新西兰英语 768 Open-Cast Coal Mine

 　　Last week, the Minister of Conservation, Nick Smith, gave permission for a new open-cast coal mine on conservation land on the West Coast. The Environment Court last month said it would probably give permission for the mine.

　　Now the Forest and Bird organisation¹ is going to the High Court to fight this. Forest and Bird members say that a coal mine could kill endangered animals like the Great Spotted² Kiwi. Also conservation land is for everyone to enjoy, not for industry.

　　The new mine would be on the Denniston plateau, 14 km north of Westport. Already there is an open-cast coal mine at Stockton, 35 km north of Westport.

　　The owners of the mine say that an open-cast mine would bring 225 jobs and put about $30m into the local economy. There are many unemployed³ people, including coal miners, on the West Coast.

　　Coal will be shipped from the port at Westport to Asia, especially to China, where it is used for making steel.

　　Vocabulary

　　?to give permission – to say ‘yes’

　　?open-cast mine – not underground.

　　?conservation – protecting the environment

　　?endangered – in danger of becoming extinct

　　?plateau – flat area on top of a hill

　　Questions

　　1.Is it possible to protect forests and birds where there is a coal mine?

　　2.What is more important – jobs or protecting the environment?

　　3.Coal is a fossil fuel which produces carbon when it is burned. If New Zealand mines coal and China burns coal, which country should pay for carbon credits?

　　4.What are the advantages and disadvantages of open-cast coal mining?

1 organisation   

n.组织，安排，团体，有机休

参考例句：

• The method of his organisation work is worth commending.他的组织工作的方法值得称道。
• His application for membership of the organisation was rejected.他想要加入该组织的申请遭到了拒绝。

2 spotted   

adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的

参考例句：

• The milkman selected the spotted cows,from among a herd of two hundred.牛奶商从一群200头牛中选出有斑点的牛。
• Sam's shop stocks short spotted socks.山姆的商店屯积了有斑点的短袜。

3 unemployed   

adj.失业的，没有工作的；未动用的，闲置的

参考例句：

• There are now over four million unemployed workers in this country.这个国家现有四百万失业人员。
• The unemployed hunger for jobs.失业者渴望得到工作。