新奇事件簿 科学家称昆虫灾难即将来临

Scientists say that global warming isn't the only serious threat to humans. Another major threat is the falling numbers of insects and the extinction¹ of many species. Scientists say that half of all insects worldwide have been declining since the 1970s. A new warning is that over 40 per cent of insect species could die out in our lifetime. Researchers said the number of insects is decreasing by 2.5 per cent every year. The scientists are calling it an "insect apocalypse". Many species of butterflies, bees and other bugs² are now extinct. In the U.K. researchers say 23 bee and wasp³ species have gone extinct in the past century. Scientists say the apocalypse could trigger, "a catastrophic collapse⁴ of Earth's ecosystems⁵".

科学家称全球变暖并不是人类面临的唯一严重威胁。另一个主要威胁是昆虫数量的下降以及很多物种的灭绝。科学家表示自从20世纪70年代起，全球一半昆虫的数量一直在下降。一个新的警告称在我们有生之年，超过40%的昆虫物种将灭绝。研究人员表示昆虫数量每年下降2.5%。科学家们称之为“昆虫启示”。很多种类的蝴蝶、蜜蜂和其他昆虫已灭绝。在英国，研究人员在过去的一个世纪里，已经有23种蜜蜂和黄蜂灭绝。科学家称启示可能会触发“一场地球生态系统的灾难性崩溃”。

Lead researcher Professor Dave Goulson said a lot of insects are being killed by pesticides⁶ used for farming and gardening. He said fewer numbers of insects might mean we cannot feed people. He told reporters: "Three quarters of our crops depend on insect pollinators. Crops will begin to fail. We won't have things like strawberries. We can't feed 7.5 billion people without insects." He said one of the most worrying trends is the decline of honeybees. In the USA, the number of honeybee colonies dropped from six million in 1947 to just 2.5 million in 2014. Professor Goulson warned people that: "We can't wait another 25 years before we do anything because it will be too late."

首席研究人员Dave Goulson教授表示很多昆虫被用于农业和园艺的杀虫剂杀死。他称昆虫数量的减少可能意味着我们无法养活人类。他告诉记者：“我们四分之三的作物依靠昆虫授粉。庄稼将开始歉收。我们再也吃不到草莓之类的食物。没有昆虫，我们无法养活75亿人。”他表示最令人担忧的趋势之一是蜜蜂数量的减少。在美国，蜜蜂群的数量从1947年的6百万减少至2014年的250万。Goulson教授警告人类称：“我们不能再等25年才有所行动，因为那将为时已晚。”

1 extinction   

n.熄灭，消亡，消灭，灭绝，绝种

参考例句：

• The plant is now in danger of extinction.这种植物现在有绝种的危险。
• The island's way of life is doomed to extinction.这个岛上的生活方式注定要消失。

2 bugs   

adj.疯狂的，发疯的n.窃听器( bug的名词复数 )；病菌；虫子；[计算机]（制作软件程序所产生的意料不到的）错误

参考例句：

• All programs have bugs and need endless refinement. 所有的程序都有漏洞，都需要不断改进。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The sacks of rice were swarming with bugs. 一袋袋的米里长满了虫子。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 wasp   

n.黄蜂，蚂蜂

参考例句：

• A wasp stung me on the arm.黄蜂蜇了我的手臂。
• Through the glass we can see the wasp.透过玻璃我们可以看到黄蜂。

4 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

5 ecosystems   

n.生态系统( ecosystem的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• There are highly sensitive and delicately balanced ecosystems in the forest. 森林里有高度敏感、灵敏平衡的各种生态系统。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Madagascar's ecosystems range from rainforest to semi-desert. 马达加斯加生态系统类型多样，从雨林到半荒漠等不一而足。 来自辞典例句

6 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》