VOA标准英语2008年-Locusts Threaten to Inflict More Misery on Aust

Locusts² are threatening to inflict³ more pain on some of the most drought-ravaged parts of eastern Australia. Hundreds of farmers have found beds of locust¹ eggs and officials fear that many more have not been reported. Officials have said that recent wet weather has increased the risk of devastating⁴ locust activity. From Sydney, Phil Mercer reports.

Australia's last major locust outbreak occurred in 2004, when billions of these voracious⁵ creatures were hatched. They formed a 1,000-kilometer front that devastated⁶ huge areas of farmland, mainly in central parts of New South Wales.

There are fears that the start of this year's locust season in late September could bring more grief to farmers, who have endured a long-standing drought.

The insects can inflict widespread and severe damage to pastures and cereal crops.

While recent rain has provided some relief from the drought - known as 'The Big Dry' - it has also created good conditions for breeding.

Chris Adriaansen, the director of the Australian Plague Locust Commission, says the insects are posing a real threat.

"We had some very significant numbers of locusts congregating⁷ in that southern New South Wales and northern Victoria region," he said. "Now, those adults will have laid a number of eggs. When you combine that with the fact that that area has had some reasonable rainfall and even in the past week has had somewhere in the region of between 10 and 50 millimeters of rainfall across most of that area, there will be vegetation there to be able to support those emerging nymphs. So, we're actually looking at the potential of having some reasonable populations in that area."

During the previous outbreak four years ago, farmers said that swarms⁸ of insects were so dense⁹ they blacked out the sun and even consumed clothes hanging on washing lines.

A special government team is working hard to prevent a repeat. Spraying a bio-pesticide on nests is part of a strategy that also includes aerial surveillance.

In an ironic¹⁰ twist, the dry conditions that have caused so many problems for Australian farmers could potentially ward¹¹ off this airborne menace. Drought typically decreases the threat of locusts by reducing the amount of available food.

Australia's agricultural community is crying out for rain. But if decent rainfalls come in the next few months they could bring with them unwanted swarms of hungry locusts.

1 locust   

n.蝗虫；洋槐，刺槐

参考例句：

• A locust is a kind of destructive insect.蝗虫是一种害虫。
• This illustration shows a vertical section through the locust.本图所示为蝗虫的纵剖面。

2 locusts   

n.蝗虫( locust的名词复数 )；贪吃的人；破坏者；槐树

参考例句：

• a swarm of locusts 一大群蝗虫
• In no time the locusts came down and started eating everything. 很快蝗虫就飞落下来开始吃东西，什么都吃。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 inflict   

vt.(on)把…强加给，使遭受，使承担

参考例句：

• Don't inflict your ideas on me.不要把你的想法强加于我。
• Don't inflict damage on any person.不要伤害任何人。

4 devastating   

adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的

参考例句：

• It is the most devastating storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的风暴。
• Affairs do have a devastating effect on marriages.婚外情确实会对婚姻造成毁灭性的影响。

5 voracious   

adj.狼吞虎咽的，贪婪的

参考例句：

• She's a voracious reader of all kinds of love stories.什么样的爱情故事她都百看不厌。
• Joseph Smith was a voracious book collector.约瑟夫·史密斯是个如饥似渴的藏书家。

6 devastated   

v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的

参考例句：

• The bomb devastated much of the old part of the city. 这颗炸弹炸毁了旧城的一大片地方。
• His family is absolutely devastated. 他的一家感到极为震惊。

7 congregating   

（使）集合，聚集( congregate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• The spatial distribution patterns of larvae and pupae are congregating distribution. 幼虫和蛹的空间分布均为聚集分布。
• He says victims of violence are congregating there because they feel safer. 他说暴力的受害者聚集在这里因为他们觉得更安全。

8 swarms   

蜂群，一大群( swarm的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• They came to town in swarms. 他们蜂拥来到城里。
• On June the first there were swarms of children playing in the park. 6月1日那一天，这个公园里有一群群的孩子玩耍。

9 dense   

a.密集的，稠密的，浓密的；密度大的

参考例句：

• The general ambushed his troops in the dense woods. 将军把部队埋伏在浓密的树林里。
• The path was completely covered by the dense foliage. 小路被树叶厚厚地盖了一层。

10 ironic   

adj.讽刺的，有讽刺意味的，出乎意料的

参考例句：

• That is a summary and ironic end.那是一个具有概括性和讽刺意味的结局。
• People used to call me Mr Popularity at high school,but they were being ironic.人们中学时常把我称作“万人迷先生”，但他们是在挖苦我。

11 ward   

n.守卫，监护，病房，行政区，由监护人或法院保护的人（尤指儿童）；vt.守护，躲开

参考例句：

• The hospital has a medical ward and a surgical ward.这家医院有内科病房和外科病房。
• During the evening picnic,I'll carry a torch to ward off the bugs.傍晚野餐时，我要点根火把，抵挡蚊虫。