2008-11-13 中国沙漠化危机

The farmland of Wang Yang-tang in Hubei province lies abandoned. Over the last century, sand has devoured¹ the rich pastures. As sand dunes² edge closer to Beijing each year, Northern China's rapidly turning into desert. 

Shen Zhao-xiang, the director of Beijing's Forestation Bureau says sandstorms have been harmful to people and disastrous³ to the environment. More than 17% of China's landmass is now desert. Each spring Beijing usually has at least one sandstorm. Some experts believe the country's problem is a result of its fast-paced development.

China's Meteorological Bureau has launched a monitoring system, predicting sandstorms up to three days in advance. Professor Shu Zwang says the system is vital to combating the often crippling effects of the storm.

The sandstorms are affecting visibility, preventing planes from taking off and landing, thus causing delays.

Reduced visibility on the roads brings accidents, so they are a major inconvenience for commuters and travelers. The dust from the storms also gets into people's lungs and creates serious health problems.

But the forestation bureau's work to build a green great wall of trees across the desert in Northern China seems to be paying off. According to officials, there's been a marginal shrinkage in deserts since 2001, due in part to a large tree-planting effort. Despite these advances, the possibility of Northern China turning into a veritable desert still looms

1 devoured   

吞没( devour的过去式和过去分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光

参考例句：

• She devoured everything she could lay her hands on: books, magazines and newspapers. 无论是书、杂志，还是报纸，只要能弄得到，她都看得津津有味。
• The lions devoured a zebra in a short time. 狮子一会儿就吃掉了一匹斑马。

2 dunes   

沙丘( dune的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The boy galloped over the dunes barefoot. 那男孩光着脚在沙丘间飞跑。
• Dragging the fully laden boat across the sand dunes was no mean feat. 将满载货物的船拖过沙丘是一件了不起的事。

3 disastrous   

adj.灾难性的，造成灾害的；极坏的，很糟的

参考例句：

• The heavy rainstorm caused a disastrous flood.暴雨成灾。
• Her investment had disastrous consequences.She lost everything she owned.她的投资结果很惨，血本无归。