环球英语—1099:Earth Day: Protect the Environment

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Welcome to Spotlight. I’m Joshua Leo.
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And I’m Liz Waid. Spotlight uses a special English method of broadcasting. It is easier for people to understand - no matter where in the world they live.
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“Earth Day is a holy day. It has no borders, but each country can still celebrate it. It crosses land, mountains, oceans, and time, and brings people all over the world together. Earth Day shows the musical harmony of nature, the victory of technology, and the power of communication.”
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This quote is from the famous anthropologist and teacher Margaret Mead. She is speaking about Earth Day.
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People around the world celebrate Earth Day each year on April twenty second [22nd]. Earth Day is a holiday to be thankful for the natural world. It is a day for people to think about issues of the environment.
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People do many different kinds of things to celebrate Earth Day. Some groups clean up waste in their community. Some people go to talks or films to learn about the environment. They also discuss changes people can make to help the environment.
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In 1969, there was a terrible oil spill in Santa Barbara, California. In the ocean, machines took oil out of the ground. One of these machines had an accident. More than a million litres of oil spilled into the ocean. The oil covered the sand beaches and islands in the area. Oil covered birds. Dolphins and fish died, and the water carried them to land. Thousands of other ocean animals died too. It is among the worst oil spills in the earth’s oceans.
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Gaylord Nelson was an elected official in the United States government. He was from the area around Santa Barbara. He visited the spill area. He saw the effects on the environment. He saw the dead animals. He visited the beaches. He was shocked.
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When Nelson returned to his office, he wanted to do something. Nelson wanted a day where people would talk about the environment. He wanted people to think about how they lived their lives. What kind of car did they drive? Where did their waste go? How did big companies treat the environment?
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Nelson wanted to involve university students. He knew that these young people were at an important time in their lives. They were interested in the environment. And as they started working, they would have an important influence in their communities. He met with environmental groups. They set the first Earth Day on April 22nd, 1970.
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They chose this date for two reasons. First, students had tests during this time. Second, it is a good time of the year in the United States. It is warm and pleasant, so more people would want to attend events outside.
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Instead of a law or a government event, Nelson suggested teach-ins. He wanted every university or school to organize its own events and conversations about the environment. He announced this plan to environmental groups around the nation. Then they organized teach-ins in their cities.
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No one had to attend these teach-in events. Anyone could come if they wanted to, and many people did! Over 20 million people attended the first Earth Day. Many of these people were students. Twelve thousand high schools and 2,000 universities organized events.
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This first Earth Day began the modern environmental movement. This was the first official event that concentrated on protecting the environment. After Earth Day, people began to think about environmental problems. In the United States, many large environmental organizations formed.
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Later, Nelson wrote about his part in organizing Earth Day. He wrote,
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“Earth Day worked because so many people organized their own events. We did not have the time or resources to organize 20 million people. Many schools, communities, and people joined in. That is what is so special about Earth Day. It organized itself.”
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The largest events were in New York City. Students got city leaders interested in Earth Day. They even closed a street in the center of the city. Organizers held events there. They also held events in Central Park, a very famous and large natural area in New York City.
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An artist also created a special Earth Day flag. It is still used every year on Earth Day. It has green and white lines and a theta symbol. The theta is a Greek symbol. It looks like a circle with a line through the center. It combines the Greek letters E and O. The “E” stands for environment. The “O” stands for organism. This theta is the official symbol of Earth Day.
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Earth Day celebrations continued every year after this in the United States. 1990 was the first international Earth Day. Two hundred million people joined in activities that year. They came from 141 countries. The United Nations also recognized the day. It became the largest non-religious holiday in the world.
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Now, Earth Day is organized by the Earth Day Network. This organization encourages people to think about the environment every day, not just one day a year. They work with governments, organizations, and individuals in 192 countries!
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This year, the Earth Day Network is collecting promises from people. These are promises to protect the environment. They hope to collect one hundred million promises! School children in Tanzania will clean up waste. People in the United States are promising to use two wheeled bicycles instead of cars. An organization called “Trees for the Future” is planting trees in many countries. Children in Jordan are planting flowers.
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Taking care of the Earth is something people can think about every day. How people live their lives makes a big difference. And these choices affect every person on this Earth. In 1969, Nelson saw the terrible effects of an oil spill. However, environmental problems are still very serious now. Celebrating Earth Day is only the first step. By working together, we can all make a difference.
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Do you celebrate Earth Day? What will you do to care for the Earth? Share your ideas on our website at http://www.radioenglish.net
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The writer of this program was Johanna Poole. The producer was Michio Ozaki. The voices you heard were from the United States. All quotes were adapted for this program and voiced by Spotlight. You can listen to this program again, and read it, on the internet at http://www.radioenglish.net This .program is called, ‘Earth Day: Protect the Environment’.
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