Nature has provided us with many kinds of resources. All most everything we use in our everyday life comes from Nature. The food we eat, the water we drink, the clothes we wear, the concrete and bricks to build our houses, the materials to make bikes we ride, etc, all come originally from Nature.
大自然给我们提供了各种资源。我们日常生活中几乎所有的东西都来自大自然。我们吃的粮，喝的水，穿的衣，建房用的水泥、砖，生产自行车用的材料等，都来源于大自然。
people have been making use of these natural supplies for thousands of years. With the development of technology and the increase of the population, the amount and range of mate rials taken has increased. It is estimated that this tread will continue in the years to come.
人们对大自然的利用有几千年的历史。随着技术的进步，人口的增加，自然资源的用量和范围都急剧增加。据估计这种趋势将与日俱增。
However, natural resouces are not in exhaustible. Some resources are already nearly used up. For example, the end of the worlds fuel is already within sight. Such an essential daily item as water is in short supply in many parts of the world. We can no longer thoughtlessly use the many resources provided by nature. We must learn to conserve what remains.
然而，自然资源并非取之不尽，用之不竭。有些资源几乎已接近枯竭。例如，燃料资源匮乏已近在眼前。许多地方日常生活所必需的水已经供不应求。我们已不能再不加思索地使用大自然所赐予我们的资源了。我们必须学会保存那些剩余的资源。