13. Responsibility for preserving the natural environment ultimately belongs to each individual person, not to government.
Discuss the extent to which you agree or disagree with the opinion stated above. Support your views with reasons and/or examples from your own experience, observations, or reading.
While nearly everyone would agree in principle that certain efforts to preserve the natural environment are in humankinds best interest, environmental issues always involve a tug of war among conflicting political and economic interests. For this reason, and because serious environmental problems are generally large in scale, government participation is needed to ensure environmental preservation.
Experience tells us that individuals tend to act on behalf of their own short-term economic and political interest, not on behalf of the environment or the public at large. For example, current technology makes possible the complete elimination of polluting emissions from automobiles. Nevertheless, neither automobile manufacturers nor consumers are willing or able to voluntarily make the short-term sacrifices necessary to accomplish this goal. Only the government holds the regulatory and enforcement power to impose the necessary standards and to ensure that we achieve such goals.
Aside from the problems of self-interest and enforcement, environmental issues inherently involve public health and are far too pandemic in nature for individuals to solve on their own. Many of the most egregious environmental violations traverse state and sometimes national borders. Environmental hazards are akin to those involving food and drug safety and to protecting borders against enemies; individuals have neither the power nor the resources to address these widespread hazards.
In the final analysis, only the authority and scope of power that a government possesses can ensure the attainment of agreed-upon environmental goals. Because individuals are incapable of assuming this responsibility, government must do so.
英语口语陷阱:不能按字面意思理解的句子
英语听力视频:舞者们加紧进行奥林匹克运动会排练
Olympic torch scales Snowdon in Wales
英语听力:山东新人举行“海洋婚礼”获海豚亲吻献礼
学习伦敦奥运会的礼节
林书豪搞怪视频:教你如何上哈佛(中英)
机器人总动员Wall-E对Eva的表白(视频)
英语听力:《囧司徒每日秀》吐槽NBA新星林书豪
老外吊丝12类人超强模仿:各国各地域惟妙惟肖(视频)
英语听力视频:美国小朋友怎么看哈利·波特
英语听力视频:新发现揭开2012年世界末日的神话
英语听力视频:法国准备第65届戛纳国际电影节
教师的烦恼(视频)
英语听力:奥巴马在巴纳德学院毕业典礼上的讲话
英语听力:世界最高电视塔在东京开放
白宫记者晚宴吉米爆笑演讲:槽点大盘点(视频)
英语听力:170余幅农民工画像走进绘画艺术展
英语听力视频:英国女王钻石银禧庆典举行
China releases 1st report on danger of smoking
英语听力视频:"最美女教师"张丽莉术后恢复
英语听力视频:摇滚巨星将参加伦敦奥运会
这就是新东方英语篮球营的魅力
英语听力视频:梦露未见过物品公之于众
英语听力视频:欧洲旅游公司将希腊排除出欧洲区
英语听力:第21届国际木偶节于成都开幕
TED演讲:畅想电子游戏
英语听力:雷霆大胜湖人4-1进西区决赛
国际奥委会公布2020年奥运会3申办候选城市名单
TED演讲视频: 朱莉娅斯威尼和女儿的“谈话”
国王的演讲:乔治六世对德宣战演讲原声(双语视频)
| 不限 |
| 英语教案 |
| 英语课件 |
| 英语试题 |
| 不限 |
| 不限 |
| 上册 |
| 下册 |
| 不限 |