新奇事件簿 疯草淹没澳大利亚小镇（在线收听）

A fast-growing weed is causing havoc in a small Australian town. It almost resembles a scene from a horror movie. The weed is called "hairy panic". It is clogging up homes, farmyards and other buildings in the small Australian town of Wangaratta in the state of Victoria. Hairy panic is a grass that is found in every Australian state. It gets its name from the long hairs along the edges of grass stalks. The dead grass accumulates in large bundles, which are blown across the land by the wind. It has become a real nuisance in Wangaratta because of the large quantity of weed that is collecting in the town. It has reached roof level in some areas. Residents cannot see or reach their garages because of the piles of weed.

疯长野草入侵澳大利亚小镇。画面像恐怖电影一样恐怖。这种草被称作“毛茸恐慌”。在维多利亚州旺加拉塔市的一处小村庄，“疯草”吞没了房屋、农场以及其它建筑。“毛茸恐慌”活跃于各州。并因草杆边缘的“长毛发”得名。成捆摆放的枯草会随风飘散。因城镇中“疯草”成堆，旺加拉塔市困惑不已。许多地区已长到房檐。居民看不到停车场，更过不去。

Many of the residents have left the town until authorities remove the weed. They are fed up with having to spend several hours a day clearing the piles of dead grass from their driveways and gardens. For some residents, it is a battle to fight through the wall of weeds to get into their home. Local resident Pam Twitchett told Australia's ABC news agency that the weed was physically and mentally draining. Another resident, Jason Perna, spoke about the extent of the problem. He said: "It makes it difficult to get the car out in the morning if you can find it." He also put the problem into context, saying: "It's a first-world problem. We don't put it on the scale of any of the famine or poverty going on in the world."

许多居民已离开小镇，等到政府清除杂草。每天花数小时清理车道和花园杂草，居民已开始厌烦。对于许多居民来说，要通过一道道“草墙”进入家门艰难无比。当地居民帕姆·特威切特在接受ABC电台采访时表示，“疯草”让我们身心疲惫。詹森·佩尔纳对问题严重度进行了阐述。他表示称：“早上开车是一件难事，那要在你能找到的情况下。”他还将问题以书面形式呈现出来，称：“这是第一世界问题。这与其它地区的饥荒和贫困不可相提并论。”