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This is the VOA Special English Development Report.
The Sahel is the area of Africa that lies between the Sahara desert to the north and more fertile1 land to the south. The dry plains of the Sahel are mostly treeless. Yet in Niger, one of the nations along the Sahel, millions of trees are now growing.
Researchers have been studying the progress of a re-greening campaign in Niger. Chris Reij is a scientist from the Netherlands. In a message at frameweb.org last February, he described how, in some places, densities2 are so high that you almost look at a wall of trees.
A United Nations news service reported in October that Niger's government said the campaign had already reclaimed3 three million hectares. Teams of workers have used simple methods such as planting trees and protecting natural vegetation4 to save land from being lost to desert.
Ten to twenty times more trees were reported in parts of southern Niger in two thousand five than there were thirty years earlier.
Some reclaimed land can now be farmed again. The land became infertile5 during the nineteen seventies and early eighties. But about twenty years ago, local farmers recognized that their once-productive soil was being carried away by severe winds.
Farmers plow6 their land in Niger
Trees were traditionally cut down for firewood or cleared for agriculture. Instead of clearing trees, farmers began to let them grow among their crops. At the same time, rainfall levels began to rise after a long dry period. Today, the rate of desert expansion7 in Niger is dropping and the amount of harvested crops is up.
All this was described earlier this month in the New York Times.
Niger is one of the world's poorest countries and its population is growing quickly. Being able to grow more food is important. The trees hold soil in place. They also help keep the ground from getting too dry. And they offer the possibility of extra money from selling branches, leaves and fruit.
Most of the trees are a kind of acacia that people in Niger call the gao tree. The trees are being grown mostly in densely8 populated areas. As the Times noted9, this goes against the traditional thinking that population growth means a loss of trees and destruction10 of land.
The success of the effort also suggests that earlier damage to the Sahel may not have been permanent. And some say it could put Niger in a better position to deal with whatever effects climate change might bring.
And that's the VOA Special English Development Report, written by Jill Moss11. I'm _________.
The Sahel is the area of Africa that lies between the Sahara desert to the north and more fertile1 land to the south. The dry plains of the Sahel are mostly treeless. Yet in Niger, one of the nations along the Sahel, millions of trees are now growing.
Researchers have been studying the progress of a re-greening campaign in Niger. Chris Reij is a scientist from the Netherlands. In a message at frameweb.org last February, he described how, in some places, densities2 are so high that you almost look at a wall of trees.
A United Nations news service reported in October that Niger's government said the campaign had already reclaimed3 three million hectares. Teams of workers have used simple methods such as planting trees and protecting natural vegetation4 to save land from being lost to desert.
Ten to twenty times more trees were reported in parts of southern Niger in two thousand five than there were thirty years earlier.
Some reclaimed land can now be farmed again. The land became infertile5 during the nineteen seventies and early eighties. But about twenty years ago, local farmers recognized that their once-productive soil was being carried away by severe winds.
Farmers plow6 their land in Niger
Trees were traditionally cut down for firewood or cleared for agriculture. Instead of clearing trees, farmers began to let them grow among their crops. At the same time, rainfall levels began to rise after a long dry period. Today, the rate of desert expansion7 in Niger is dropping and the amount of harvested crops is up.
All this was described earlier this month in the New York Times.
Niger is one of the world's poorest countries and its population is growing quickly. Being able to grow more food is important. The trees hold soil in place. They also help keep the ground from getting too dry. And they offer the possibility of extra money from selling branches, leaves and fruit.
Most of the trees are a kind of acacia that people in Niger call the gao tree. The trees are being grown mostly in densely8 populated areas. As the Times noted9, this goes against the traditional thinking that population growth means a loss of trees and destruction10 of land.
The success of the effort also suggests that earlier damage to the Sahel may not have been permanent. And some say it could put Niger in a better position to deal with whatever effects climate change might bring.
And that's the VOA Special English Development Report, written by Jill Moss11. I'm _________.
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收听单词发音
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1
fertile
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| adj.肥沃的，富饶的；多产的，丰产的 | |
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2
densities
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| 密集( density的名词复数 )； 稠密； 密度（固体、液体或气体单位体积的质量）； 密度（磁盘存贮数据的可用空间） | |
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3
reclaimed
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| adj.再生的；翻造的；收复的；回收的v.开拓( reclaim的过去式和过去分词 )；要求收回；从废料中回收（有用的材料）；挽救 | |
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vegetation
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| n.植物，草木，（植物）生长 | |
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5
infertile
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| adj.不孕的；不肥沃的，贫瘠的 | |
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plow
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| n.犁，耕地，犁过的地；v.犁，费力地前进[英]plough | |
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7
expansion
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| n.扩张，扩充；扩大；扩充物；扩展部 | |
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densely
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| ad.密集地；浓厚地 | |
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9
noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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10
destruction
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| n.破坏，毁灭，消灭 | |
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11
moss
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| n.苔，藓，地衣 | |
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