英语新闻视频 More concerns about environmental crisis

The earth catches cold, a human disaster. The winter storms in South China left a lasting¹ image among Chinese people.
But our earth is suffering more than this. Air pollution, water shortages, global warming, and the extinction² of species are adding scars to our planet.
As both makers³ and victims of environmental disasters, humans are key to its healing. April 22nd 1970 saw the first large-scale public environmental movement in human history.
Over 20 million people took to the streets in the United States to raise awareness⁴ of environmental crisis.
The movement was launched by senator Gaylord Nelson, who forged the idea of Earth Day.
From then on, Earth Day has become an international event, leading to a tidal wave of environmental activities at all levels. From Tokyo to Togo, more than 500 million people have joined forces in over 170 countries.
The wave also swept across China. Actions were taken from government to NGOs, and each year features a theme ranging from energy-saving to sustainable development. More and more people have joined in real action to save our planet before it is too late.

1 lasting   

adj.永久的，永恒的；vbl.持续，维持

参考例句：

• The lasting war debased the value of the dollar.持久的战争使美元贬值。
• We hope for a lasting settlement of all these troubles.我们希望这些纠纷能获得永久的解决。

2 extinction   

n.熄灭，消亡，消灭，灭绝，绝种

参考例句：

• The plant is now in danger of extinction.这种植物现在有绝种的危险。
• The island's way of life is doomed to extinction.这个岛上的生活方式注定要消失。

3 makers   

n.制造者，制造商（maker的复数形式）

参考例句：

• The makers of the product assured us that there had been no sacrifice of quality. 这一产品的制造商向我们保证说他们没有牺牲质量。
• The makers are about to launch out a new product. 制造商们马上要生产一种新产品。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 awareness   

n.意识，觉悟，懂事，明智

参考例句：

• There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
• Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。