UNIT FIVE

The Villain in the Atmosphere

Lead In

Brief Introduction of Main Idea While small quantity of carbon dioxide in

the air is essential to life, the growth in carbon dioxide threatens to warm up our planet to a dangerous extent. With the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere going up steadily, Earth’s average temperature is rising slightly, which causes the sea level to increase slowly. However, is carbon dioxide the real villain in the atmosphere? Who is to blame? And what is to be done?

Language Points words study: (1) villain: n. ① person guilty or capable of great

wickedness e.g. In the end of the story, the villain was caught and

punished. ② mischievous person or rascal e.g. You little villain ！

③ (in a story, play, etc.) 反面人物，反派角色 [phrases] the villain of the piece 惹祸之人 / 为害之

物   (2) poisonous: a. ① 有毒的，引起中毒的 eg. poisonous

snakes ② spiteful, malicious 恶毒的，恶意的 eg.

poisonous words 恶毒的话 [derivative] poison: ① n. 毒药，毒物 e.g. rat poison

老鼠药 ② v. 使中毒，毒害；放毒 [phrases] hate each other like poison 互相恨透 Do Ex. IV — p109

Language Points

(3) essential ① adj.[esp pred] necessary, most important eg. Is money essential to happiness? It is essential that all the facts (should) be examined

first. [Subjunctive mood is used here] ② n. (usu pl) fundamentally necessary element or thing Eg. the essentials of English grammar 英语语法纲要 Essentials of life 生活必需品 (4) liberate v. ～ sb/sth (from sth): set (sb/sth) free 解放、使

获自由； [ 化 ] 释放、放出 eg. liberate prisoners; liberate the mind [derivative] liberation, eg. the Chinese People’s

Liberation Army liberator  

Language Points (5) likelihood n. probability 可能，可能性 eg. There is no likelihood of finishing the task by the

deadline. [phrases] in all likelihood: very probably eg. In all

likelihood, it will rain. [derivative] likely: adj. probable, that is expected eg. What is the likeliest time to find him in his office? (6) low-lying adj. (of land) at or near the level of the sea [formation] adj + -ing participle   (7) splash ① vt. cause (a liquid) to fly about in drops: splash sth

(on/over sb/sth) eg. The children enjoy splashing water over each other. ② vi. (of a liquid) fly about and fall in drops eg. The rain splashed down all day. ③ n.(sound or act of ) splashing [phrases] make a splash 惹人瞩目，引起轰动 eg. The scandal

made quite a splash. Splash out (on sth) 滥花钱 eg. Before you start splashing out on new clothes, think of

the bills you have to pay.

Language Points (8) collapse v. ① (break into pieces and) fall down suddenly eg. The roof collapsed under the weight of snow. ② break down eg. His health collapsed under the pressure of

work. ③ fail suddenly or completely eg. Talks between two parties

have collapsed [derivative] collapsible: adj. 可折叠的 eg. a collapsible

chair/bicycle   (9) pressure n. 压力，精神负担 [phrases] under pressure ： influenced by urgency or

compulsion; suffering stress eg. He has been working under pressure since he was

promoted bring pressure to bear on sb: use force or strong

persuasion eg. The local government brought pressure to bear on the

company.

Language Points (10) tend v. ① be likely (to) eg. women tend to live lomger than

men. ② take a certain direction (to, towards) eg. we tended to the

same conclusion at the end of discussion ③ take care of eg. Mary is tending the sick.. [derivative] tendency: n. 倾向，趋势 eg. Prices continue to

show an upward tendency.   (11) creep v. ① move slowly, quietly, esp crouching low eg. The thief crept into the room. The hours crept by. 时间悄悄地过去了。 ② （由于恐惧、厌恶等）起鸡皮疙瘩，汗毛直竖 make one’s

flesh creep ③ fawn on sb 巴结，奉承 creep into sb’s favour 巴结上某人 n. 溜须拍马的人； （由于恐惧、厌恶等）起鸡皮疙瘩，汗毛直竖 give sb the creeps [derivative] creeping : adj. (of sth bad) gradual eg. Creeping inflation in the housing market has become a vital

issue. creepy : adj. 毛骨悚然的，不寒而栗的 eg. a creepy ghost story  

Language Points

Expressions study (1) do (sb) harm: cause damage or injury to (sb) eg. Smoking will do you a lot of harm. Having a try won’t do us the slightest harm. [phrases] do more harm than good : 弊大于利 There is no harm in doing sth / it does no

harm (for sb) to do sth [Saying] Harm set, harm get. 害人反害己   (2) serve as : ① be used for a particular purpose eg. The sofa had to serve as a bed. This room can serve as a study. ② work for (sb), esp as a servant eg. He served as (a) gardener and cleaner.

Language Points

(3) from year to year: every year for many years eg. He has worked in the same company for years and

does the same work from year to year.   (4)In all likelihood: very probably e.g. In all likelihood, the meeting will be canceled. (5) come about: take place, happen eg. Can you explain how it came about that you were

an hour late? (6) go up: ① rise, increase eg. Prices are going up

quickly. ② be built eg. New apartment buildings are going up

everywhere.  

Language Points

(7) make up: ① constitute, form eg. The committee is made up of 12 members.

② compensate, make good (a loss) ， act so as to correct (an omission)

赔偿，补偿（损失），弥补（遗漏） eg. make up a missed lesson / an examination 补课 /

补考 ③ invent, improvise eg. The whole story is made up. ④ prepare (a bed) for a particular occasion; arrange (a

room) eg. We made up a bed on the floor for the unexpected

guest.   (8) to make matters worse: with the result that a bad

situation is made worse. Eg. She is thin and sick. To make matters worse, she

eats little every day.

Language Points

Sentence Study: (1)... in so small a quantity …that it does us no

harm. : 本句中 so…that 结构表示“结果”。 So… that 结构既能表示

“结果”，又能表示“目的”。 eg. The accident was so terrible that we can’t talk

about it. （结果） We will come at 8 o’clock so that the meeting can

begin early. (2)...it will continue to rise and do so at a greater

rate..: “do so” is used to avoid repetition, referring to “will

continue to rise”. (3)…the water will advance steadily, forcing

people to retreat inland. : -ing participle 用作结果状语。 eg. He didn’t arrive at the

station on time, missing the train.

Language Points

(4) Florida will disappear beneath the waves, as will much of the British Isles…: “as” is a conjunction and is used here before a clause to avoid repetition, meaning “and so too”. eg. She is very tall, as is her daughter.

(5) Not only will many cities be drowned, but much of the most productive farming areas of the world will be lost. :

not only…but (also)… 结构表递进关系，置于句首时要倒装。

Language Points

(6) And all because of carbon dioxide. : This is an elliptical sentence. The full sentence should be: And it is all because of carbon dioxide.

(7) …the atmosphere is not quite as transparent to infrared radiation as it is to visible light. : 形容词原级比较结构 not as ….as…

(8)Less heat is lost at night … than would be lost… : “than” 为准关系代词， than=than what. eg. Children shouldn’t have more money than is needed.

(9) Without the small quantity of that gas present, the Earth would be distinctly cooler … : Subjunctive mood. 介词短语 without the small quantity… 表假设条件。

Structure

1) Section One (line 1-24) Main idea: The harm that carbon

dioxide is doing to us. 2) Section Tow (line 25-63) Main idea: How does the growth of

carbon dioxide cause global warming and why is the concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere steadily rising?

3) Section Three (line64-77) Main idea: Measures to be taken

Homework

Learn how write recommendation letters( 推荐信 ). 1 、 Notes of format 1) 推荐信是较为正式的信件 , 其内容包含正式信件的各个基本要素 : 信头、

信内地址、称呼语、信件正文、问候语及签名。 2 ）推荐信正文部分应包含以下内容：推荐人和被推荐人的关系，被推荐人

的工作（学习）成绩，被推荐人的优势，以及推举人对被推荐人的评价和态度。

2 、 Useful expressions 1) the bearer of the letter 2) He seems well on his way to establishing an equally high

reputation in... 他在。。。同样获得了很高的荣誉。 3) ... has a very unusual combination of qualities. 有着非同一般的综

合素质。 4) He is a gold mine to whoever employ him. 对用人单位来说，他将是一笔巨大的财富。 5) Should you wish further information, please do not hesitate to

con tact me. 如果还需要更详尽的信息，请与我联系。