我们将有很多这些资源可以长期使用。 水是地球上最重要的自然资源之一。 我们需要淡水来饮用，我们需要它来种植和烹饪食物，还需要它来洗涤。 植物、动物和人都需要水来生存。 大约70%的地球被水覆盖，但其中大部分是海洋中的盐水。 人们需要淡水来饮用，但地球上只有大约3%的水是淡水。 有些国家没有足够的水。 有时，人们不得不走很长的路去取水，或者他们搬到一个有水的新地方。

Non-Renewable Resources We use fossil fuels like coal, gas, and oil in power stations to make electricity. We use electricity to power lights. Refrigerators, televisions, and computers all need electricity, too. Many people use electricity to cook and to heat their homes. We also use electricity to power some vehicles, and we use oil to make gasoline to power cars and other vehicles. The problem is that these fossil fuels cannot be replaced, so when we have used them all, they will run out. They are called non-renewable resources, and we are using them too quickly. Discover! In 2007, the four countries that used the most electricity were the USA, China, Russia, and Japan. Countries with more people need more electricity. Pollution Sometimes we make our resources dirty. This is called pollution. We pollute the air when we use fossil fuels to make energy like electricity. We pollute water when we put waste into it. People, animals, and plants all need clean air and water. What Can We Do? There are lots of ways we can help. We must keep water clean, and we must not waste it. Some charities are helping people to collect and store water. They are also building new dams, wells, and pumps, so that people can have clean water nearer their homes. We must use non-renewable resources carefully, and we must not waste them. Scientists are investigating ways to use renewable resources, like sun, wind, and water, to make electricity so that we don't need to use so many fossil fuels. We can also try to use less electricity.

不可再生资源我们在发电站使用煤、天然气和石油等化石燃料发电。 我们用电给灯供电。 冰箱、电视和电脑也都需要电。 许多人用电做饭和取暖。 我们也用电力来驱动一些车辆，我们用石油来制造汽油来驱动汽车和其他车辆。 问题是这些化石燃料是无法替代的，所以当我们用完它们的时候，它们就会用完。 它们被称为不可再生资源，而我们使用它们的速度太快了。 发现!2007年，用电量最多的四个国家是美国、中国、俄罗斯和日本。 人口越多的国家需要更多的电力。 有时我们把资源弄脏了。 这就叫做污染。当我们使用化石燃料制造电能时，我们污染了空气。 当我们把废物放入水中时，我们污染了水。 人、动物和植物都需要干净的空气和水。 我们能做什么?我们有很多方法可以提供帮助。 我们必须保持水的清洁，我们不能浪费它。 一些慈善机构正在帮助人们收集和储存水。 他们还在建造新的水坝、水井和水泵，这样人们就能在离家近的地方喝到干净的水。 我们必须谨慎使用不可再生资源，我们不能浪费它们。 科学家们正在研究如何利用可再生资源，如太阳能、风能和水来发电，这样我们就不需要使用那么多的化石燃料了。 我们也可以尽量减少用电。

Chapter 2 Keeping Our Planet Cool Scientists think that Earth's climate is changing and the weather is getting more extreme. They think that this is happening because Earth is getting warmer. Why is this happening, and how can we keep our planet cool? The Greenhouse Effect Earth gets heat from the sun. Some of the heat escapes into space, but some is trapped by a blanket of gases. This keeps Earth warm enough for us to live here, and it's called the greenhouse effect because it works like a greenhouse. Global Warming When we use fossil fuels we make a gas called carbon dioxide. Scientists think that we are putting too much carbon dioxide into the air. The carbon dioxide increases the greenhouse effect and Earth gets warmer. This is called global warming. Extreme Weather Scientists think that global warming is changing our climate and making the weather more extreme. This is a problem for people, animals, and plants. Hurricanes are getting more dangerous. In 2005, a huge hurricane hit New Orleans in the USA. About 2,000 people died, and most of the city was flooded. There are many rivers in Bangladesh. There are always floods in the rainy season, but the floods are getting worse. Every year, some people die and thousands of people lose their homes. Discover! In Bangladesh, some people make floating gardens. They grow food on them, so that they have food during the floods.

科学家们认为地球的气候正在发生变化，天气变得越来越极端。 他们认为这是因为地球正在变暖。 为什么会发生这种情况，我们如何让地球保持凉爽? 温室效应地球从太阳获得热量。 一些热量逃逸到太空中，但一些被一层气体困住了。 这使地球保持足够的温暖，使我们能够在这里生活，这被称为温室效应，因为它像温室一样工作。 全球变暖当我们使用化石燃料时，会产生一种叫做二氧化碳的气体。 科学家认为我们向空气中排放了太多的二氧化碳。 二氧化碳增加了温室效应，地球变暖。 这被称为全球变暖。 极端天气科学家认为全球变暖正在改变我们的气候，使天气更加极端。 这对人类、动物和植物都是一个问题。 飓风正变得越来越危险。 2005年，一场巨大的飓风袭击了美国的新奥尔良。 大约2000人死亡，大部分城市被洪水淹没。 孟加拉国有许多河流。 雨季总是有洪水，但洪水越来越严重。 每年都有一些人死亡，成千上万的人失去家园。 发现!在孟加拉国，一些人制作浮动花园。 他们在上面种粮食，这样他们在洪水时就有食物了。