Summary
7 December 2009
Two weeks of talks aimed at agreeing a new deal on climate change have begun in Copenhagen amid hopes that delegates will be able to reach a deal.
Reporter:
Roger Harrabin:
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Report
The conference opened to applause forty minutes late. It began with an environmental film from Danish children, a message from the next generation for those delegates whose decisions here over the next fortnight may help shape the lives they lead.
34,000 people have tried to get accredited for this extraordinary meeting - an unprecedented demand.
Hopes are high here that a deal can be done to lower emissions and raise cash to help poor countries adapt to climate change and obtain clean energy. The question is whether that agreement will be strong enough to meet the expectations of those children of the future.
Roger Harrabin, 大象传媒 News, Copenhagen
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Vocabulary
- an environmental film
a film highlighting dangers to nature
- a message
here, something important that you want others to understand
- shape the lives they lead
help decide the way they live
- to get accredited
to ensure they are allowed to attend
- extraordinary
very different from others
- unprecedented
like never before
- hopes are high
many people hope (if you have high hopes for something, you have good reasons to believe it will happen although you cannot be certain)
- to lower emissions
to reduce the amount of harmful gases produced by polluting factories, cars etc.
- obtain clean energy
have sources of power that don't harm the atmosphere
- to meet the expectations
if something meets your expectations, it gives you what you want and demand
