There is a lake near a forest in Sweden. The water in the lake is very clear and everything is quiet and still. On the far side of the water is some farmland, and further away, across the field, is an old church built on a hill. It has just stopped raining. The lake is full and there is still some half-melted snow from last winter on the ground.
The reason the water is so clear, and everything is so quiet and still, is that most of the plants and animal life in and around the lake is dead. There are no birds because all the fish and insects, which the birds need for food, have disappeared. Many trees in the forest are losing their leaves and bark (树皮). They are sick and dying. Others were blown down by the high winds of last winter.
A farmer is working in a field planting something, something stronger enough to fight against pollution. They farmers live a hard life here, because the plant will be between 25% to 40% lower than a few years ago. The stone of the old church tower are turning to powder (灰，粉末)and unless the tower is repaired soon, it will fall down.
All the death and destruction in this place is caused by the smoke coming out of factories and gases from cars and trucks. And yet this silent lake is hundreds of kilometers away from the nearest factory and highway.
