FURY has erupted at a gruelling summit in Copenhagen on rolling back climate change as poor nations took to task a draft deal whose supporters even said was less than they sought.
this is extracted from newspaper for the purpose of study english
. Who can explain (the rolling back_ and( took to task a graft deal whose supporters even said was less lan they sought) mean here
rolling back: means reversing what has been done
took to task: means critically examined and often complained about. When I take my children to task, it means I am holding them accountable for their actions.
"Rolling back" means reversing the trend (of global warming), by stopping the annual increase of CO2 in the atmosphere, which has been going on for about 150 years.
"Took to task" means "complained about".
"draft deal" means an attempt to get a written agreement on which all participants agree.
Here is a dictionary (and encyclopedia) that has a good index of idioms.
http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/took+to+task
THANK YOU VERY MUCH !!!!!!!!!THAT IS EXTREMELY HELPFUL!!!!
In this context, "rolling back" means the act of reversing or reducing the effects or progress of something. In the given sentence, it refers to the efforts being made to mitigate or decrease the impacts of climate change.
On the other hand, "took to task" means to criticize or reprimand someone or something severely. In this sentence, it is used to describe how poor nations voiced their disapproval and raised objections to a draft deal that fell short of their expectations.
The phrase "whose supporters even said was less than they sought" means that even those who supported the draft deal admitted that it did not meet their desired or expected outcomes. It implies that the draft deal was not satisfactory to its own proponents.