News Summary 3

At the first step, we read the news about California Wildfires and used the southern California’s map together to help us know more about the locations where broke out the disasters. In the news we knew the wildfires were really devastating and a lot of people as well as their animals were ordered to evacuate to other shelters. But some of them who lived near the coast could go home now and they were really worried about whether their houses and ranches were still here or not. Because of the power shortage which was associated with the wildfires in California, the residents should conserve the power. The factors which fueled the wildfires were dry weather, heat and wind. Many people such as volunteers, federal government and the Red Cross went there to help and give supplies to the evacuees.
After that, we watched many videos and saw some pictures about the news. The conditions there were seriously and horrible. We just couldn't believe the power that the wildfires had. In the videos we knew there had been wildfires like this time before. Because of that the government renewed the equipments, added more firefighters and trained them seriously to have well-prepared. At this time less people died and injured. We also heard some thoughts in the evacuees’ mind. They told that they were really worried about their houses, families and friends whether everything was OK or not. After hearing that, we were so sad and sympathetic. We couldn't do anything but prayed for them.
At last we checked the interaction part and learned some methods to put out the wildfires such as air tankers, bucket drops, fire lines and backfires. After reading the news and trying the multimedia, we really learned a lot from them and knew how terrible the wildfires were.

Record:http://www.supload.com/sound_confirm.php?get=1178191601.wma

News Summary 2

Arctic Melt Unnerves the Experts: http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/02/science/earth/02annrrct.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

Questions and Answers:

What are the scientist unnerved by?
They are unnerved by Arctic melt, the summer’s implications for the future and their ability to predict it.

Which things did a new study use to show that winds since 2000 had pushed huge amounts of thick old ice out of the Arctic basin past Greenland?
It used satellites and buoys to show that.

Why the pace of change has far exceeded what had been estimated by almost all the simulations?
Maybe the models are overly conservative or they are missing natural influences that can cause wide swings in ice and temperature.

Why the experts say the ice retreat is likely to be even bigger next summer?
Because this winter’s freeze is starting from such a huge ice deficit.

What are the forces that make the sea ice vanish?
The forces include heat-trapping clouds and water vapor in the air, the ocean-heating influence of unusually sunny skies in June and July and the other important factors were warm winds flowing from Siberia around a high-pressure system parked over the ocean.

Keywords:

dwindle:to become gradually less or smaller.

propulsion:the force that drives sth forward.

simulation:a situation in which a particular set of conditions is created artificially in order to study or experience sth that could exist in reality.

proponent:a person who supports an idea or course of action.

substantial:large in amount, value or importance.

induce:to persuade or influence sb to do sth.

deficit:the amount by which money spent or owed is greater than money earned in a particular period of time.

harsh:too strong and rough and likely to damage sth.

stabilize:to beome or to make sth become firm, steady and unlikely to change.

variation:a change, especially in the amount or level of sth.

vulnerable:weak and easily hurt physically or emotionally.

Summary:

The Arctic ice cap shrank so much this summer that waves briefly lapped along two long-imagined Arctic shipping routes, the Northwest Passage over Canada and the Northern Sea Route over Russia. Over all, the floating ice dwindled to an extent unparalleled in a century or more, by several estimates. Scientists are also unnerved by the summer’s implications for the future, and their ability to predict it. The pace of change has far exceeded what had been estimated by almost all the simulations used to envision how the Arctic will respond to rising concentrations of greenhouse gases linked to global warming. Proponents of cuts in greenhouse gases cited the meltdown as proof that human activities are propelling a slide toward climate calamity. Arctic experts say things are not that simple. More than a dozen experts said in interviews that the extreme summer ice retreat had revealed at least as much about what remains unknown in the Arctic as what is clear. Still, many of those scientists said they were becoming convinced that the system is heading toward a new, more watery state, and that human-caused global warming is playing a significant role. But the experts are having a hard time conceiving a situation that could reverse the trends and from all they can tell right now, the means for that are quite limited.

BY LV