In their book Time to Eat the Dog:The Real Guide to Sustainable Living,Robert and Brenda
Vale say keeping a mediumsized dog has the same ecological impact as driving 10,000 km a year
in a 4.6 liter Land Cruiser.
"We"re not actually saying it is time to eat the dog.We"re just saying that we need to think about
and know the ecological impact of some of the things we do and that we take for granted."
Constructing and driving the jeep for a year requires 0.41 hectares of land,while growing and
manufacturing a dog"s food takes about 0.84 hectares-or 1.1 hectares in the case of a large dog
such as a German shepherd.
Convincing flesheating cats and dogs to go vegetarian for the sake of the planet is a nonstarter,
the Vales say.Instead they recommend keeping "greener",smaller,and more sustainable pets,such as
goldfish,chickens or rabbits.
The book"s playful title,and serious suggestion that pet animals may be usefully"recycled",by
being eaten by their owners or turned into pet food when they die,may not appeal to animal fans.
Annoying as the idea may be,the question is valid given the planet"s growing population and limited
resources,Robert Vale said.
"Issues about sustainability are increasingly becoming things that are going to require us to make
choices which are as difficult as eating your dog.It"s not just about changing your light bulbs or taking
a cloth bag to the supermarket,"he said.
"It"s about much more challenging and difficult issues," he added.
China has recently been faced with serious issues of product safety.In Panama,it is said that medicine
made with a poisonous chemical sickened some people.A Chinese company had identified it as
diethylamide glycol(乙二醇),a lowcost substitute commonly used in automobile antifreeze(防冻剂).
Some countries have banned Chinesemade toothpaste containing diethylamide glycol.China has now
told companies to discontinue its use,even though it says the toothpaste is safe. Another industrial chemical,
melamine,was found in wheat flour used to make pet food in North America.Thousands of dogs and cats
became sick.
The United States has restricted some imports of Chinese seafood because they contained banned
substance.And questions have been raised about other products,including children"s toys covered with lead
paint.
Chinese officials promised to provide the European Union,the biggest trading partner,with detailed
reports on enforcement efforts against unsafe goods.
Meglena Kuneva,commissioner(理事) for consumer protection of the European Union said China
should have kept its promise.
China recently closed three companies linked to the Panama and the pet food scare.And it dismissed
the former head of its food and drug administration.He was found guilty of corruption(腐败)for approving
unsafe drugs.This week,a conference of the State Council approved a proposed special measure on the
supervision of food safety. The Xinhua News Agency said it calls for stronger controls over producers,
greater responsibilities for government and more serious punishment for illegal activities.
But Chinese officials have accused some foreign media of overstating problems with goods made in
China.They say food imports from the United States also fail inspection sometimes.Next week,American
and Chinese food safety officials are planning to hold 5 days of meetings in Beijing to discuss cooperation.
Features of eastcoast fever | ◆Spread by tick bites ◆__1__young cows easily in a few days ◆Being a __2__to many animals | |
The measure to prevent the disease from __3__ | Developing a__4__ | |
The difficultiesin__5__the vaccine | ◆For a__6__of the vaccine ◆Kept at a very low__7__ | |
The__8__to making the vaccine available | ◆Trying to expand production and make the vaccine__9__ ◆__10__the vaccine to farmers with the help of mobile phones | |
阅读理解 | ||
1The goal here is to limit carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases, which are closely associated to the big problem of global-warming. Strategy 1: Bring your own cup to Starbucks You’ll get a 10 cent discount, and it’s one less paper cup to end up in a landfill. While you’re there, pick up some free bags of spent coffee grounds to use as ‘‘green’’ fertilizer in your garden. The payoff: 2 Strategy2: Turn off your computer When in standby mode, your PC is still using energy. 3 The payoff: Turning off a monitor for 40 hours a week may only save $ 5 a month, but it reduces CO2 by 750 pounds Strategy 3: Reuse plastic bags Instead of throwing away 100 billion plastic bags a year, try and get a second, third, or tenth use out of them. Better yet, next time you shop, try a reusable bag. The payoff: 4 The amount of oil it would take to make just 14 plastic bags would run your car for one mile. Strategy4: Use recycled paper in the bathroom Most of the toilet paper we use is made from trees found in forests previously untouched by humans. The payoff: If every household replaced one roll of toilet paper with a recycled one, 424000 trees would still be standing. Look for eco paper towels too. Strategy5: Buy energy-efficient appliances(电器)Replace the old fridge with an Energy Star appliance and you’ll use 15 percent less energy. 5 The payoff: If we all used one Energy Star appliance at home, it would be like planting 1. 7 million acres of new trees. | ||
A. You can be proud of yourselves, even if you can only make one or two of these green changes. | ||
阅读理解 | ||
The influenza virus(流感病毒) or the flu is spread from person to person in the air when an infected
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