Life in the future（Period 3 Listening and Speaking）
the second vehicle is named“opportunity”.it landed in an area of mars called meridiani planum.nasa scientists say opportunity landed inside a large hole in the surface of the planet.photographs from opportunity show several large formations of rock.the photographs clearly show this rock is below the surface.nasa scientists say the rock they see in the photographs is not like anything they have ever seen before.nasa officials say they have discovered and confirmed that opportunity landed on an area of mars that is rich in the mineral crystalline hematite.on earth such hematite usually forms in the presence of water.scientists want to know if the hematite on mars was formed under water too.some evidence suggests that long ago the meridiani planum area of mars was wet and held water.opportunity will search for more evidence of water and any evidence that some kind of life could have existed in the area.when they get to an interesting area they reach out with a mechanical arm that carries several tools.the arm carries the microscope, two instruments for identifying what the rock is made of and a tool for cutting into the rock.scientists say that spirit and opportunity will explore the surface of mars for as long as ninety days.the rovers will be exploring the surface in an effort to find evidence of water on mars.water is extremely important to any future human exploration of mars.the two devices are trying to discover if we have not been alone in the universe.they are trying to answer the question: is there any evidence that life once existed on the red planet?un calls for greater efforts to protect environmentu.n.secretary general kofi annan said that the theme of this year’s world environment day is connect with the world wide web of life, “a choice that reflects the need for every one of us to recognize our role in preserving our fragile planet and the ecosystems, resources and natural process that bind us all together.”“more than ever, life on earth requires of us a sense of universal responsibility—nation to nation, person to person, human to all other forms of life, ”he said.klaus toepfer, executive director of the u.n.environment program, said that the riches of the information age are being felt by everyone on earth, however, the world’s old problems are enduring and urgent, citing the looming threats of inequalities brought about by the forces of globalization, poverty, reduced food security, the intricate balance between population, resources and the environment, the challenge of sustainable development and the relationship of all these to the future of humanity and the environment.