Qinghai-Tibet Railway gets green ticket
[ 2007-07-02 14:09 ]
The Qinghai-Tibet Railway, the world's highest altitude railway line, had
caused little impact on the natural environment according to an evaluation
report, the Ministry of Railways said.
In a document issued ahead of the
first anniversary of the line's opening, the ministry said the railway had
"effectively conserved water and soil" on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau.
The
railway had caused little to no impact on local vegetation and wildlife.
Experts with the Ministry of Water Sources, sent to the plateau in June,
said the railway's water and soil conservancy measures had "effectively
protected the ecological system on the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau and sources of the
Yellow, Yangtze and Lancang rivers."
Another group of experts with the
environmental assessment center under the State Environmental Protection
Administration (SEPA) said the railway's 33 specially-built passages for wild
animal migration had "positive, obvious functions" on minimizing the railway's
effect on wildlife.
Another report said the recovery of vegetation along
the railway is also "showing initial effect" and transplanted grass is growing
well.
Wang Yongping, spokesman of the Ministry of Railways, said,
"Passengers using the railway to Lhasa can see a harmonious scene and wandering
wild animals, as usual."
Construction of the railway had initially
caused some concern because the plateau's ecological environment is believed to
be very fragile.
However the Ministry of Railways was determined to go
ahead with the project and took a series of measures to keep the project's
impact to a minimum.
In a bid to protect the wildlife the ministry built
passages at key points along the route to enable animals such as antelopes to
safely cross during times of seasonal migration.
Inspections by SEPA
experts and the local reserve bureau showed animals had started to become
accustomed to the special passages.
The ministry purchased facilities on
trains and at Lhasa and Golmud railway stations, to ensure waste produced by
passengers along the route was properly disposed.
So far, more than
70,000 tons of waste and sewage had been "properly" disposed of, the ministry
said.
A survey showed nearly 97 percent of residents in the Tibet
Autonomous Region were satisfied with the railway's environmental protection
measures, Xinhua News Agency reported.
There have been no reports of
environmental pollution caused by the railway, Xinhua said.
(China Daily
07/02/2007 page 3)
Questions:
1. What
does "had caused little impact on the natural environment" mean?
2. What
does it mean for an ecological environment to be very fragile?
3. What
percentage of residents in the Tibet Autonomous Region were satisfied with the
railway's environmental protection measures?
Answers:
1. It means the railway line had
not been responsible for major changes in the existence of natural features and
plants and animals.
2. It means that the natural components of the area,
such as plants, animals, soil composition and water table, can be easily thrown
into disorder.
3. Nearly 97 percent.
（英語點津 Linda 編輯）
About the broadcaster:
 Matt Doran is an award-winning American newspaper journalist and an
undergraduate student at Albion College. He is currently a polisher for China
Daily Website and is on summer break from Beijing Foreign Studies University,
where he will resume his study of Chinese in the fall.
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