For millennia man has exploited and often destroyed the riches of the land. Now man covets the wealth of the oceans, which cover

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问题 For millennia man has exploited and often destroyed the riches of the land. Now man covets the wealth of the oceans, which cover nearly three-quarters of the earth. But the scramble for minerals and oil, for new underwater empires, could heighten international tensions and set a new and wider stage for world conflict.
Even the most conservative estimates of resources in the seabed stagger the imagination. In the millions of miles of ocean that touch a hundred nations live four out of five living things on earth. In the seabed, minerals and oil have been proved to exist in lavish supply. The oceans are a source of pure water and food protein; of drugs and building materials; they are even possibly a habitat for man himself and a key to survival for the doubling population on the land.
Man may yet learn to use a tiny fraction of this wealth. Unless international law soon determines how it shall be shared, that fraction alone could set off a new age of colonial war. Is the deep seabed, like the high seas, common to all? Or like the wilderness areas of land, is it open to national claim by the use and occupation of the first or the strongest pioneer? The question of what is to be done to regulate and control exploitation of the seabeds is no longer a theoretical matter. It is a problem of international concern. We must decide how to divide this great wealth equitably among nations. But wealth is not the only thing at stake. We must also learn how to protect the oceans from the menace of pollution.
More familiar to most of us is the accelerated pace of offshore drilling that now extends more than 50 miles out to sea and accounts for 15 percent of U. S. oil production. In the twelve years between 1955 and 1967, offshore production of crude oil increased from seven million to 222 million barrels. Estimates of known reserves of natural gas have more than tripled in the past 15 years, and each advance in scientific exploration of the ocean beds brings to light new finds that would gladden the eye of the most hardened veteran of the California gold rush.(371 words)

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答案 几千年来,人类已经开发并经常会毁掉陆地丰富的资源。而现在人类觊觎着占地球面积几乎四分之三的海洋财富。但对于水下帝国——矿产和石油的争夺将会加剧国际紧张关系,为世界范围的冲突营造新的更广阔的舞台。 即便是对海底资源最保守的估计,也会激发人们的无限想象。在那触及一百个国家数百万英里的海洋中,生存着地球上五分之四的生物。海底已经证实蕴含丰富的矿产和石油。海洋还可以提供纯净水和食物蛋白质、药物和建筑材料,甚至可能说海洋就是人类自己的栖息地,也是陆地上成倍增长的人口生存的关键。 但是人类学会了利用这笔财富中的一小部分,如果不是国际法很快对于海洋的分配作了规定,这一小部分财富都会引发新时代的殖民战争。比如,公海中的深海是属于所有人的吗?或者就像,国家可不可以声称陆地上的一片荒野属于第一个或实力最强的那个利用并占有它的带头人?管理和控制海底开发的问题不再是一个理论问题,而是一个国际关注的问题。我们必须确定该怎么在所有国家之间公平地分配这笔财富。但身处险境的并不只是这笔财富,而是我们还要学习怎样保护海洋免受污染威胁。 对我们大多数人来说,更为熟悉的莫过于近海石油钻探的步伐加快,现在钻探的海域绵延50多英里,占据美国石油生产的15%。在1955年到1967年的12年间,生产的近海原油从700加仑上涨到22.2亿加仑。在过去15年间,已知天然气的估计储量增长了超过三倍,海底科学开发的每一次进步都会有新的发现,连加利福尼亚淘金热时的老手看了都会双眼放光。

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