新奇事件簿 科学家称昆虫灾难即将来临（在线收听）

Scientists say that global warming isn't the only serious threat to humans. Another major threat is the falling numbers of insects and the extinction 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 bugs are now extinct. In the U.K. researchers say 23 bee and wasp species have gone extinct in the past century. Scientists say the apocalypse could trigger, "a catastrophic collapse of Earth's ecosystems".

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 pesticides 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。”