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Rachel Carson was concerned about what was happenig to the environment. So   in her book Silent Spring, she warned that some chemicals were poisoning the air, the water, the earth, and all its creatures. She imagined a time when spring would not bring the rebirth of flowers, trees, and the songs of birds. The book became a bestseller, and Ms. Carson was in great demand as a speaker. People lisened to her because what she said made sense, and because she was a scientist who knew her facts.

Rachel Carson was primarily interested in the world of sea and shore, so she       became a marine biologst for the government. She studied and recorded facts about the sea' s plant and animal life, their special characteristics, and the nature of their environments. In 1951, she wrote The Sea Around Us, which brought her honors, fame, and respect around the world.

Ms. Carson then devoted herself full-time to research and writing. One thing     much on her mind was the effect of modern technology on the natural environment. One day, a distressed friend wrote her to say that a plane spraying(喷洒) DDT had flown over her yard, and the next day several birds lay dead. Carson decided to act.

For four years she studied the use of pesticides(杀虫剂) in the United States, and then she wrote Silent Spring.

In her book Ms. Carson said that these pesticides would harm much more than     insects. She explained that these poisons would pollute the environment. “Even if their effects are not immediately observable, they remain for years in the water and the soil, and they become part of the food eaten by animals and humans.

Besides, after a time, insects develop immunity to pesticides,” she said.

Recent studies have shown that pesticides can affect human brainwave activity   and cause loss of memory and inability to concentrate. We should still remember Rachel Carson’s words, “I think we are challenged as we have never been challenged before to prove our mastery, not of nature, but of ourselves.”