VOA常速英语206--保护“最后的海洋”——罗斯海

保护“最后的海洋”——罗斯海

The Ross Sea is a vast and remote area of water and ice in the Southern Ocean off the frigid¹ coast of Antarctica. It is also home to an unusually diverse and rich ecosystem², unique in its climate and geography, and one of the last remaining seas on Earth that remains³ unspoiled by human activity. It is home to a wide variety of deep-water species, and unlike nearly every other sea or ocean on our planet, its top predators⁴ – whales, seals, penguins⁵, and seabirds – are still abundant.

罗斯海是南冰洋中深入南极洲海岸深处的一片广袤冰川海域。那里有丰富多样的生态体系，独一无二的地理气候，还是世界上为数不多的尚未受到人类活动破坏的仅存海域之一。这里蕴藏着很多深海物种，不像地球上的其他海域——这里的顶级捕食者数量繁多，比如鲸鱼、海豹、企鹅、海鸟。

Precisely⁶ because life is still abundant in the Ross Sea, it is in danger of exploitation by humans, particularly by commercial interests, and at risk due to the impacts of climate change.

正是由于罗斯海的生物种类繁多，因此现在才面临着人类开发的危险（尤其是受商业利益驱使的开发），以及气候变化影响的威胁。

That is why on October 28th, twenty-four states, including the United States, China, and Russia, as well as the European Union, created the Ross Sea marine⁷ protected area, or MPA, at 1.55 million square kilometers 598,000 square miles the world's largest ocean sanctuary⁸.

由于这个原因，10月28日，包括美国、中国、俄罗斯、欧盟在内的24个国家罗斯海海洋保护区（marine protected area, MPA）。该保护区涵盖海域面积广达155万平方公里、59.8平方英里，是世界上最大的海洋保护区。

“The Ross Sea MPA is designed to be a natural laboratory for valuable scientific research to increase our understanding of the impact of climate change and fishing on the ocean and its resources,” said Secretary of State John Kerry in a written statement.

“罗斯海海洋保护区的建设初衷是为宝贵的科研工作提供一个自然实验室，让人类更加了解气候变化和捕鱼对海洋及海洋资源所造成的影响，”美国国务卿克里在一份书面声明中这样写道。

This means that as of December 2017, when the agreement enters into force, the Ross Sea will be protected from nearly all human activity. Seventy-two percent of these waters will be off limits to commercial fishing, while in a few areas, some fish and krill may be harvested for scientific research. Other human activities will be strictly⁹ limited.

这就意味着在2017年12月罗斯海海洋保护区协议生效之前，罗斯海就会受到保护，免于人类活动的影响。72%的罗斯海海域内不得进行商业捕渔，但在一些地区可以捕获鱼类和磷虾以供科研使用。除此之外的人类活动将受到严格限制。

 

“The creation of the Ross Sea Marine Protected Area is an extraordinary step forward for marine protection,” said Secretary of State Kerry – and it did not happen by accident. “The creation of the Ross Sea MPA happened thanks to many years of persistent¹⁰ scientific and policy review, intense negotiations¹¹, and principled diplomacy¹². It happened because our nations understood the responsibility we share to protect this unique place for future generations.”

“罗斯海海洋保护区的创建是海洋保护工作的重要进展，”国务卿克里这样说道——而这一切并非偶然所得。”“罗斯海海洋保护区能够得以创建，要感谢多年来持之以恒的科学研究和政治评论、积极的协商、有原则的外交手段。”“它的创建是基于各国政府理解了我们为子孙后代保护这片独一无二疆域的共同责任。”

1 frigid   

adj.寒冷的，凛冽的；冷淡的；拘禁的

参考例句：

• The water was too frigid to allow him to remain submerged for long.水冰冷彻骨，他在下面呆不了太长时间。
• She returned his smile with a frigid glance.对他的微笑她报以冷冷的一瞥。

2 ecosystem   

n.生态系统

参考例句：

• This destroyed the ecosystem of the island.这样破坏了岛上的生态系统。
• We all have an interest in maintaining the integrity of the ecosystem.维持生态系统的完整是我们共同的利益。

3 remains   

n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹

参考例句：

• He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
• The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。

4 predators   

n.食肉动物( predator的名词复数 )；奴役他人者（尤指在财务或性关系方面）

参考例句：

• birds and their earthbound predators 鸟和地面上捕食它们的动物
• The eyes of predators are highly sensitive to the slightest movement. 捕食性动物的眼睛能感觉到最细小的动静。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 penguins   

n.企鹅( penguin的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Why can penguins live in cold environment? 为什么企鹅能生活在寒冷的环境中？ 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Whales, seals, penguins, and turtles have flippers. 鲸、海豹，企鹅和海龟均有鳍形肢。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

6 precisely   

adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地

参考例句：

• It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
• The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。

7 marine   

adj.海的；海生的；航海的；海事的；n.水兵

参考例句：

• Marine creatures are those which live in the sea. 海洋生物是生存在海里的生物。
• When the war broke out,he volunteered for the Marine Corps.战争爆发时，他自愿参加了海军陆战队。

8 sanctuary   

n.圣所，圣堂，寺庙；禁猎区，保护区

参考例句：

• There was a sanctuary of political refugees behind the hospital.医院后面有一个政治难民的避难所。
• Most countries refuse to give sanctuary to people who hijack aeroplanes.大多数国家拒绝对劫机者提供庇护。

9 strictly   

adv.严厉地，严格地；严密地

参考例句：

• His doctor is dieting him strictly.他的医生严格规定他的饮食。
• The guests were seated strictly in order of precedence.客人严格按照地位高低就座。

10 persistent   

adj.坚持不懈的，执意的；持续的

参考例句：

• Albert had a persistent headache that lasted for three days.艾伯特连续头痛了三天。
• She felt embarrassed by his persistent attentions.他不时地向她大献殷勤，使她很难为情。

11 negotiations   

协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过

参考例句：

• negotiations for a durable peace 为持久和平而进行的谈判
• Negotiations have failed to establish any middle ground. 谈判未能达成任何妥协。

12 diplomacy   

n.外交；外交手腕，交际手腕

参考例句：

• The talks have now gone into a stage of quiet diplomacy.会谈现在已经进入了“温和外交”阶段。
• This was done through the skill in diplomacy. 这是通过外交手腕才做到的。