Earth Hour
Earth Hour started in Australia with millions of homes and businesses turning their lights off for one hour.Now it has grown to become one of the world’s biggest climate change initiatives.People are all joining together in a global effort to show that it’s possible to take action on global warming.
Earth Hour has brought about some new changes to our lives.The iconic "Bird’s Nest" National Stadium and the nearby "Water Cube" National Aquatics Center,usually illuminated by floodlights,went dark at 8:30 p.m.,while dozens of hotels,office buildings,shopping malls and restaurants also switched some lights off.People join activities such as candle-lit dinners and star-gazing parties as a response to the call for "going dark".However,some critics have dismissed the event as simply a gimmick that will not make any difference.
From my point of view,Earth Hour is a global call to action to every individual,every business and every community.A call to stand up,to take responsibility and to get involved in working towards a sustainable future.Earth Hour is a message of hope and a message of action.Everyone can make a difference.
好词佳句总结：
initiative 主动的行动,倡议
global warming全球变暖,人尽皆知的一个词,但关键时候说不定就忘鸟~- -!
iconic 标志性的
"Bird’s Nest" National Stadium 鸟巢 国家体育场
"Water Cube" National Aquatics Center 水立方 国家游泳中心 （两个现代化标志性建筑） 我要收藏
illuminate 照亮
floodlight 泛光灯
switch off 关灯,关电视之类~
candle-lit dinners 烛光晚餐 看来也可以给自己一个浪漫的理由
star-gazing parties观星派对,据说悉尼关灯后看到的星星多了好几倍呢!
gimmick花招,诡计,骗人的玩
2007年,地球一小时发起于澳大利亚的悉尼.今年,将会有更多的国际大都市加入这一行动.地球一小时2010年的目标：全球6000多个城市、超过10亿人参与活动,政府、企业、社区积极加入,让“地球一小时”成为世界上规模最大的环保行动.
This Saturday night at eight thirty,all the lights will be shut off at the Tokyo Tower in Japan.The Brandenburg Gate in Berlin and the Eiffel Tower in Paris are also expected to go dark.So is the Empire State Building in New York and buildings in other cities around the world.
The lights will stay off for one hour for an event called Earth Hour.The observance is organized by a conservation group,the World Wide Fund for Nature,also known as the World Wildlife Fund.
For the fourth year,people are being urged to turn off their lights for one hour to call attention to the issue of climate change.The group says climate change is one of the greatest threats facing wildlife and nature.
The first Earth Hour was held in two thousand seven in Sydney,Australia.Organizers said more than two thousand businesses and two million people took part.
Since then,Earth Hour has grown into an international event.People in more than four thousand cities in eighty-eight countries took part last year.
Organizers say more than one hundred countries and territories have promised their official support this year.This will be the first Earth Hour for countries including Kuwait,Qatar,Kosovo,Madagascar,Nepal,Cambodia and Panama.
At least nineteen of the fifty American states are planning to take part in the two thousand ten Earth Hour observance.The event organizers recently announced that one of the latest states to join was Missouri.
Governor Jay Nixon has agreed to shut off the lights in the dome of the state capitol building.He says when it comes to saving energy and money,big changes start with small steps like turning out the lights.
Will you be turning off your lights this Saturday night to observe Earth Hour?Do you think about what the organizers call your "environmental footprint," and try to reduce harmful effects?Is climate change a concern for you?
