PBS高端访谈:非洲蝗灾引担忧

JUDY WOODRUFF: It sounds biblical, but as the world grapples with the COVID pandemic, the continent of Africa is facing another plague: locusts². As Nick Schifrin reports, the small insects pose a serious threat to food security throughout the region.

NICK SCHIFRIN: In East Africa, the air carries two plagues, locusts, swarms⁴ with as many as 50 billion insects. As COVID-19 threatens the people, locusts threaten livestock⁵ and their food.

SAMUEL LENTOROL, East Africa (through translator): They are being a menace, eating our grass and even getting into our homes. When we slaughter⁶ our livestock, we find locust¹ faces in their stomachs. Without a doubt, they are affecting our health, our animals' health, and the environment.

NICK SCHIFRIN: In February, eight East African countries experienced an initial swarm³, the largest for parts of the region in 70 years. And now a new wave is 20 times larger that the first wave.

KEITH CRESSMAN, United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization: There are swarms that are, it's not uncommon⁷ to be, let's say, the size of Manhattan in New York City. So, they can be very big. In one day, that swarm can eat the same amount of food as everybody in New York and California combined.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Keith Cressman is the Food and Agriculture Organization's senior locust forecasting officer. He says, in a region that already struggling with food security, more than 33 million people are now food-insecure and require assistance.

KEITH CRESSMAN: Because this region is very, very vulnerable. For the past three years, they have faced droughts. This year, they have faced heavy rains and floods. So, already, you know, they're living in a very precarious⁸ situation.

NICK SCHIFRIN: Pesticides⁹ can fight the locusts. And the FAO is appealing for millions of dollars of aid to deliver more. But border closures because of COVID-19 can slow down deliveries. And locals gathering¹⁰ to combat the locusts, often without success, can spread coronavirus. The U.N. is instead pushing for the use of biopesticides and remote data collection, and is working with governments to ensure the people who are fighting the locusts can travel, despite travel restrictions¹¹.

KEITH CRESSMAN: The governments realize, you know, not only COVID-19 is serious, but also locust is serious. So they have given waivers to all of those involved in the locust campaign, and they're considered as essential services.

NICK SCHIFRIN: The outbreak originated in the Arabian Peninsula, where heavy rains in 2018 and 2019 created the insects' ideal breeding ground. Climate change might only be making the problem worse.

KEITH CRESSMAN: There's eight cyclones¹² in 2019. Usually, there's none or one. So, you know, obviously something's going on with the weather. It could be climate change. But, you know, whatever it is, I mean, if we see this trend continuing, it's going to mean that there's going to be more desert locust upsurges like we're facing this year.

NICK SCHIFRIN: While the world fights the coronavirus, much of East Africa is battling a second threat, with no reprieve¹³ in sight.

For the PBS NewsHour, I'm Nick Schifrin.

朱迪·伍德拉夫：下面这则消息虽然听起来有些让人难以置信，但就在全世界都在对抗新冠的时候，非洲大陆正遭遇另一场浩劫——蝗灾。根据我台记者尼克发回的报道，蝗虫虽小，却给整个非洲地区的粮食安全构成了严重危机。

尼克：东非的空气裹挟着2种瘟疫，一种是新冠病毒，一种是数量多达500亿的蝗虫。在新冠威胁着人类生命的时候，蝗虫也威胁着牲畜和粮食。

塞缪尔，东非人（以下内容为译文版）：蝗虫的存在已成为一种威胁，蝗虫侵蚀着我们的草，甚至都跑到我们家里来了。我们宰牲畜的时候，在胃里发现了蝗虫。毫无疑问，蝗虫影响着我们的健康、动物的健康和环境。

尼克：2月的时候，东非有8个国家经历了第一波蝗虫来袭，那次是近70年来这部分地区经历的最大一次蝗虫侵袭。现在这一波的强度是第一次的20倍。

基思，联合国粮食农组织（FAO）：这次蝗虫的势头堪比纽约曼哈顿区。所以，蝗虫也可以产生很大的影响。某一天，蝗虫的食量可以达到纽约和加州人的总食量。

尼克：基思是联合国该组织负责预警蝗虫侵袭的高级工作人员。基思表示，这片区域已苦苦挣扎于粮食安全，3300多万人粮食紧缺、亟待援助。

基思：因为该区域非常脆弱。所以过去3年里都受旱灾影响。今年还遭遇了暴雨和洪灾。所以他们的处境很危险。

尼克：用杀虫剂可以对付蝗虫。FAO呼吁向受灾地区提供数百万美元甚至更多的援助。但新冠导致的边境封锁使得物资运送速度减慢。当地人聚集在一起对抗蝗虫，通常都没成功，反而会使疫情扩散。联合国则推荐大家使用生物杀虫剂和远程数据收集的方式。现在联合国正和各国政府一道确保抗击蝗虫的人可以出行，但必须要有出行限制。

基思：各国政府意识到，不仅新冠很严重，蝗灾也很严重。所以他们豁免了参与蝗灾活动的人，将此视为必要服务。

尼克：蝗灾起于阿拉伯半岛。在那里，2018年和2019年的大雨导致蝗虫滋生。气候变化可能只会让问题更糟糕。

基思：2019年有9次旋风。通常只有0次或1次。所以，一旦天气出现问题，那可能就是气候变化的问题。不过，如果这个趋势继续下去，那就意味着今年会有更多蝗虫灾害。

尼克：在全球抗击疫情的时候，东非的很多地区还有另一场战役要打，而且是持久战。感谢收听尼克发回的报道。

1 locust   

n.蝗虫；洋槐，刺槐

参考例句：

• A locust is a kind of destructive insect.蝗虫是一种害虫。
• This illustration shows a vertical section through the locust.本图所示为蝗虫的纵剖面。

2 locusts   

n.蝗虫( locust的名词复数 )；贪吃的人；破坏者；槐树

参考例句：

• a swarm of locusts 一大群蝗虫
• In no time the locusts came down and started eating everything. 很快蝗虫就飞落下来开始吃东西，什么都吃。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 swarm   

n.(昆虫)等一大群；vi.成群飞舞；蜂拥而入

参考例句：

• There is a swarm of bees in the tree.这树上有一窝蜜蜂。
• A swarm of ants are moving busily.一群蚂蚁正在忙碌地搬家。

4 swarms   

蜂群，一大群( swarm的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They came to town in swarms. 他们蜂拥来到城里。
• On June the first there were swarms of children playing in the park. 6月1日那一天，这个公园里有一群群的孩子玩耍。

5 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。

6 slaughter   

n.屠杀，屠宰；vt.屠杀，宰杀

参考例句：

• I couldn't stand to watch them slaughter the cattle.我不忍看他们宰牛。
• Wholesale slaughter was carried out in the name of progress.大规模的屠杀在维护进步的名义下进行。

7 uncommon   

adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的

参考例句：

• Such attitudes were not at all uncommon thirty years ago.这些看法在30年前很常见。
• Phil has uncommon intelligence.菲尔智力超群。

8 precarious   

adj.不安定的，靠不住的；根据不足的

参考例句：

• Our financial situation had become precarious.我们的财务状况已变得不稳定了。
• He earned a precarious living as an artist.作为一个艺术家，他过得是朝不保夕的生活。

9 pesticides   

n.杀虫剂( pesticide的名词复数 )；除害药物

参考例句：

• vegetables grown without the use of pesticides 未用杀虫剂种植的蔬菜
• There is a lot of concern over the amount of herbicides and pesticides used in farming. 人们对农业上灭草剂和杀虫剂的用量非常担忧。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 gathering   

n.集会，聚会，聚集

参考例句：

• He called on Mr. White to speak at the gathering.他请怀特先生在集会上讲话。
• He is on the wing gathering material for his novels.他正忙于为他的小说收集资料。

11 restrictions   

约束( restriction的名词复数 )； 管制； 制约因素； 带限制性的条件（或规则）

参考例句：

• I found the restrictions irksome. 我对那些限制感到很烦。
• a snaggle of restrictions 杂乱无章的种种限制

12 cyclones   

n.气旋( cyclone的名词复数 )；旋风；飓风；暴风

参考例句：

• The pricipal objective in designing cyclones is to create a vortex. 设计旋风除尘器的主要目的在于造成涡旋运动。 来自辞典例句
• Middle-latitude cyclones originate at the popar front. 中纬度地区的气旋发源于极锋。 来自辞典例句

13 reprieve   

n.暂缓执行（死刑）；v.缓期执行；给…带来缓解

参考例句：

• He was saved from the gallows by a lastminute reprieve.最后一刻的缓刑令把他从绞架上解救了下来。
• The railway line, due for closure, has been granted a six-month reprieve.本应停运的铁路线获准多运行6 个月。