美国有线新闻 CNN 美国蜜蜂数量不断减少 杀虫剂可能是罪魁祸首

 

Honeybee populations in the United States have been decreasing dramatically over the decades. And a new study suggests that a certain kind of pesticide¹ could be making things worse.

Back in 1947, there were 6 million honeybee hives in America, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Now there are a little over 2.5 million hives. That number hasn't changed much over the past few years, but the overall picture doesn't look good for an insect that's incredibly important to our food supply. Scientists don't know f???or sure why this is happening. Pesticides² and parasites³ are the most suspected reasons, and a study recently published in the scientific journal PLOS One suggests that neonicotinoids, types of pesticides that are widely used around the world, are incredibly toxic⁴ to honeybees and other insects.

Part of the reason for that is because these pesticides appear to stick around in the environment and stay dangerous for longer periods of time.

Though they're deadly to insects, neonicotinoids are not considered dangerous to humans. In fact, they're a lot less toxic to people than other insecticides that have been widely used in the past. An ongoing⁵ challenge for farmers is finding ways to keep other insects away while still protecting bees. Pesticides may not discriminate⁶ between the insects they kill, though one neonicotinoid maker⁷ says the chemical's risk to bees is lower when it's used properly. The U.S. Department of Agriculture says it's unlikely there's one magic solution to the problem, but there are a number of organizations trying to help honeybees.

1 pesticide   

n.杀虫剂，农药

参考例句：

• The pesticide was spread over the vegetable plot.菜田里撒上了农药。
• This pesticide is diluted with water and applied directly to the fields.这种杀虫剂用水稀释后直接施用在田里。

2 pesticides   

n.杀虫剂( pesticide的名词复数 )；除害药物

参考例句：

• vegetables grown without the use of pesticides 未用杀虫剂种植的蔬菜
• There is a lot of concern over the amount of herbicides and pesticides used in farming. 人们对农业上灭草剂和杀虫剂的用量非常担忧。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 parasites   

寄生物( parasite的名词复数 )； 靠他人为生的人； 诸虫

参考例句：

• These symptoms may be referable to virus infection rather than parasites. 这些症状也许是由病毒感染引起的，而与寄生虫无关。
• Kangaroos harbor a vast range of parasites. 袋鼠身上有各种各样的寄生虫。

4 toxic   

adj.有毒的，因中毒引起的

参考例句：

• The factory had accidentally released a quantity of toxic waste into the sea.这家工厂意外泄漏大量有毒废物到海中。
• There is a risk that toxic chemicals might be blasted into the atmosphere.爆炸后有毒化学物质可能会进入大气层。

5 ongoing   

adj.进行中的，前进的

参考例句：

• The problem is ongoing.这个问题尚未解决。
• The issues raised in the report relate directly to Age Concern's ongoing work in this area.报告中提出的问题与“关心老人”组织在这方面正在做的工作有直接的关系。

6 discriminate   

v.区别，辨别，区分；有区别地对待

参考例句：

• You must learn to discriminate between facts and opinions.你必须学会把事实和看法区分出来。
• They can discriminate hundreds of colours.他们能分辨上百种颜色。

7 maker   

n.制造者，制造商

参考例句：

• He is a trouble maker，You must be distant with him.他是个捣蛋鬼，你不要跟他在一起。
• A cabinet maker must be a master craftsman.家具木工必须是技艺高超的手艺人。