【英语趣味课堂】采伐森林-Deforestation

Shirley: Hi, David. How are you?

David: I'm fine, thank you, Shirley.

 

Shirley: So, environmental issues ... we were talking about them earlier throughout the world, and you're from Kenya.

 

David: Yes, I'm from Kenya.

 

Shirley: So, what's happening over there?

 

David: One of the environmental issues we are having is deforestation, which is really affecting both the wild animals and people living around the forest and, you know, the environment in general.

 

Shirley: So, what's actually happening to the people that ... for example the people who actually live around the forest area?

 

David: Cause you know, when you tend to interfere¹ and come in between the wild animal's habitat and things like that, you somehow create like an imbalance in between the people and the animals and sometimes it's not a really nice thing cause animals tend to come close to where people live instead of living in their own habitat, which is a really bad thing.

 

Shirley: So, are they like attacking people .... or?

 

David: They really don't attack but it's not a really nice picture or scene to know that you're vulnerable² at anytime.

 

Shirley: What about livestock³ of the people that are close to forest areas?

 

David: You know, that's one of the things that are in danger cause, you know, if wild animals come to where people live, and they have livestock, probably they'll want to be eaten.

 

Shirley: So, what's actually causing the deforestation?

 

David: People are trying to burn charcoal⁴, so that they can get, they're trying to burn the trees so that they can get charcoal and sell cause as you know everyone is not living to the living standard that they're supposed to be living, and they're trying in every way to earn an extra dime⁵ to support their families, so they turn to deforestation and the cutting down of trees, and this has been one of major causes of deforestation cause when you're trying to get charcoal and sell, you have to cut a tree and that results to deforestation and other causes that come along with deforestation and like soil erosion⁶: things like that.

 

Shirley: So what's being done to try and remedy this, or to try and counterbalance the effect?

 

David: The activist⁷ groups that are coming together like ... you all know the Nobel Prize winner Wangari Maathai.

 

Shirley: Yes.

 

David: She has her own green belt movement in Kenya. She's been for so long trying to discourage people and educate people in what deforestation does to the country and how it effects people and the environment in general.

1 interfere   

v.(in)干涉，干预；(with)妨碍，打扰

参考例句：

• If we interfere, it may do more harm than good.如果我们干预的话，可能弊多利少。
• When others interfere in the affair,it always makes troubles. 别人一卷入这一事件，棘手的事情就来了。

2 vulnerable   

adj.易受伤的，脆弱的，易受攻击的

参考例句：

• He volunteered to protect her as she looked so vulnerable.她看上去很脆弱，他就主动去保护她。
• The company is in an economically vulnerable position.该公司目前经济状况不稳定。

3 livestock   

n.家畜，牲畜

参考例句：

• Both men and livestock are flourishing.人畜两旺。
• The heavy rains and flooding killed scores of livestock.暴雨和大水淹死了许多牲口。

4 charcoal   

n.炭，木炭，生物炭

参考例句：

• We need to get some more charcoal for the barbecue.我们烧烤需要更多的碳。
• Charcoal is used to filter water.木炭是用来过滤水的。

5 dime   

n.（指美国、加拿大的钱币）一角

参考例句：

• A dime is a tenth of a dollar.一角银币是十分之一美元。
• The liberty torch is on the back of the dime.自由火炬在一角硬币的反面。

6 erosion   

n.腐蚀，侵蚀，磨损，削弱，减少

参考例句：

• The erosion of beach here is serious.这里海岸的腐蚀很严重。
• Drought and soil erosion had long been a major problem.干旱和水土流失一直是个老大难问题。

7 activist   

n.活动分子，积极分子

参考例句：

• He's been a trade union activist for many years.多年来他一直是工会的积极分子。
• He is a social activist in our factory.他是我厂的社会活动积极分子。