时差N小时 海洋死区

Well, as if we needed one more reason to get our environmental act together, arecent U.N. report warns that the number and size of dead zones in the ocean isincreasing.

如果我们需要一个理由一起进行环保行动，那么这个理由就是联合国最近的发布的一个报告警告说海洋死区的数量在不断增多，面积在不断增大。

Dead zones are regions of oxygen-deprived water, where nothing can live.

海洋死区是指海水中的氧气被消耗减少，以致没有东西能够生存。

They'recaused by an excess of nutrients-usually nitrogen-released into the water.

它们是由排入水中的过剩的营养物质引起的-这种物质常常是氮。

When sewage, farm fertilizers, and emissions¹ from vehicles and factories get washedinto the ocean, you get what experts call a "nitrogen cascade²".

当污水，农田肥料，以及车辆和工厂的排放物被冲刷入海中时，就形成了专家所谓的“氮容器”。

Tiny free-floating organisms known as plankton³ feed on all that untreated nitrogen, and multiply to such an extent that they deplete⁴ the oxygen supply inthe water.

像浮游生物这些自由浮动的微小生物就是以未经处理的氮为食。它们繁殖到了如此的程度，以致于耗尽了水中供应的氧气。

While fish may be able to swim away and avoid suffocation⁵, slower-moving and bottom-dwelling creatures like lobsters⁶, clams⁷, and oysters⁸ often can't.

尽管鱼可以游走避免窒息，但是那些缓慢移动和底栖的生物，列如：龙虾，蛤蚌，和牡蛎却不行。

Also, the ocean might be a large place, but right now there are 146known dead zones, some of which span tens of thousands of square miles.

或许海洋是一个广阔的地方，但是目前已知的海洋死区已有146个，其中一些跨度数万平方英里。

One ofthe worst is where the Mississippi River drains into the Gulf⁹ of Mexico, anddumps fertilizer runoff from the Midwest.

最严重的地方之一是密西西比河流入墨西哥湾的地方，这里倾倒着从中西部流失过来的肥料。

Oh,no.Is there anything we can do?

噢，不。有没有什么我们可以做的呢？

We can reduce nitrogen emissions from cars andfactories, and implement¹⁰ better sewage treatment.

我们可以减少汽车和工厂氮的排放量，并且实施更好的污水治理方法，

We can plant new forest andgrasslands to soak up extra nitrogen and keep it out of the water.

种植新的森林和草地来吸收多余的氮，并使氮远离水源。

And we candevelop alternative energy sources that aren't based on burning fossil fuels.

我们还可以开发不以化石燃料燃烧为基础的替代能源。

1 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

2 cascade   

n.小瀑布，喷流；层叠；vi.成瀑布落下

参考例句：

• She watched the magnificent waterfall cascade down the mountainside.她看着壮观的瀑布从山坡上倾泻而下。
• Her hair fell over her shoulders in a cascade of curls.她的卷发像瀑布一样垂在肩上。

3 plankton   

n.浮游生物

参考例句：

• Plankton is at the bottom of the marine food chain.浮游生物处于海洋食物链的最底层。
• The plankton in the sea feeds many kinds of animals. 海的浮游生物成为很多种动物的食物。

4 deplete   

v.弄空，排除，减轻，减少...体液，放去...的血

参考例句：

• Most native mammal species have been severely depleted.大多数本地哺乳动物的数量都已经大大减少了。
• Elastic collisions deplete very little of the electron's energy.弹性碰撞中电子减少的能量非常少。

5 suffocation   

n.窒息

参考例句：

• The greatest dangers of pyroclastic avalanches are probably heat and suffocation. 火成碎屑崩落的最大危害可能是炽热和窒息作用。 来自辞典例句
• The room was hot to suffocation. 房间热得闷人。 来自辞典例句

6 lobsters   

龙虾( lobster的名词复数 )； 龙虾肉

参考例句：

• I have no idea about how to prepare those cuttlefish and lobsters. 我对如何烹调那些乌贼和龙虾毫无概念。
• She sold me a couple of live lobsters. 她卖了几只活龙虾给我。

7 clams   

n.蛤；蚌，蛤( clam的名词复数 )v.（在沙滩上）挖蛤( clam的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The restaurant's specialities are fried clams. 这个餐厅的特色菜是炸蚌。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• We dug clams in the flats et low tide. 退潮时我们在浅滩挖蛤蜊。 来自辞典例句

8 oysters   

牡蛎( oyster的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• We don't have oysters tonight, but the crayfish are very good. 我们今晚没有牡蛎供应。但小龙虾是非常好。
• She carried a piping hot grill of oysters and bacon. 她端出一盘滚烫的烤牡蛎和咸肉。

9 gulf   

n.海湾；深渊，鸿沟；分歧，隔阂

参考例句：

• The gulf between the two leaders cannot be bridged.两位领导人之间的鸿沟难以跨越。
• There is a gulf between the two cities.这两座城市间有个海湾。

10 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。