VOA慢速英語(yǔ):Crop Diseases and Pests Move to Higher Latitudes

From VOA Learning English, this is the Agriculture Report.

這里是美國(guó)之音慢速英語(yǔ)農(nóng)業(yè)報(bào)道。

Insects and diseases that attack food crops are moving as risen temperatures bring changes to the environment. Plant diseases alone destroy an estimated 10 to 16 percent of the world's crops in the field, experts say, plant diseases destroy another 6 to 12 percent after harvest.

隨著氣溫上升給環(huán)境帶來(lái)變化，糧食作物病蟲害也在遷移。光植物病害就給全球田間作物造成了預(yù)計(jì)10%到16%的損失。專家表示，植物病害還在收獲后造成了6%到12%的損失。

A new study examines the movement of crop pests and diseases,and how it will effect agricultural production worldwide.

一項(xiàng)新研究調(diào)查了農(nóng)作物病蟲害的遷移，以及它將如何影響全球農(nóng)業(yè)生產(chǎn)。

Dan Bebber is a senior research fellow at the University of Exeter in Britain. He says research has shown that wild plants and animals are moving toward Earth's North and South poles as the planet warms.

丹·貝伯(Dan Bebber)是英國(guó)埃克塞特大學(xué)的高級(jí)研究員。他表示，研究已經(jīng)證實(shí)，隨著地球變暖，野生動(dòng)植物正向地球南北極遷移。

Mr Bebber wanted to know if the samething was happening with organisms that attack agricultural crops. He examined reports of first sightings of new insects and diseases around the world. The records came from CABI - the Centre for Agricultural Bioscience International. He says the group began collecting information from developing and industrialized countries years ago.

貝伯希望弄清楚，攻擊農(nóng)作物的生物體是否也發(fā)生了類似的情況。他研究了世界各地新病蟲害的第一目擊報(bào)告。這些記錄出自國(guó)際應(yīng)用生物科學(xué)中心(CABI)。他表示，該中心多年前就開(kāi)始收集來(lái)自發(fā)展中國(guó)家和工業(yè)化國(guó)家的信息。

Dan Bebber and his research team studied 612 different organisms - from viruses and bacteria to insects like beetles and butterflies. They found that since 1960, crop pests and diseases have been moving toward the poles at an average rate of about 3 kilometers each year. Mr Bebber says this puts the most productive farmland in the world in danger.

貝伯和他的研究小組研究了612種不同的生物體，從病毒、細(xì)菌到甲蟲和蝴蝶之類的昆蟲。他們發(fā)現(xiàn)，自1960年以來(lái)，農(nóng)作物病蟲害一直以平均每年3公里的速度向地球兩極遷移。貝伯先生表示，這把全球最富饒多產(chǎn)的耕地置入了危險(xiǎn)中。

"As new species of pests and diseases evolve and potentially the environment for them becomes more amenable at higher latitudes, the pressure on the breadbaskets of the world is going to increase."

他說(shuō)，“隨著病蟲害新物種的進(jìn)化，以及它們生存的環(huán)境更順應(yīng)于高緯度地區(qū)，世界糧食產(chǎn)區(qū)的壓力將逐步增大。”

Farmers face other threats. Invasive species passed through trade are also causing problems. Gene Kritsky is an Entomologist at the College of Mount St. Joseph in Ohio. He specialises in the study of insects. He says climate change may improve conditions for some invasive species.

農(nóng)民們還面臨著其它威脅。通過(guò)貿(mào)易傳入的入侵物種也造成問(wèn)題。吉恩·克利茲基(Gene Kritsky)是俄亥俄州圣約瑟夫山學(xué)院的昆蟲學(xué)家。他專門研究昆蟲。他表示，氣候變化可能會(huì)改善一些入侵物種的生存環(huán)境。

"It means that species in other parts of the world that might do well in warmer temperatures can now do well in the breadbasket of America."

他說(shuō)，“這意味著世界其它地區(qū)可能適應(yīng)在溫暖氣候生存的物種現(xiàn)在也能適應(yīng)在美國(guó)糧食產(chǎn)區(qū)生存。”

Another Entomologist Christian Krupke of Purdue University says the effects of these changes will depend very much on the crop, the insect and the disease. But he says the research is a warning sign that people should care about climate change and do something about it.

另一位普渡大學(xué)的昆蟲學(xué)家克里斯汀·克拉基(Christian Krupke)表示，這些變化的影響很大程度上取決于農(nóng)作物、昆蟲和病害。但他表示，該研究是一個(gè)警告信號(hào)，提醒人們應(yīng)該關(guān)注氣候變化并就此做些什么。