Unit 8 Protecting Our EnvironmentGlobal Reading. Part Division of the Text PartsPara(s) Main Ideas 112 A town in the heart of America, where all life lived in harmony with its surroundings. 236 The description of the same town which was now stricken with all kinds of maladies. 378 The cause of the maladies. 4910 Though imagined, the tragedy may well become a reality and the author tells about her purpose in writing the book.Detailed Reading . Difficult Sentences1. (Para.1) In autumn, oak and maple and birch set up a blaze of colour that flamed and flickered across a backdrop of pines.1. Paraphrase the sentence. (=In autumn, the leaves of oaks, maples and birches turned bright red against a background of green pines.)2. Translate this sentence into Chinese. (=秋季到来时，橡树、枫树和白桦树五彩缤纷，在大片松林的衬托下如同一片火海，熠熠生辉。)2. (Para.2) The countryside was, in fact, famous for the abundance and variety of its bird life, and when the flood of migrants was pouring through in spring and autumn people travelled from great distances to observe them.1. Understand the long sentence. (=This is a compound sentence connected with the transitional word “and”. In the second main clause, a sub-clause of time “when the flood of”is used.)2. Translate this sentence into Chinese.(=事实上，这里的乡村鸟类品种丰富，数量可观，因此远近闻名。每当大批候鸟在春秋之际蜂拥而至，许多人远道赶来观看。)3. (Para.2) So it had been from the days many years ago when the first settlers raised their houses, sank their wells and built their barns.What does the author mean by saying “it had been from the days many years ago when”?(=She means that the land had been known for abundance and bio-diversity for a long time.) 4. (Para.2) Then a strange blight crept over the area and everything began to change. Some evil spell had settled on the community: mysterious maladies swept the flocks of chickens; the cattle and sheep sickened and died. Translate this sentence into Chinese. (=后来，一种奇怪的疫病在这个地区悄悄蔓延开来，一切不再依旧。这个社区中了一种什么邪，一群群鸡很快都染上了神秘的疾病，牛羊纷纷病死。)5. (Para.6) The roadsides, once so attractive, were now lined with browned and withered vegetation as though swept by fire.1. Whats the function of “as though”? (=Here the author used a figure of speech, simile to make her expression more vivid and clear.)2. Whats her purpose by saying so? (=She focuses on the severe consequence caused by the pollution.)6. (Para.9) This town does not actually exist, but it might easily have a thousand counterparts in America or elsewhere in the world.1. Why does the author want to say by using “it might? (=“might” is used here to express a possibility that it may happen or may be true such things did have happened in America or elsewhere in the world.)2. Translate this sentence into Chinese.(=这座小镇在现实世界中并不存在，但是在美国和世界的其他地方，很可能会轻而易举地有数千个遭遇到与其类似命运的小镇出现。)7. (Para.10) What has already silenced the voices of spring in countless towns in America?1. What should spring be like? What does “silenced the voices of spring” mean?(=Spring should be throbbing with life, full of birdsong. “Silenced the voices of spring” means the spring has already been made lifeless.) 2. Translate this sentence into Chinese. (=是什么东西使无数美国小镇的春天鸦雀无声？) . Words and Expressions1. (Para.1) in harmony with: agree with another idea, feeling etc., or look good with other things* Your suggestions are not in harmony with the aims of this project.我们的行为应该与话语相一致。 (=Our actions should be in harmony with our words.)Collocation: be in harmony with 与协调一致be out of harmony with 与不协调一致live in harmony和睦相处2. (Para.1) in the midst of: among or with; while (sth.) is happening* The government is in the midst of a major crisis.他在暴雨中离开了公寓。 (=He left his flat in the midst of a rainstorm.)3. (Para.1) bloom: 1. n. a flower, especially one cultivated for its beauty *Fall leaves make the Japanese mad, just like the cherry bloom in the spring. 苹果树正在开花。(=The apple trees were in bloom.)2. vi. produce flowers; be in flower.* Some of my last roses of summer are even more beautiful than the first ones that bloomed in early spring.(=Everything in the garden was blooming lovely!)NB: bloom , blossom以及flower均可作名词和动词，意为“花，开花”。其不同点是：bloom 尤指“大的、供观赏的花，诸如牡丹、玫瑰、梅花、菊花等; blossom 指树木开花，尤指果树上开的花。flower指开放的花朵或泛指花卉。Collocation: come into bloom/blossom 开花be out of bloom/blossom 花已落in (full) bloom/blossom 花盛开着the bloom is off the rose 明日黄花，已失去新颖感或应时价值的事物4. (Para.1) mist: n. a light cloud low over the ground that makes it difficult for you to see very far* We could just see the outline of the house through the mist. (=The mist along the river banks had gone by mid morning.) CF: mist, fog & smog这三个词都是名词，都可表示“雾”之意。mist 指轻雾，气象学上称作霭。例如： * The peaks were shrouded in mist. 山峰笼罩在雾霭中。fog 指较浓的雾。例如： * We get