TED演讲:石油真正的代价(3)

 And I think particularly now, as we see ourselves in a time of environmental crisis,  我认为尤其是目前，我们明白人类身处环境危机时代，

we can learn so much from these people who have lived so sustainably in this ecosystem¹ for over 10,000 years. 我们可从这些族群身上学到许多东西他们在这片生态系统中生活了1万多年。

In the heart of this ecosystem is the very antithesis² of all of these values that we've been talking about,  这片生态系统蕴含的核心价值与我们目前追求的目标大相径庭，

and I think these are some of the core values that make us proud to be Canadians.  我认为其中某些核心价值令身为加拿大人的我们引以为傲。

This is the Alberta tar³ sands, the largest oil reserves on the planet outside of Saudi Arabia.  这是阿尔伯塔省油砂矿，它是世上石油蕴藏量最丰富的地区，除了沙特阿拉伯之外。

Trapped underneath⁴ the boreal forest and wetlands of northern Alberta are these vast reserves of this sticky, tar-like bitumen⁵. 在北方森林及北阿尔伯塔省湿地下方蕴藏着大量粘稠、似焦油的沥青。

And the mining and the exploitation of that is creating devastation⁶ on a scale that the planet has never seen before.  挖掘及开采这些矿脉的举动对地球造成史无前例的破坏。

I want to try to convey some sort of a sense of the size of this.  我试着说明这些破坏的规模。

If you look at that truck there, it is the largest truck of its kind of the planet.  以图中的卡车为例，它是同类卡车中最大的一种。

It is a 400-ton-capacity dump truck and its dimensions are 45 feet long by 35 feet wide and 25 feet high. 承载量达400吨的砂石车规格为45英呎长，35英呎宽、25英呎高。

If I stand beside that truck, my head comes to around the bottom of the yellow part of that hubcap.  如果站在卡车旁，我的头部大约只到黄色轮框盖底部。

Within the dimensions of that truck, you could build a 3,000-square-foot two-story home quite easily. I did the math. 在这辆卡车体积范围内，你可轻易建造一栋 面积3000平方英呎、两层楼高的房子，我曾经计算过。

So instead of thinking of that as a truck, think of that as a 3,000-square-foot home. That's not a bad size home.  因此，与其将它视为一辆卡车，不如将它视为一栋面积3000平方英呎的房子。一栋不小的房子。

And line those trucks/homes back and forth⁷ across there from the bottom all the way to the top. 这些卡车在这片区域中来回奔驰从底部直到顶端。

And then think of how large that very small section of one mine is.  想象一下这片区域的大小，这仅是矿场的一小部分。

Now, you can apply that same kind of thinking here as well.  现在，你可将同样想法运用到这片区域。

1 ecosystem   

n.生态系统

参考例句：

• This destroyed the ecosystem of the island.这样破坏了岛上的生态系统。
• We all have an interest in maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem.维持生态系统的完整是我们共同的利益。

2 antithesis   

n.对立；相对

参考例句：

• The style of his speech was in complete antithesis to mine.他和我的讲话方式完全相反。
• His creation was an antithesis to academic dogmatism of the time.他的创作与当时学院派的教条相对立。

3 tar   

n.柏油，焦油；vt.涂或浇柏油/焦油于

参考例句：

• The roof was covered with tar.屋顶涂抹了一层沥青。
• We use tar to make roads.我们用沥青铺路。

4 underneath   

adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面

参考例句：

• Working underneath the car is always a messy job.在汽车底下工作是件脏活。
• She wore a coat with a dress underneath.她穿着一件大衣，里面套着一条连衣裙。

5 bitumen   

n.沥青

参考例句：

• Bitumen paper can be burnt to gain energy.沥青纸可以焚烧以获得能量。
• In fact,a speciality crude is suitable only for bitumen production.事实上，这种特性的原油只适宜于生产沥青。

6 devastation   

n.毁坏；荒废；极度震惊或悲伤

参考例句：

• The bomb caused widespread devastation. 炸弹造成大面积破坏。
• There was devastation on every side. 到处都是破坏的创伤。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 forth   

adv.向前；向外，往外

参考例句：

• The wind moved the trees gently back and forth.风吹得树轻轻地来回摇晃。
• He gave forth a series of works in rapid succession.他很快连续发表了一系列的作品。