This is the VOA Special English Development Report.
这里是美国之音特别英语发展报道。
This Saturday night at eight thirty, all the lights will be shut off at the Tokyo Tower in Japan. The Brandenburg Gate in Berlin and the Eiffel Tower in Paris are also expected to go dark. So is the Empire State Building in New York and buildings in other cities around the world.
本周六晚上八点三十分，日本东京塔所有灯都将熄灭，柏林的勃兰登堡门和巴黎的埃菲尔铁塔预计也将熄灯，纽约的帝国大厦和世界各地其他城市的建筑也是如此。
The lights will stay off for one hour for an event called Earth Hour. The observance is organized by a conservation group, the World Wide Fund for Nature, also known as the World Wildlife Fund.
这些灯将为“地球一小时”行动熄灭一小时。该活动由环保组织世界自然基金会组织，该组织也被称为世界野生动物基金会。
For the fourth year, people are being urged to turn off their lights for one hour to call attention to the issue of climate change. The group says climate change is one of the greatest threats facing wildlife and nature.
该活动已是第四年举办。该活动鼓励人们熄灯一小时以唤起对气候变化问题的关注。该组织表示，气候变化是野生生物和自然界面临的最大的威胁之一。
The first Earth Hour was held in two thousand seven in Sydney, Australia. Organizers said more than two thousand businesses and two million people took part.
2007年,“地球一小时”行动首次在澳大利亚悉尼举行。组织者称当晚有2000多家企业和200多万人参加。
Since then, Earth Hour has grown into an international event. People in more than four thousand cities in eighty-eight countries took part last year.
从那时起，“地球一小时”发展成为一项国际性的活动。去年，全球有80多个国家的4000多个城市的人们参加了该活动。
Organizers say more than one hundred countries and territories have promised their official support this year. This will be the first Earth Hour for countries including Kuwait, Qatar, Kosovo, Madagascar, Nepal, Cambodia and Panama.
组织者表示，今年，已经有100多个国家和地区承诺为这次活动提供官方支持。对于科威特，卡塔尔，科索沃，马达加斯加，尼泊尔，柬埔寨和巴拿马这些国家来说，这将是它们首次参加“地球一小时”行动。
At least nineteen of the fifty American states are planning to take part in the two thousand ten Earth Hour observance. The event organizers recently announced that one of the latest states to join was Missouri.
美国50个州中至少19个正计划参加2010年的“地球一小时”活动。该活动组织者最近宣布，最新加入的是密苏里州。
Governor Jay Nixon has agreed to shut off the lights in the dome of the state capitol building. He says when it comes to saving energy and money, big changes start with small steps like turning out the lights.
Jay Nixon州长同意将熄灭州议会大厦圆屋顶的灯饰。他说，在节约能源和资金方面，大的变化始于熄灯等小的措施。
Will you be turning off your lights this Saturday night to observe Earth Hour? Do you think about what the organizers call your "environmental footprint," and try to reduce harmful effects? Is climate change a concern for you?
本周六晚上，你会不会熄灯参加“地球一小时”行动呢？你有没有想起组织者呼吁的“环境足迹”的同时试图减少不良影响？你关注气候变化吗？
Here is a chance to practice your English. Go to 51voa.com to comment on this story and other programs. You can share your thoughts and read what other people are saying.
这是一个练习英语的机会。登录www.51voa.com发表你对这篇文章或其它节目的评论。你可以分享你的观点，也可以看看别人在讨论什么。
You can also find transcripts, MP3s, podcasts and captioned videos. And you can sign up to get a verb phrase of the day by SMS. The service is free but standard message rates may apply.
你可以在我们的网站上查找文本，音频，播客和含字幕的视频。同时你可以注册通过短信获取每日短语。这项服务为免费，仅收取正常的短信资费。
And that's the VOA Special English Development Report, written by June Simms. I'm Steve Ember.
以上就是今天的美国之音特别英语发展报道，是由June Simms编辑，我是Steve Ember。