編者按： 　　隨著2008年奧運會的臨近，民眾越來越關(guān)心“中國”品牌的樹立，學習英語的熱情也被點燃。越來越多的外宣干部和業(yè)內(nèi)同行向我們表達了期待看到雙語欄目的期望。因此，我們在2006年第一期起開辦了《雙語視窗》欄目以滿足廣大讀者的需求。
　　看看周圍的媒體，《北京青年報》、《參考消息》、《國門時報》上有許多精粹的小短文，像一只只啄木鳥，善意地提醒了中國人習以為常的行為背后“尚未和國際接軌”的細節(jié)，讀后讓人回味不已，在獲得借鑒意義的同時，也帶來更深入的思考。我們效仿中英文對照的版面形式，旨在通過外國友人的視角來看中國，從中折射出東西方觀念、習俗的異同。通過一篇篇這樣的文章，讓讀者在領(lǐng)略異域文化同時，也能達到學習英語的目的。
　　
　　我想多數(shù)人會同意這樣的觀點：當你看到了問題，你應該去解決它。我想這恐怕也是對我在中國所做之事的最簡單的解釋。不論是水資源短缺、水污染還是水量分配，困擾這一偉大國家而且最終對其發(fā)展形成制約的主要環(huán)境問題就是水了�，F(xiàn)在，我正和中國人民一起解決這些問題。這些問題并非中國有，相反，由于城市化與人口增加，已經(jīng)有限的淡水資源承受的壓力越來越大，全世界都在應對這些問題。
　　然而，中國與其他國家所不同的，是她史無前例的發(fā)展步伐――世界上還有哪個地方一幢幢高樓似乎一夜間就冒了出來?此外，2008年的奧運會使北京尤其要面對更多的土建工程與人口流入問題。北京的水資源已極為緊張，曾作為北京主要水源的密云水庫水位已經(jīng)低了不少，水質(zhì)也有所下降，每年城市的地下水位也在明顯降低。這不僅使水的儲量承受更大的壓力，而且會引起城市下沉，因為弱化著的地表越來越難以支撐不斷增加的城市重量。因此，無論是從經(jīng)濟角度還是環(huán)保角度，我們都有充分的理由從現(xiàn)在開始就要正視水的短缺與污染狀況，而不要到了真的為時已晚時再行動。
　　這就是你要參加解決的問題。你，一名讀者，你的家人、朋友、同學和同事：這個群體的每一個成員，都能起到積極作用而使情況加以改善。你在刷牙或洗盤子時把水龍頭關(guān)上了嗎？見到漏水的龍頭和跑水的馬桶你很快就修好了嗎?請關(guān)注你周圍的河溝：河水是正常的還是有臭味，且變了顏色?
　　變化是從教育開始的，然而，只有通過行動才能實現(xiàn)。我現(xiàn)在北京與貝西?達蒙女士一起工作，她是一名生態(tài)設(shè)計師，也是美國非政府組織“保水者”的發(fā)起人。這一組織的目的是把各個年齡、各行各業(yè)的人帶到一起開展一系列項目，這些項目以有目共睹的有教育性的有文化意義的方式來治理、保護水資源。為了在北京幫助傳播這一理念，我們與珍妮.古道爾的“根與芽”合作，該組織在北京和世界各地的很多學校舉辦活躍的環(huán)保教育活動。
　　最近，我們成功主辦了為期一天的研討會，參加者是當?shù)氐男�學與中學老師，還有一些大學生，代表了各自大學的環(huán)保小組。研討會很獨特：為了說明水對社會得以存在有多么重要，我們演示了人體在多么大的程度上是水，而自然界又是如何以水為中心而運行的；我們描述了人體的各項功能與水的密切關(guān)系，并進一步演示了人體各系統(tǒng)如何與自然界相類似，當把人體靜脈、動脈組成的心血管系統(tǒng)與從空中看到的河流體系放在相同的尺寸下，二者是那么相像，簡直無法區(qū)別，這使研討會參加者極為驚愕。我們還演示人的骨骼與一棵樹的相似之處。而神經(jīng)呢，當一個人高興時，神經(jīng)就會松弛下來，而且有很多彎曲，就像一條正常的河流有很多或陡或緩的拐彎一樣。與此形成對照的一張照片是神經(jīng)在感受痛苦時就變得又直又僵硬，在這張照片旁邊，我們放了一張河流的照片，這條河因受控于人類的工程建設(shè)而變成筆直的、不正常的、沒有生氣的了。
　　參加者一旦對水有了新的認識，那么保護這一珍貴資源乃當務之急也就顯而易見了。接下來我們還用一些時間考慮他們與自己的學生或綠色組織能夠承擔的具體項目。
　　那天說出了很多非常好的項目構(gòu)想，有些已在實施當中。天津二中正在啟動一個綠色校園項目，他們還想把污水處理與收集雨水包括在計劃當中。北京一所大學的學生正在發(fā)起一場在浴室中減少用水量的運動，浴室現(xiàn)狀是學生們付一次錢洗多長時間都可以，這就總是導致浪費，他們制止浪費的方法包括改變收費辦法，并給浴室換上節(jié)水型噴頭。
　　最終，我們“保水者”與“根與芽”的目標是實施與水相關(guān)的社區(qū)行動計劃，目前當?shù)貙W校正在實施著。這些計劃將會包括認領(lǐng)并整治一段當?shù)氐呐潘�道，檢測并監(jiān)督水質(zhì)，實施污水處理系統(tǒng)，或編寫保護水的教育宣傳資料。他們的工作不僅為北京提供了很好的服務，也為學生們得到親手操作的實驗性知識提供了無與倫比的機會。我們打算幫北京的學校與美國積極參與水保護項目的伙伴學校建立聯(lián)系。這一聯(lián)合將在構(gòu)想、信息、問題與成功事例方面加強國際間的交流。
　　愛因斯坦曾經(jīng)說過：“你不可能用當初造成這一問題的同一種思維去解決這一問題�！蹦闶欠裣氲搅艘粋�護水項目？你是否向往為改變現(xiàn)狀而采取行動？或者你有需要解答的問題？
　　(本文作者是美國一名生物與廢水處理專業(yè)的研究生)
　　
　　原文：
　　I think most people would agree that if you see a problem, you should fix it. I guess that"s the simplest explanation for what I"m doing in China. Whether it"s shortage, pollution, or allocation, the chief environmental crisis plaguing this great country and ultimately setting the limits on growth all comes down to water. I am here to work with Chinese people in fixing these problems. They are hardly unique to China - on the contrary, they are being dealt with worldwide, as urbanization and population growth put more and more pressure on an already limited supply of fresh water.
　　What sets China apart from other countries, however, is its unprecedented pace of development -swhereselse in the world do new highrises seem to sprout up virtually overnight? On top of this, there are the additional construction and the population influx that Beijing in particular will face because of the 2008 Olympics. Beijing"s water supply is already under grave stress: the Miyun Reservoir, which previously supplied much of the city"s water, is critically low and the quality of its water is declining. The city"s water table also drops markedly every year; this not only puts further pressure on water quantity, but also causes the city to sink, as the weakening ground becomes less and less able to support the growing city"s weight. Thus there are strong economic and environmental reasons for rectifying Beijing"s water shortage and pollution now, before it is really too late.
　　That"sswheresYOU come in. You the reader, your family, friends, classmates and colleagues: every member of this community has an active role to play in effecting positive change. Do you turn the water off while you brush your teeth and wash the dishes? Are you quick to repair leaky faucets and running toilets? Notice the canals in your community: do they appear healthy or are they smelly and discolored?
　　Change begins with education; however, it is only realized through action. I"m working in Beijing with Betsy Damon, an ecological designer and founder of an American-based NGO called Keepers of the Waters. The goal of her organization is to bring together people of all ages and disciplines to initiate projects that restore and preserve water sources in visible, educational, and culturally significant ways. To help spread this philosophy in Beijing, we"ve teamed up with Jane Goodall"s Roots and Shoots organization, which has an active environmental education program in numerous schools throughout this city and worldwide.
　　Recently we held a successful daylong workshop that was attended by local primary and secondary school teachers as well as several university students representing the environmental groups on their campuses. The workshop was unique: To convey how critical water is to the survival of society, we showed to what an extent our bodies are water and how the natural environment also revolves around it. We depicted the intimate connection between the functions of the human body and water, and further showed how human systems have parallels in nature. Our participants were amazed that, when shown on the same scale, the human cardiovascular system of veins and arteries and an aerial view of a river system were so much alike as to be indistinguishable. We also showed them the similarities between a human bone and a tree. Nerves, when a person experiences pleasure, look relaxed and have many curves, like a healthy river that also has numerous bends and curves. We contrasted these with a picture of a nerve straight and stiff as it feels pain; alongside it we placed a picture of a river that has been manipulated by human engineering and rendered straight, unhealthy and lifeless.
　　Once our participants had gained a new appreciation for water, the urgent need to protect this precious resource became plain to them. We followed up by spending some time thinking about concrete projects that they could undertake with their students or green groups.
　　Many great project ideas were voiced that day and some are already getting underway. A secondary school in Tianjin is beginning a campus greening project and wants to include greywater treatment as well as rainwater collection in their plan. Students from a local university are campaigning to reduce the water usage in their bathhouses. Currently, students pay one price for a shower of unlimited length, which invariably leads to waste. Their approach to cutting waste includes changing the pricing scheme and replacing the showerheads in their bathhouses with a water-saving type.
　　Ultimately, our goal is for Keepers of the Waters and Roots and Shoots to implement water-related community action projects that are carried out by local schools. These projects could include adopting and restoring a local waterway, testing and monitoring water quality, implementing greywater treatment systems or creating educational material on water conservation. Not only would their work provide a great service to the city but also offer a matchless opportunity for hands-on experiential learning for the students. We intend to link Beijing schools with partner schools in the US that are actively involved in water protection and conservation projects. This alliance will foster the international exchange of ideas, information, questions and success stories.
　　Albert Einstein once said: "You can"t solve a problem with the same kind of thinking that created it in the first place." Do you have an idea for a project, a desire to act for change, or questions you want answered?
　�。ǜ兄x北京青年報《雙語視窗》欄目張愛學編輯對本文提供的支持。）
　　
　　責編：周瑾

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