新奇事件簿 香蕉产业遭遇灭顶之灾

There is bad news for banana lovers. The most common banana in the world is in danger of becoming extinct. It is called the Cavendish banana and people eat it all over the world. A fungus¹ called Tropical Race 4 (TP4) is killing² millions of banana plants. The fungus blocks small tubes that absorb water inside the plant. This means the plant cannot get the water it needs and so it dies. Scientists first discovered TP4 in Malaysia in 1990. It quickly spread to other parts of South-East Asia and then to Australia and Africa. TP4 is spread in dirt that is carried by the wind, water, cars and even people's boots. A tiny amount of TP4 can spread across large areas very quickly. Some scientists believe TP4 could kill the banana industry.

香蕉迷要伤心了。普通香蕉有绝种危险。“卡文迪什香蕉”销往全球各地。全球数百万香蕉树种均遭到Tropical Race 4病毒侵害。这种病菌阻碍植物吸收水分，阻塞根茎。植物无法获取水分，不久就会死亡。1990年，科学家首次在马来西亚发现Tropical Race 4。并迅速蔓延至其它东南亚国家，澳大利亚和非洲等国也遭到侵害。Tropical Race 4通过土壤传播，土壤通过风、水、汽车甚至是靴子进行媒介传播。微量Tropical Race 4就可以迅速蔓延至大片区域。许多科学家相信，香蕉产业会因Tropical Race 4而遭受灭顶之灾。

This is not the first time that a variety of banana has become extinct. Before we started eating the Cavendish banana, we ate a variety called the Gros Michel. Fifty years ago, the Gros Michel banana was the main banana grown around the world. However, it was hit by a fungus called Panama Disease. The Gros Michel banana became extinct in 1965 and banana growers switched to the Cavendish banana. The problem for the banana industry is that even if they burn all their banana plants, the fungus stays in the soil. This means new plants cannot be grown. Scientists say one option is genetically³ modified (GM) bananas that are resistant⁴ to diseases like TP4 and Panama Disease.

香蕉绝种已不是第一次。在”卡文迪什香蕉”之前，我们食用“大麦克”香蕉。50年前，“大麦克”香蕉是全球主要香蕉品种。然而，“大麦克”遭到“巴拿马病”侵害。1965年，“大麦克”绝种，农民们又选择了”卡文迪什”。对于香蕉产业来说，即使将香蕉树种全部烧毁，病菌仍会留在土壤中。这说明新品种无法继续耕种。科学家认为，一种方法就是转基因香蕉，这种香蕉不会遭到像TP4 、“巴拿马病”等疾病威胁。

1 fungus   

n.真菌，真菌类植物

参考例句：

• Mushrooms are a type of fungus.蘑菇是一种真菌。
• This fungus can just be detected by the unaided eye.这种真菌只用肉眼就能检查出。

2 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

3 genetically   

adv.遗传上

参考例句：

• All the bees in the colony are genetically related. 同一群体的蜜蜂都有亲缘关系。
• Genetically modified foods have already arrived on American dinner tables. 经基因改造加工过的食物已端上了美国人的餐桌。 来自英汉非文学 - 生命科学 - 基因与食物

4 resistant   

adj.(to)抵抗的，有抵抗力的

参考例句：

• Many pests are resistant to the insecticide.许多害虫对这种杀虫剂有抵抗力。
• They imposed their government by force on the resistant population.他们以武力把自己的统治强加在持反抗态度的人民头上。