新奇事件簿 全球大量野生动植物灭亡

Earth is losing wildlife at a faster rate than at any time in history. This is according to the new "Living Planet Report" from the World Wildlife Fund. The report says the global wildlife population shrank by 60 per cent between 1970 and 2014. The WWF warned that: "Earth is losing biodiversity at a rate seen only during mass extinctions." Researchers state that most of the decline in our animal population is because of "exploding human consumption". There are more and more humans on this planet. We are eating more, overfishing, cutting down trees for beef production, consuming more, and using more energy and natural resources. This has resulted in a massive loss of habitat for animals.

地球野生动植物灭绝的速度比历史上任何时期都快，世界野生动物基金会（WWF）的新版《生命星球报告》说如是。报告表示全球野生动物数量在1970年和2014年之间锐减60%。WWF警告称：“地球正在失去其生物多样性，这种消失的速度仅出现在大量的消亡中。”研究人员表示多数动物数量的减少都是由于“暴涨的人类消费”。这个星球上的人也越来越多。我们吃的越来越多、过度捕鱼，为生产牛肉而砍伐树木、消耗增加，使用的能源和自然资源约越来越多。这一切导致动物居所大面积消失。

The report estimates that only a quarter of the world's land has been untouched by humans. This means human activity has greatly affected¹ animals on three-quarters of Earth's surface. Researchers tracked more than 4,000 species of mammals, birds, reptiles², fish and amphibians³. They say the loss of animal life is worst in South and Central America. These regions saw an 89 per cent loss in the population of vertebrates in the past four decades. The WWF wrote: "The astonishing decline in wildlife population...is a depressing reminder⁴, and perhaps the ultimate indicator⁵, of the pressure we put on the planet." It warned: "We can be the generation that had its chance and failed to act; that let Earth slip away."

报告估计世界上仅有四分之一的土地未被人类踏足染指。这意味着人类活动对地表三分之二的动物造成了大量影响。研究人员跟踪了4000多种哺乳类动物、鸟类、爬行动物、鱼类和两栖动物。他们表示美洲南部和中部地区动物死亡情况最为严重。在过去40年中，有89%的脊椎动物在这些区域消失了。WWF写到：“野生动物数量急剧下降...让人警醒，或许这表明人类施加给地球的压力达到了极限。”其警告称：“我们可能成为有机会却没有把握机会采取行动的一代；最终导致地球灭亡。”

1 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

2 reptiles   

n.爬行动物，爬虫( reptile的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Snakes and crocodiles are both reptiles. 蛇和鳄鱼都是爬行动物。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Birds, reptiles and insects come from eggs. 鸟类、爬虫及昆虫是卵生的。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

3 amphibians   

两栖动物( amphibian的名词复数 )； 水陆两用车； 水旱两生植物； 水陆两用飞行器

参考例句：

• The skin of amphibians is permeable to water. 两栖动物的皮肤是透水的。
• Two amphibians ferry them out over the sands. 两辆水陆两用车把他们渡过沙滩。

4 reminder   

n.提醒物，纪念品；暗示，提示

参考例句：

• I have had another reminder from the library.我又收到图书馆的催还单。
• It always took a final reminder to get her to pay her share of the rent.总是得发给她一份最后催缴通知，她才付应该交的房租。

5 indicator   

n.指标；指示物，指示者；指示器

参考例句：

• Gold prices are often seen as an indicator of inflation.黃金价格常常被看作是通货膨胀的指标。
• His left-hand indicator is flashing.他左手边的转向灯正在闪亮。