Because of the complex relationships among the many types of organisms and ecosystems, environmental contamination may have far-reaching consequences that are not immediately obvious or that are difficult to predict. For instance, scientists can only speculate on some of the potential impacts of the depletion of the ozone layer, the protective layer in the atmosphere that shields Earth from the Sun’s harmful ultraviolet rays. Another major effect of pollution is the tremendous cost of pollution cleanup and prevention. The global effort to control emissions of carbon dioxide, a gas produced from the combustion of fossil fuels such as coal or oil, or of other organic materials like wood, is one such example.
- far-reaching [ˈfɑ:ˈri:tʃiŋ] adj. 深远的，广泛的
- consequence [ˈkɔnsikwəns] n. 后果，影响
- immediately [iˈmi:diətli] adv. 直接地，立即
- predict [priˈdikt] v. 预测
- speculate [ˈspekjuleit] v. 思索，推测(about, on, upon)
- impact [ˈimpækt] n. 影响，效力
- ozone layer [ˈəuzəun - ˈleiə] n.臭氧层
- shield [ʃi:ld] v. 防御，保护
- ultraviolet ray [ˌʌltrəˈvaiəlit - rei] n. 紫外线
- tremendous [triˈmendəs] adj. 可怕的，惊人的
- emission [iˈmiʃən] n. 发出(物)，放射(物)
- combustion [kəmˈbʌstʃən] n. 燃烧
- fossil fuel [ˈfɔsl - fjuəl] n. (煤、石油、天然气等)矿物燃料
