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HUE UNIVERSITY
COLLEGE OF FOREIGN LANGUAGES
DEPARTMENT OF ENGLISH
***

NGUYEN VAN TUAN










TRANSLATION 5















HUE - 2006


1
INTRODUCTION
TRANSLATION 5 is a basic course book written for the second-year students of the Department
of English, College of Foreign Languages, Hue University. It is intended to equip the students
with an overview of translating Vietnamese and English scientific texts. It also helps the students
get familiar with the terms related to science and technology as well as the typical structures
frequently used in scientific and technological texts.
Since the course book has been written for the students to learn either by themselves or in class
with a teacher, there will be a course book and assignments. The course book contains the
Vietnamese and English socio-politic texts with notes and suggested translations. The
assignments contain the Vietnamese and English socio-politic texts that will be translated into
either English or Vietnamese by the students.
By the end of the course, the students will be able to:
- obtain general knowledge of the Vietnamese and English scientific and technological
documents.
- get familiar with and effectively use scientific and technological terms and typical structures
of scientific and technological texts in their translations.
- accurately translate scientific and technological texts into English and Vietnamese.
On the completion of this course book, I would like to express my deep gratitude to Dr. Ton Nu
Nhu Huong for her encouragement. I would also like to be grateful to Dr. Tran Van Phuoc and
other colleagues of the College of Foreign Languages for their kind help.
Errors are unavoidable in this course book. Therefore, I appreciate and welcome any criticism on
the course book.


Hue, November 14th, 2006
Nguyen Van Tuan



2
Chapter 1: ENVIROMENTAL ISSUES

Lesson 1: Vật liệu mới -Một công nghệ mũi nhọn

Khoa học và công nghệ vật liệu trên thế giới ngày nay phát triển
rất nhanh và mạnh, liên tiếp tung ra thị tr-ờng hàng loạt vật
liệu mới với tính năng -u việt ch-a từng thấy, tác động ngay đến
thay đổi diện mạo và tăng hiệu quả kinh tế cùng sức cạnh tranh,
nhất là trên các lĩnh vực xây dựng kết cấu hạ tầng, công nghiệp
Vật liệu luôn là một trong những sản phẩm chủ chốt quyết định sức
mạnh kinh tế, quốc phòng, an ninh của mỗi quốc gia.

Công nghệ vật liệu mới ở n-ớc ta hiện nay là một trong những khu
vực công nghẹ đ-ợc coi là mũi nhọn, có vai trò góp phần tạo ra
b-ớc nâng cao rõ rệt và hiệu quả và sức cạnh tranh của nền kinh
tế cũng nh- tăng c-ơng sức mạnh an ninh, quốc phòng. Ngành khoa
học và công nghệ vật liệu n-ớc ta có thị tr-ờng rộng lớn để đ-a
nhanh các sáng chế mới, sản phẩm mới của mình vào thực tiễn sản
xuất và xuất khẩu.

Với đội ngũ cán bộ khoa học, kỹ thuật ngày càng tr-ởng thành,
ph-ơng tiện nghiên cứu, thử nghiệm đ-ợc Nhà n-ớc đầu t- trang bị
từng b-ớc hiện đại, chúng ta đã nghiên cứu, chế tạo thành công

nhiều loại vật liệu mới đ-ợc các ngành kinh tế, an ninh, quốc
phòng đón nhận, góp phần tăng sức cạnh tranh của hàng hoá Việt
Nam. Một số vật liệu mới đ-ợc xuất khẩu.

Tài nguyên n-ớc ta dồi dào, đa dạng, độc đáo, tạo ra thế mạnh cho
công nghệ vật liệu mới, làm ra sản phẩm mới chất l-ợng cao, giá
thành hạ, cung cấp cho ngành then chốt của kinh tế quốc dân nh-
năng l-ơng, xây dựng kết cấu hạ tầng, các công nghiệp điện tử, cơ
khí, vật liệu dân dụng và xuất khẩu hiệu quả kinh tế cao.
Khắc phục nhanh tình trạng còn lạc hậu, phân tán, thiếu đồng bộ
của hệ thống cơ sở nghiên cứu khoa học và cộng nghệ vật liệu.
Giới khoa học bám sát thực tiễn sản xuất để bắt nhạy nhu cầu thị
tr-ờng và các nhà sản xuất gõ cửa cơ quan khoa học để đặt hàng.
Nhà n-ớc có cơ chế, chính sách thích hợp đổi mới thiết bị nghiên
cứu, nâng cao đội ngũ khoa học vật liệu, cũng nh- chính sách cần

3
thiết để rút ngắn thời gian từ phát minh, sáng chế đến sản xuất
trực tiếp. Triển vọng khoa học và công nghệ vật liệu mới n-ớc ta
rất sáng sủa.
Notes:
- công nghệ vật liệu : material technology
- tung ra thị tr-ờng : bring into the market
- tính năng -u việt : perfect feature
- diện mạo : face
- hiệu quả kinh tế : economic effect/ efficiency
- kết cấu hạ tầng : infrastructure
- mũi nhọn : key factor
- có vai trò : play an important role
- sức cạnh tranh : competition

- độc đáo : unique
- công nghiệp điện tử : electronic industry
- bám sát thực tiễn : have a hold of reality
- Khắc phục : overcome
Suggested Translation :
NEW MATERIALS -A KEY TECHNOLOGY

Nowadays, material technology and science in the world have strongly and rapidly developed,
bringing into the market a variety of new materials with perfect features that have immediate
effects on changing the countenance and promoting the economic effectiveness as well as
competition especially in the infrastructure building, industry and so on. Materials are always one
of the major products, which decide the power of economy, national defense, security of each
country.
Now, new material technology in our country is one of the fields, which is considered essential
and makes contributions to the remarkable enhancement of effectiveness and the competing
ability of the economy to the reinforcement of security and national defense. Material technology
and science sector in our country has a large market to apply new inventions, new products into
production and export.
With a staff of science and technology which is more and more developing, researching and
testing facilities which are more and more modernly equipped, we have studied and successfully
made a variety of new materials used in economic sector, security, national defense, partly
increasing the competing ability of Vietnamese goods. Some of our new materials have been
exported.

4
Out resources are abundant, diversified our unique, which facilitates our material technology to
manufacture new products with high quality, low price, providing for the essential sectors of the
national economy such as power, infrastructure building, electronic industry, mechanics, high
economical domestic and export materials.
To overcome the state of backwardness, divergence, lack unification of the basic system of

research and material technology and science, the circle of science have hold of production
reality to catch of with the market demand and manufactures have knocked on the door of
scientific organizations to order. The State has had suitable mechanisms and policies, renewed
he research equipment and improved the quality of the staff as well as the necessary policy to
shorten the time from invention to direst production. The prospect of our new material
technology and science of our country is very bright.

5
Lesson 2:
1. Chemicals enter our food in various ways and for various reasons. Farmers use herbicides to
kill weeds, pesticides to kill insects, fungicides to kill mold and fertilizers to promote growth. All
of them are very harmful to health and also to the environment. After harvesting, most crops are
subjected to further "post-harvest" chemical treatment in order to protect them from fungus.
Japanese rice, for example, is sprayed with methyl bromide, which can cause mental disorders
and speech impediments. Fresh fruits and vegetables are sprayed with sulfites, to which many
people are allergic. Bananas, mangoes and other tropical fruit are sprayed with even more
poisonous chemicals.
- Reason : lý do
* for various reasons : v× nhiÒu lý do
- Herbicide : thuèc diÖt cá
- Fungicide : thuèc diÖt nÊm mèc
- Fertilizer : ph©n bãn
- To be harmful to : cã h¹i
- To be subjected to : chÞu ph¶i
- Post-harvest treatment : xö lý sau thu ho¹ch
- Fungus : nÊm mèc
- To spray : phun
- Mental disorder : rèi lo¹n thµn kinh
- Speech impediment : rèi lo¹n ng«n ng÷
- To be allergic : bÞ dÞ øng


2. Although fertility rates in poor countries have declined in recent years, the UN has estimated
that the world‟s population should stabilize at approximately 10.2 billion people by the year
2100, when the number dying will match the number being born. This figure is two and a quarter
times the present world population. A long-held and popular belief is that population growth in
poor countries is the major cause of poverty. The “population explosion”, it is argued, is wiping
out any economic development which the poor countries may achieve. The remedy to poverty is
seen, therefore, to be increased birth control. This view has come under severe criticism by poor
countries and their supporters in wealthy nations. They argue that large families and rapid
population growth are consequences of poverty rather than its cause. Many of the poor consider a
large family to be essential for survival in poor countries. In a society lacking social welfare
payments, children are seen as a source of security in old age and when illness or unemployment
strike. Children are also regarded as a means of bringing in additional income at an early age. In
addition, because child mortality rates are high, a large family is considered necessary to ensure
that at least one son survives to adulthood. Another argument is that employment opportunities
and adequate social security schemes are the key to falling birth rates.
Notes:
- Fertility rate: tỷ lệ sinh đẻ
- To decline: giảm xuống
- To estimate: ước tính
- It is estimated that… : Người ta ước tính rằng……
- To stabilize: làm ổn định

6
- It is important to stabilize our population growth rates.
- To match: sánh bằng
- Worldly pleasures cannot match those joys.
Những thú vui trần tục không thể sánh bằng những niềm vui này.
- Belief : niềm tin
to have belief in something: tin tưởng cái gì

freedom of belief: tự do tính ngưỡng
The patient comes to the hospital in the belief that he will be cured of his chronic disease. Bệnh
nhân đến bệnh viện với niềm tin là mình sẽ được chữa khỏi căn bệnh mãn tính
- poverty: sự nghèo khổ
- Hunger eradication and poverty alleviation: xóa đói giảm nghèo
- population explosion/boom: bùng nổ dân số
- To wipe out: xoá sạch
- To achieve: đạt được
- Economic development: Sự phát triển kinh tế
- Consequence: hậu quả
- Social welfare payment: trợ cấp phúc lợi xã hội
- To be regarded as : được xem là
- additional income : khoản thu nhập thêm
- adequate: đủ

3. The natural world is under violent assault. The seas and the rivers are being poisoned by
radioactive wastes, by chemical discharges and by the dumping of dangerous toxins and raw
sewage. The air we breathe is polluted by smoke and fumes from factories and motor vehicles. It
is little wonder forests and lakes are being destroyed and everywhere wildlife is disappearing.
The irreversible loss of biodiversity has a serious impact on the ability of maintaining species
including humans to survive because humans depend on species diversity and healthy
ecosystems. The destruction continues despite the warnings of the scientific community and the
deep concern of millions of ordinary people. Governments and industries throughout the world
are intensifying their efforts to extract the earth's mineral riches and to plunder its living
resources. The great rain forests and the frozen continents alike are seriously threatened.
However, we can create environmentally-clean industries, harness the power of the sun, wind and
waves for our energy needs and manage the finite resources of the earth.
Suggested Translation :
1. Hoá chất xâm nhập thực phẩm của chúng ta bằng nhiều cách và vì nhiều lý do khác nhau.
Nông dân sử dụng thuốc diệt cỏ để diệt cỏ dại, thuốc trừ sâu để diệt sâu bọ, và thuốc fiệt nấm để

diệt nấm mốc và phân bón để tăng sự phát triển. Tất cả các loại hoá chất này rất độc hại với sức
khoẻ và môi trường của chúng ta. Sau khi thu hoạch, phần lớn nông sản phải được xử lý hoá chất
sau thu hoạch, Chẳng hạn như lúa gạo ở Nhật Bản được người ta phun thuốc methyl bromide.
Loại thuốc này có thể gây ra rối loạn thần kinh và rối loạn ngôn ngữ. Trái cây và rau tươi được
phun thuốc sulfite. Loại thuốc gây dị ứng cho nhiều người. Chuối, xoài và các loại trái cây nhiệt
đới khác được phun những loại hoá chất thậm chí độc hại hơn.

2. Trong những năm gần đây, mặc dù tỷ lệ sinh đẻ ở các nước nghèo có giảm xuống, nhưng Liên
Hiệp Quốc ước tính rằng đến năm 2100 tỷ lệ sinh tử sẽ bằng nhau và lúc đó dân số thế giới sẽ ổn
định ở mức xấp xỉ 10,2 tỉ người, tăng 2,25 lần so với dân số thế giới hiện nay. Lâu nay nhiều

7
người cho rằng phát triển dân số ở các nước nghèo là nguyên nhân chính gây ra nạn đói nghèo.
Sự bùng nổ dân số đang huỷ hoại mọi thành quả kinh tế mà các nước này đã đạt được. Do vậy,
cần phải đẩy mạnh công tác sinh đẻ có kế hoạch để thoát khỏi cảnh đói nghèo. Tuy nhiên, quan
điểm này bị các nước nghèo và một số người ở các nước giàu phê phán gay gắt. Họ cho rằng gia
đình đông con và dân số tăng nhanh là hậu quả hơn là nguyên nhân của sự đói nghèo. Nhiều
người nghèo xem gia đình đông con là cần thiết cho sự sống còn của các nước nghèo. Con cái là
cơ sở đảm bảo cho tuổi già cũng như lúc ốm đau hay bị thất nghiệp ở những nước không có trợ
cấp phúc lợi xã hội. Con cái cũng là nguồn nhân lực góp phần vào việc tăng thu nhập cho gia
đình ngay lúc chúng còn nhỏ. Hơn nữa, do tỷ lệ trẻ em tử vong cao nên gia đình đông con thật sự
cần thiết để đảm bảo chắc chắn ít nhất có một đứa con trai sống sót cho đến tuổi trưởng thành.
Một quan điểm khác cho rằng cơ hội tìm được việc làm và đảm bảo bảo phúc lợi xã hội thực sự
đáng được xem là giải pháp cơ bản hạn chế sinh đẻ hữu hiệu nhất.

3. Thế giới tự nhiên đang bị tấn công dữ dội. Biển và sông đang bị ô nhiễm nặng do chất thải hạt
nhân, chất thải hóa học và rác thải độc hại chưa xử lý. Không khí chúng ta thở cũng bị ô nhiễm
do khói và khí thải của nhà máy và xe cộ. Cũng chẳng phải ngạc nhiên khi rừng và hồ cũng
dang bị tàn phá và cuộc sống hoang dã khắp mọi nơi đang biến mất. Việc biến mất mà không cứu
vãn nổi của đa dạng sinh học đã tác động rất lớn đến khả năng duy trì sự sống còn của các loài

bao gồm cả con người vì con người phụ thuộc vào đa loài và môi trường sinh thái lành mạnh.
Cho dù giới khoa học cảnh báo và hàng triệu người dân thường bày tỏ mối quan tâm sâu sắc
nhưng sự tàn phá vẫn cứ tiếp diễn. Các chính phủ và ngành công nghiệp trên khắp thế giới đang
nổ lực khai thác nguồn khoáng sản phong phú và nguồn sinh vật dồi dào. Rừng rậm nhiệt đới
cũng như các lục địa đóng băng đang bị đe doạ nghiêm trọng. Tuy nhiên chúng ta cũng có thể
xây dựng nền công nghiệp thân thiện với môi trường, khai thác năng lượng từ mặt trời, gió và
sóng biển để phục vụ cho nhu cầu năng lượng của chúng ta và quản lý nguồn năng lượng hạn hữu
trên trái đất này.

Lesson 3:
Population growth is one factor in rainforest destruction. However, it is a myth to assume that the
expansion of subsistence agriculture to feed more mouths is the main factor. The majority of
deforestation in Latin America, South-East Asia and the Pacific is caused by clearing land to
grow cash crops for export and by commercial logging operations, and not by „shifting‟
cultivators or landless peasants. Each year commercial logging eliminates 45000 square
kilometers of forest, much of the timber being exported to the United States and Japan.
No clearer connection between deforestation and the demands of affluent societies can be found
than in Central America and Brazil, where tropical forest has been converted to grazing land
because cattle raising offers export earnings that help with external debt payments. These heavy
payments, which affect the poor the most, have arisen largely from external loans taken out to
finance the purchase of luxury items and arms by military and governing elite. The establishment
of large ranch-style cattle grazing properties is the principal reason for the elimination of 20000
square kilometers of rainforest each year in Central or South America. The cleared land is mainly
devoted to the export of beef for the fast-food industries in North America, Europe and Japan- the
aptly named „hamburger connection‟.

8
Suggested Translation :
Sự gia tăng dân số là một nhân tố gây ra nạn phá rừng nhiệt đới.
Tuy nhiên, nếu cho rằng việc mở rộng một nền nông nghiệp tự cung

tự cấp để nuôi sống nhiều miệng ăn hơn là nguyên nhân chính, thì
đây là một giải thích vô căn cứ. Đại bộ phận rừng ở Châu Mỹ La
Tinh, ĐNá và Thái Bình D-ơng bị tàn phá là do việc khai hoang để
trồng các loại nông sản xuất khẩu và do các hoạt động buôn bán gỗ
, chứ không phải do nạn du canh, du c- và tá điền gây nên. Hàng
năm hoạt động buôn bán gỗ đã phá huỷ 4500 km2 rừng, phần lớn gỗ
đ-ợc xuất khẩu sang Mỹ và Nhật.
Mối liên hệ giữa nạn phá rừng và nhu cầu thành lập xã hội phồn
vinh đ-ợc thấy rõ nét nhất ở Trung Mỹ và Brazin nơi những cánh
rừng nhiệt đới đã bị biến thành đồng cỏ chăn thả vì việc nuôi gia
súc mang lại các khoản lợi nhuận xuất khẩu giúp trả nợ n-ớc
ngoài. Khoản nợ n-ớc ngoài khổng lồ đang đè nặng lên vai dân
nghèo chủ yếu đ-ợc dùng để trang trải cho các khoản mua sắm xa xỉ
của chính phủ và quân đội. Việc xây dựng các điền trang chăn thả
rộng lớn là nguyên nhân chính dẫn đến việc phá huỷ 2000 km2 rừng
nhiệt đới hàng năm ở Trung và Nam Mỹ. Đất khai hoang chủ yếu dùng
cho việc nuôi bò xuất khẩu phục vụ cho ngành công nghiệp thức ăn
nhanh ở Bắc Mỹ, Châu Âu và Nhật- vùng xứng vỡi tên gọi là vùng
giao l-u hamburger

Lesson 4: RIVER POLLUTION: CAUSES AND SOLUTIONS

At its source, the Rheinwaldhorn Glacier in Switzerland, the Rhein River is crystal clear. But, by
the time it reaches the North Sea near Rotterdam after a 1,320-kilometer journey, it has become a
poisonous cocktail of chemicals and sewage. Germany, like other industrial nations, shows little
respect for her rivers even though the health and prosperity of her people depend on the
availability of clean water.
The most obvious cause of river pollution is industry. German rivers contain thousands of
different chemicals discharged by factories and mines. In 1990, a million fish in the Mosel and
Saar Rivers died when cyanide was carelessly released from a factory. Germany has laws to

prevent this sort of thing, but, as in most other industrial nations, penalties are too light to act as a
deterrent.

Surprisingly, however, factories account for less than 10% of the pollutants found in North
American rivers, thanks to the Clean Water Act passed in 1972. The major source - responsible
for 65% of all river pollution - is agriculture. Farmers use large amounts of toxic chemicals on
their crops in order to kill weeds and insects, and the residues are washed into nearby rivers by
rain. As long as the use of these chemicals is permitted, there is no way to prevent runoff
pollution.

9

Sewage from nearby towns and villages is another major cause of river pollution. Many large
cities lack sewage treatment facilities and the funds with which to build them. It is true that
traditional waste water treatment plants are very expensive to build and operate, but cheap
alternatives are now available. Sanitation engineers in New York have developed a system that
uses microbes and marsh plants to transform raw sewage into clean water. The bacteria produce
methane gas, which can be sold to power companies and burned to generate electricity.
The Clean Water Act has led to a steady improvement in the U.S.A. Fish can now be seen
swimming in rivers that were once full of deadly chemicals, and ducks have returned to formerly
polluted lakes. The improvement is largely due to careful monitoring of waste water from
factories and strict enforcement of the law. Now, most companies are eager to present an
environmentally- friendly image and are willing to pay for it. But further improvement will
require changes in current farming practices. Hopefully, the growing popularity of organically
grown produce will eventually lead to the necessary transformation.
Notes:
- source : nguồn (sông)
* The source of the Red River : nguồn sông Hồng
* Where does the Perfume River have its source?
Sông H-ơng bắt nguồn từ đâu?

- to be crystal clear : trong nh- pha lê
* a necklace of crystal : vòng cổ làm bằng pha lê
- to show respect to sb : tôn trọng ai
- poisonous : độc, có độc
* poisonous chemicals : hoá chất độc hại
* poisonous snakes : rắn độc
* poisonous tongue : miệng l-ỡi độc địa
- cocktail : hỗn hợp
- sewage : chất thải
* sewage treatment : (sự) xử lý chất thải
- prosperity : sự thịnh v-ợng, sự giàu có, của cải
* to live in prosperity : sống trong giàu sang
* a life of happiness and prosperity
- prosperous : thịnh v-ợng
* a prosperous year : một năm thịnh v-ợng
* a prosperous business : một doanh nghiệp ăn ra làm nên
- to discharge sth : thải cái gì

10
- cyanide : chất xi a nua
- penalty : xử phạt
* the penalty for (not) doing sth : việc xử phạt vì (không)
đã làm gì
* death penalty : hình phạt tử hình
- deterrent : biện pháp ngăn ngừa
- to account for : chiếm
- pollutant : chất gây ô nhiễm
- Clean Water Act : đạo luật n-ớc sạch
- to be passed : đ-ợc thông qua
- toxic chemical : hoá chất độc hại

- weed : cỏ dại
- insect : côn trùng
- residue : phần còn d-, phần ch-a dùng hết
- to be washed : bị trôi dạt
- sewage treatment facilities : những cơ sở xử lý chất thải
- microbe : vi khuẩn
- to generate electricity : phát điện
- to monitor : giám sát
* to monitor a project : giám sát một dự án
- strict enforcement of law : nghiêm chỉnh chấp hành luật pháp

Lesson 5: WETLANDS IN DANGER

What do the Okavango Swamp in Botswana, the Pantanal Marsh in Brazil and the Mekong Delta
in Vietnam have in common? All are wetlands, and all are threatened by development. Wetlands
-bogs, marshes, swamps and estuaries - exist in every region of the earth and shelter a wide
variety of animals, birds, fish, insects and plants. Their unique ecosystems help to purify water
and to prevent flooding, and fish come to them to spawn.
Why are they threatened? Many are being drained in order to provide land for farming. Their rich
alluvial soil is very fertile, but without a constant supply of water, it soon becomes barren. The
World Bank and other international development agencies have encouraged the draining of
wetlands in the Third World with grants and loans, but have failed to allow for the environmental
cost of their well-meant projects. In Thailand, old canals were filled in order to eliminate malaria;
but this has resulted in disastrous floods. In Iraq, the Tigris Delta has been drained to facilitate a
military campaign against Shiite rebels. The vast area thus reclaimed may help to feed Iraq's
cities, but at great cost to the indigenous wildlife and to the traditional lifestyle of local villagers.

11
Another threat to wetlands is the construction of dams for hydroelectric projects. Although these
provide necessary electricity without causing air pollution, they also interrupt the flow of water

on which the wetland ecology depends. Swamps and marshes are also very vulnerable to acid
rain, chemical runoff from farms and sewage from villages. The Danube Delta, a 500,000hectare
wilderness visited by over 300 species of bird, has been badly polluted by pesticides as a result of
projects carried out from 1983 to 1990 to cultivate the area.

The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance, which came into force in
1975, identifies 450 major wetland areas in need of protection. With an annual budget of less
than $600,000, it is hard to see how the Convention can save the world's wetlands from projects
paid for by the World Bank, the European Union and other powerful agencies currently more
concerned with feeding people today than with protecting their environment for the future.
Notes:
- to be in danger : bị nguy hiểm
- the Mekong Delta : Đồng bằng sông Cửu Long
- to have sth in common: có điều gì chun, giống nhau
- wetland ; vùng đầm lầy
- estuary : cửa sông
- unique : độc đáo, độc nhất
- ecosystem: hệ sinh thái
- to purify: làm tinh khiết
* purify water : làm cho n-ớc tinh khiết
- to spawn : sinh sản, đẻ trứng
- alluvial soil : đất phù sa
- fertile : phì nhiêu
* fertile land : vùng đất phì nhiêu
- barren : bạc màu, hoang hoá
- grants and loans : khoản viện trợ và cho vay
- canal : kênh đào
- to be filled : san lấp
- malaria : bệnh sốt rét
- to eliminate : xoá bỏ

- to result in : gây ra
- to be drained : xả n-ớc, thoát n-ớc
- indigenous : bản địa
- traditional lifestyle : lối sống truyền thống

12
- dam : đập
- hydroelectric project : dự án thuỷ điện
- to interrupt : can thiệp
- flow of water : dòng chảy
- to be vulnerable to : có thể bị, dễ bị
* people who are vulnerable to criticism : ng-ời dễ bị phê
bình
- pesticide : thuốc trừ sâu
- to cultivate : canh tác, trồng trọt
- to come into force/effect : có hiệu lực
- annual budget : ngân sách hàng năm
- convention : công -ớc
- to be paid for : đ-ợc chi trả, đ-ợc tài trợ
* The projects are paid for by the World Bank : những dự án
đó đ-ợc Ngân Hàng Thế Giới tài trợ.
- to be corncerned with : quan tâm đến

Lesson 6: POISONED SEAS

The Mediterranean Sea is closed except for a small gap between Spain and Morocco. Because of
this, it is extremely vulnerable to pollution. Rivers flowing into the sea from surrounding
countries bring massive amounts of industrial, agricultural and human waste from factories,
farms and cities. Oil spilled by tankers and from port terminals adds to the pollution. Still more
pollutants fall from the sky as acid rain.


From ancient times, the sea has been regarded as a convenient disposal site for the waste products
of human civilization. But by the 1970s, the ecological ruin of the Mediterranean was beginning
to alarm not only environmental activists concerned with dying dolphins and seals, but also
fishermen and local residents. It also disturbed people involved in the tourist industry when com-
plaints by visitors of raw sewage on beaches and foul-smelling water began to hit the headlines.
Finally, representatives of surrounding nations adopted a plan known as the Nicosia Charter
designed to protect the sea from further damage. The plan called for the construction of proper
sewage treatment facilities for 25 major cities and 75 smaller communities, and the setting up of
25 centers for the disposal of dangerous wastes.

The Mediterranean is not the only sea with problems. Studies have shown that the Baltic is
suffocating. Large quantities of nutrients such as phosphates and nitrates from farms in

13
Scandinavia, Russia and Poland are washed into the sea, where they stimulate the growth of algae
that consume the oxygen needed by fish. The seven adjacent nations have agreed on the need to
cut the flow of nutrients and pollutants, but not on how to finance the necessary measures.

The North Sea is more open than the Baltic, and is constantly rinsed; but it too is suffering a
major crisis. In 1988, about 70% of the native seal population died of a mysterious illness thought
to be caused by toxic chemicals in the fish they ate. The two biggest sources of pollution are
sewage from Britain and toxic chemicals from German factories. Britain has recently agreed to
ban the discharge of sewage into coastal waters and the dumping of sludge at sea by 1998; but by
privatizing its waste treatment industry, the British Government has reduced the likelihood that
its commitments will be met. Germany, whose rivers deliver millions of tons of zinc and
thousands of tons of other metals into the North Sea, has also made promises that the costs of
unification between West and East have rendered impossible to fulfill. If the necessary steps are
not taken within the next 20 years, the North Sea fishing industry will probably be wiped out,
along with many species of mammal.

Notes:
- the Mediterranean Sea : Địa Trung Hải
- except for : ngoại từ
* The essay is good except for some minor grammatical
mistakes.
- acid rain : m-a a-xít
- massive # great : lớn,vĩ đại
- oil spill : váng dầu
- to be spilled : bị loang, bị tràn, tạo thành váng
- to be regarded as : đ-ợc xem là
* The immense network of rivers and canals is regarded as
the great boon second to none in this area : hệ thống kênh rạch
mênh mông đ-ợc xem là cái duyên có một không hai của vùng này.
- disposal site : bãi rác thải
- human civilization : văn minh nhân loại
- ruin : sự tàn lụi
- to be ruined : bị lụi tàn, bị sụp đổ
- to alarm : boá động
* Everybody was alarmed that war might break out.
Mọi ng-ời đ-ợc báo động rằng chiến tranh có thể xảy ra.
- environmental activist : nhà bảo vệ môi tr-ờng, nhà hoạt động
môi tr-ờng
- dolphin : cá heo

14
- seal : hải cẩu
- local ressident/inhabitant : c- dân địa ph-ơng
- to be/get involved in : có dính líu tới, có liên quan tới
* The prominent scientists have been involved in the
scientific research.

Các nhà khoa học tầm cỡ/có tiếng/nổi tiếng đã tham gia vào
công trình nghiên cứu khoa học này.
- foul-smelling water : n-ớc có mùi thối
- representative : ng-ời đại diện
- to adopt: chấp nhận
* The Congress adopted new measures.
Đại hội đã chấp nhận các biện pháp mới.
- to be designed : đ-ợc thiết kế/viết ra
- Charter : Bản hiến ch-ơng
- to call for : kêu gọi
* The Government called for foreign investment.
Chính phủ đã kêu gọi đầu t- n-ớc ngoài.
- community : cộng đồng
* The Vietnamese Community :
Cộng đồng ng-ời Việt
* a speech community : cộng đồng ngôn ngữ
- to suffocate : ngạt thở
- nutrient : chất nuôi d-ỡng, phân bón
- to stimulate : kích thích
* They have used a special substance to stimulate the growth
of these plants.
Họ đã dùng một loại chất đặc biệt để kích thích sự tăng
tr-ởng của những cây này.
- the growth of algae: sự phát triển của tảo biển
- to consume # to use : sử dụng
- to rinse : xả/tẩy
* to rinse soap out of clothes : xả xà phòng khỏi quần áo
- mysterious illness : căn bệnh không rõ nguyên nhân
- to ban # to prohibit : cấm
* to ban firecrackers : cấm đốt pháo


15
- commitment : sự cam kết, sự ràng buộc
* Marriage should be a five-year renewable contract not a
life-long commitment.
Hôn nhân nên là một bản hợp đồng 5 năm có gia hạn hơn là
một sự ràng buộc trọn đời.
- to take necessary steps/measure : thực thi các biện pháp cần
thiết
- to be wiped out : bị xoá sạch

Lesson 7: SAVING THE RAINFORESTS

The tropical rainforests are being destroyed primarily by greedy businessmen for a quick
profit. What they don't realize is that they could make a lot more money in the long run by
preserving the forests. A study by the New York Institute of Economic Botany found that
one hectare of South American rainforest could produce $400-worth of fruit every year. If
rubber, drugs, rattan, nuts and other products of the forest are also sold, the value of a
hectare of rainforest over a 10-year period could exceed $10,000. If, on the other hand, all
the trees were cut down for sale and cattle raised on the exposed land, a mere $4,000 could
be earned before the soil became totally barren. So over the long term, conservation and
sustainable use of the forest turns out to be far more profitable.

If the destruction of rainforests continues at the present rate, they will disappear completely
by the year 2040. This will have serious consequences - economic, political and
environmental - for the nations concerned. Yet most Third World governments maintain
short-sighted policies encouraging the export of timber. Such policies will only be changed
if the politicians can be convinced of the long-term benefits of conservation. Several
European countries now prohibit the import of all tropical hardwood from countries lacking
strict conservation and forest-management regulations. If the government of Japan, which

buys over half of the tropical hardwood sold on the world market, were to adopt similar
import restrictions, the situation might improve greatly. Rich countries could also help by
offering financial assistance to countries such as Belize and Costa Rica which protect their
rainforests and denying it to nations lacking effective conservation policies.

Several large conservation groups have bought entire forests, and are now helping the
indigenous people to earn a living through sustainable use of the forest. Major drug
manufacturers ought to do likewise, in view of the enormous profits they could make by
discovering and marketing cures for serious diseases. Merck, an American drug company,
paid a million dollars to Costa Rica's National Biodiversity Institute in exchange for the
supply of botanical samples. This sum represents less than 0.1% of Merck's 1993 research

16
budget. The company could easily afford to make a much larger investment in order to
preserve the forests in which its future - and ours - lies.
Notes:
- tropical rainforest : rừng rậm nhiệt đới
- to be destroyed : bị tàn phá
- profit : lợi nhuận
* to sell sth at a profit
- in the long run : rốt cuộc là
- to preserve : bảo tồn
* to preserve the worlds cultural heritage : bảo tồn di sản
văn hoá thế giới
* to preserve the national identity : giữ gìn bản sắc dân
tộc
- exceed : v-ợt quá
* to exceed the speed limit : v-ợt quá tốc độ giới hạn
- nut : hạt chứa dầu
* cashewnut: hạt điều

- to cut down for sale : đốn để bán
- cattle raising : chăn nuôi gia súc
- exposed land : vùng đất trống
- sustainable use : sử dụng bền vững/lâu dài
- to turn out to be : rốt cuộc là
- short-sighted policy : chính sách thiển cận
- to be convinced : bị thuyết phục
- long-term benefit : lợi ích lâu dài
- short-term benefit : lợi ích tr-ớc mắt
- to prohibit: cấm
* to prohibit the production of : cấm sản xuất
- forest-management regulation : điều lệ quản lý rừng
- restriction : sự hạn định
- financial assistance : giúp đỡ về mặt tài chính
- to lack : thiếu
* to lack capital : thiếu vốn
- to earn a living : kiếm sống

17
- in view of : nh»m ®Ó
- in exchange for : nh»m trao ®æi c¸i g×

Lesson 8: DESERTS CAN BE FARMED

With daytime temperatures reaching 50°C and less than 10 centimeters of rain per year, the
Negev Desert in Israel has a hostile climate. Yet recently, it has become a major food-producing
region, thanks to the introduction of new farming techniques. Vegetables and fruit are grown
using trickle irrigation, a system in which each plant receives a small but sufficient amount of
water and fertilizers through perforated plastic pipes. Most of the water is pumped up from
underground. Since this is too salty for normal plants, agricultural scientists had to develop

special varieties of salt-resistant plants. Now the region produces fruit, vegetables, cereals,
peanuts and cotton, and is home to half a million people.

Nearby Egypt is confronted with a double curse: rapid population growth and encroaching
deserts. The only way for the country to feed its people is by reversing the process of
desertification. Researchers are now experimenting with a resin which can absorb an amount of
water equal to several hundred times its own weight. When mixed with soil, it helps the earth to
retain moisture. The resin, which was originally developed in Japan for use in paper diapers,
could enable Egyptian farmers to grow crops on arid land and eventually restore the forests which
once covered North Africa.

In Iran, large sand dunes are sprayed with oil. When this dries, it keeps the sand in one place and
retains moisture. Grass seed is then planted, followed soon by saplings. Farmers are later able to
grow vegetables on the land reclaimed from the desert. The new forests are protected from goats
and sheep by guards riding motorcycles. This is very important, because overgrazing is one of the
main causes of desertification. Camels, incidentally, present no problems; their flat feet do not
disturb the soil and their sharp teeth cut the grass instead of tearing it out as goats and sheep do.

Agriculture and reforestation need water. This can be drawn from underground, using solar-
powered pumps, but eventually the source must dry up. Seawater could be used, but removing the
salt requires a very expensive and time-consuming process. The only alternative is to bring fresh
water from areas in which it is plentiful. In Libya, Kirgistan and India, great waterways have
been built to bring water from mountain streams to arid regions targeted for cultivation.
With enough money and effort, the battle against the desert can be won. But unless population
growth is controlled, our victory over the desert will turn out to be only a mirage.
Notes:
- temprature : nhiÖt ®é
- reach : ®¹t ®-îc, lªn ®Õn

18

* the growth rates reach 12%
* the mountains reach the sea.
( núi v-ơn ra biển.)
- hostile climate : khí hậu khắc nghiệt
- food-producing region : vùng sản xuất l-ơng thực
- the introduction of : việc áp dụng, việc đ-a (cái gì)vào
- farming technique : kỹ thuật canh tác
- irrigation system : hệ thống t-ới, hệ thống thuỷ lợi
- sufficient : đủ
* sufficient amount : một l-ợng đầy đủ
- perforated plastic pipe : ống nhựa có lổ xung quanh
- to be pumped up from the ground : bơm từ mạch n-ớc ngầm lên
- salt-resistant plant : cây chống đ-ợc mặn, cây thích nghi với
đất măn
- cereal : ngũ cốc
- to be confronted with : đ-ơng đầu với
- to reverse: làm đảo ng-ợc, chống lại
- process of desertification : quá trình sa mạc hoá
- to absorb : thẩm thấu, hút n-ớc
- moisture : độ ẩm
- arid land : đất khô cằn
- solar-powered pump : bơm chạy bằng năng l-ơng mặt trời
- time-consuming : mất thời gian
* time consuming work : công việc chiếm nhiều thời gian
- alternative : một giải pháp thay thế
- waterway : đ-ờng dẫn n-ớc
- to be targeted for : nhằm để, đ-ợc nhắm đến để làm gì

19
Lesson 9: ANIMALS FACING EXTINCTION

Over a thousand species of animals are threatened with extinction, and humans are directly or
indirectly to blame.

Most of the big cats - lions, tigers, panthers, leopards and cheetahs - have 5 been hunted for
thousands of years, sometimes to protect livestock, but more often for sport or for their skins. The
Asiatic Lion once inhabited a vast area from Israel to India; now only a few hundred remain, under
strict protection, in the Gir Forest of India. The Barbary Leopard, once found throughout North
Africa, is even rarer: no more than 50 exist. The Bengal Tiger has been much luckier; thanks to
strict measures taken in 1972 by the Indian Government, it is now thriving.

Hunters - or rather poachers, since their victims are under legal protection -also threaten elephants,
killed for their ivory tusks, and rhinoceroses, whose horns are used to make traditional Chinese
medicine and handles for Yemeni daggers. The situation regarding rhinos is particularly desperate:
fewer than 8,000 remain in Africa, just over 1,000 in North India and even fewer in Indonesia.

Many of the primates are also suffering from human aggression, but the main cause of their decline
in numbers is environmental. Deforestation has severely reduced the natural habitat of the Orang-
Utan in Sumatra, the Golden Lion Tamarin in Brazil, the Lion-tailed Macaque in India and the Red
Lemur in Madagascar, to name just a few of the worst cases.

The panda's greatest enemy is its own natural vulnerability. Not only is it dependent on a single
source of food - a special kind of bamboo which sud- denly flowers and then dies once every 60
years - but it also has great difficulty breeding, especially in captivity. Even if it could be
completely protected from poachers, who face the death penalty if caught, and from encroachment
by loggers and farmers, it may become extinct, as fewer than a thousand now remain.

Marine animals face three main dangers, all resulting from human activity. Some types of whale
have been hunted almost to extinction for their meat, oil and bone. The blue whale, the largest
mammal in the world, has become one of the rarest, owing to the use of radar by modern whaling
ships. Dolphins often swim with tuna and tend to get caught in the large nets used by many tuna

fishermen. The largest of these nets, known as drift nets, catch all sea creatures indiscriminately,
resulting in serious depletion of fish stocks as well as the loss of dolphins and other marine animals.
For the inhabitants of shallow coastal waters, pollution is a major hazard. The disappearance of the
Monk Seal from the Caribean Sea may be attributed both to pollution and drift-net fishing.
Notes:
- to be threatened by/with extinction : bÞ ®e do¹ diÖt chñng
- to blame : ®æ lçi
* to blame sb for sth : ®æ lçi cho ai vÒ c¸i g×

20
* He blamed the teacher for his failure.
( Hắn đổ lỗi là thầy giáo đã làm hắn thất bại.)
- livestock : gia cầm
- to inhabit : sống
- strict protection : bảo vệ nghiêm ngặt
- ivory tusk : ngà voi
- rhinoceros: tê giác
- to suffer from : chịu phải
- aggression : sự xâm l-ợc
- decline : giảm
* decline in number : giảm về số l-ợng
- natural habitat : vùng c- trú tự nhiên
- panda : gấu trúc
- in captivity : (nuôi) trong chuồng
- logger : ng-ời khai thác gỗ
- to encroach upon : xâm phạm
- encroachment : sự xâm phạm
- to face the danger: đ-ơng đầu với nguy hiểm, đối mặt với nguy

- whale : cá voi

- marine animal : động vật biển
- to be attributed to : do, nhờ

Lesson 10: SAVING THE REMAINING FEW

After a long and desperate struggle to save endangered species from extinction, conservationists
are finally winning victories over individual greed and official lethargy. The establishment of the
World Wildlife Fund in 1961 began a new era of aggressive campaigning which culminated in
the 1973 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. The CITES bans or restricts
trade in over 2,000 different species of animal, bird and plant. Unfortunately, it depends for
enforcement on its 103 member nations, and many of them are very lax. Britain, for example, had
only four customs officers in charge of CITES enforcement as of 1990. Some member nations
failed to ratify the agreement, while others retained special exemptions. Japan, for example,
which ratified the Convention in 1980 and was at one time responsible for one half of the world's
trade in endangered species, insisted on importing products made from 11 of the most

21
endangered species in order to protect the livelihoods of a few thousand artisans and the profits of
large corporations.

The WWF was so concerned about loopholes and lax enforcement of the CITES that it set up a
special monitoring organization named TRAFFIC (Trade Records Analysis of Flora and Fauna in
Commerce) which frequently uncovers illegal trade ignored or even encouraged by the
authorities of member nations.

The most visible success of the wildlife conservation movement has been the complete ban on
the ivory trade, imposed in January 1990 at a time when fewer than 600,000 African elephants
remained. There is, however, a much earlier precedent. In 1907, the American Bison Society
reported that only a few hundred bison remained and demanded action; Congress responded with
legislation establishing reserves in Oklahoma and Montana, and the native buffalo survived.

Recently, farmers have started raising bison instead of cows (buffalo meat is lower in calories
and cholesterol than beef) and the population has increased to over 60,000.

Crocodiles, alligators and caiman are also benefiting from the commercial farming approach. In
theory, so could all endangered species which can be raised in captivity and which have
commercial value. This could free up precious conservation funds for use elsewhere. Ironically,
the elephant population increased in countries which paid for conservation efforts through the
official sale of ivory, and will probably decrease now that such funds are no longer available.

Another factor which may help endangered species if carefully managed is the rapid growth
of ecotourism. East Africans replaced guns with cameras in their safari parks long ago when
they realized the tourist potential of their vast wildlife reserves. More recently, West Africans
have discovered that their gorillas are worth more alive than dead and have started protecting
these vulnerable assets from poachers. The challenge is to expand tourism without damaging
the animals' habitats.
Notes:
- desperate : không khoan nh-ợng
* desperate struggle : đấu tranh không khoan nh-ợng
- endangered species : loài có nguy cơ diệt chủng
- The World Wildlife Fund : Quỹ Động Vật Hoang Dã Thế Giới
- era : kỷ nguyên
- culminate : đạt đến đỉnh điểm
- customs officer : hải quan
- to be in charge of : chịu trách nhiệm về
- ratify : phê chuẩn, ký (hiệp định)
* to ratify the agreement : phê chuẩn hiệp định

22
- artisan : nghệ nhân
- wildlife conservation movement : phong trào bảo vệ động vật

hoang dã
- illegal trade : buôn bán bất hợp pháp
- bison : bò rừng
- potential : tiềm năng
* tourist potential : tiềm năng du lịch
- challenge : thách thức
- gorilla : đ-ời -ơi
- vulnerable : dễ bị làm hại
* Young birds are vulnerable to predators.
Chim non rất dễ bị thú ăn thịt làm hại.

Lesson 11: A DIET OF CHEMICALS

Chemicals enter our food in various ways and for various reasons. Farmers use herbicides to kill
weeds, pesticides to kill insects, fungicides to kill mold and fertilizers to promote growth. All of
them are harmful to health and also to the environment, as Rachel Carson observed over 30 years
ago in her provocative book, Silent Spring. Air pollution and acid rain also contribute to the
chemical cocktail in which our food is grown.

After harvesting, most crops are subjected to further "post-harvest" chemical treatment in order to
protect them from fungus and keep them looking fresh. Japanese rice, for example, is sprayed
once a year with methyl bromide, which can cause mental disorders and speech impediments.
Fresh fruits and vegetables are sprayed with sulfites, to which many people are allergic. Bananas,
mangoes and other tropical fruit are sprayed with even more dangerous chemicals.

Meat eaters are exposed to even greater risks. For one thing, they are ten times more likely to die
from a heart attack than vegetarians. For another, meat accounts for more than half of all
pesticides consumed by Americans. Moreover, meat contains antibiotics such as penicillin and
tetracycline, used to prevent disease in farm animals, and also hormones used to promote growth.
Excessive consumption of the former leads to a breakdown of the human immune system, while

the latter leads to hormone imbalance and diseases such as thyrotoxicosis.

Finally, there are the additives used by food manufacturers - thousands of them, including
preservatives, colors, flavors, aromas and emulsifiers. The use of preservatives is often justified
by the need to prevent food poisoning. Nitrates used in ham, for example, prevent contamination
by salmonella germs. In most cases, however, additives are used simply to make food look, taste

23
or smell better and thus increase profits. If consumers could be certain that all additives used
were completely safe, there would be no problem. In fact, however, most of the additives used in
Britain have never been tested for safety, and of those that have been tested, many have been
shown to cause health problems ranging from allergies to cancer. Excessive consumption of food
additives has also been linked to low academic achievement and mental instability.
Notes:
- reason : lý do
* for various reasons : vì nhiều lý do
- herbicide : thuốc diệt cỏ
- fungicide : thuốc diệt nấm mốc
- fertilizer : phân bón
- to be harmful to : có hại
- to contribute to : đóng góp
* He has greatly contributed to the development of the
company.
Ông ta đã đóng góp nhiều cho sự phát triển của công ty.
- to be subjected to : chịu phải
- post-harvest treatment : xử lý sau thu hoạch
- fungus : nấm mốc
- to spray : phun
- mental disorder : rối loạn thàn kinh
- speech impediment : rối loạn ngôn ngữ

- to be allergic : bị dị ứng
- antibiotics : kháng sinh
- immune system : hệ miễn dịch
- imbalance : sự mất cân đối
- additive : chất phụ gia
- preservative : chất bảo quản
- flavour : mùi
- aroma : h-ơng
- contamination : sự nhiễm khuẩn
- to be tested for safety : kiểm tra an toàn
- excessive : quá nhiều
* excessive consumption : dùng quá nhiều
- mental instability : bất ổn tinh thần

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