新奇事件簿 新西兰将向害虫宣战

The government of New Zealand has declared war on countryside pests. It wants to make the country predator-free by 2050. It has set an ambitious target to eradicate¹ all non-native species from the country over the next three decades. New Zealand's Prime Minister John Key says he intends to introduce strategies to cull² introduced species, especially predators³ that threaten New Zealand's native birds. He said: "Rats, possums and stoats kill 25 million of our native birds every year, and prey⁴ on other native species such as lizards⁵. Along with the rest of our environment, we must do more to protect them." His government has awarded $28 million to a company that will help implement⁶ his plans.

新西兰政府向农业害虫宣战。称将在2050年前实现农业无害虫。还制定了未来三十年消灭外来物种的远大理想。新西兰总理基尔称，他打算宰杀一部分外来物种，特别是一些可威胁本国飞禽的物种。他称：“每年有2500万只本国飞禽因老鼠、负鼠以及白鼬死亡，像蜥蜴等当地物种也未能幸免。为了我们的环境，我们必须要保护它们。基尔政府已向某公司资助2800万美金，用于实施这一计划。

Mr Key told reporters: "This is the most ambitious conservation project attempted anywhere in the world, but we believe if we all work together as a country, we can achieve it." It will take the combined efforts of the private and public sectors⁷ as well as community groups. Few people in New Zealand want more of the country's native birds to become extinct. Since European settlers arrived in the mid-nineteenth century and brought with them rats and other predators, New Zealand has lost a huge variety of birds. These include the bush wren⁸, the laughing owl⁹ and the mysterious starling. The country's national bird, the kiwi, is currently under threat. Only five per cent of kiwi chicks survive to adulthood¹⁰.

基尔对记者表示：“这是全球最伟大的保护项目，规模绝对史无前例，但如果我们同心协力，我们就能实现。”此计划需要私营企业，公共部门以及社区组织的共同努力。谁都不希望本国飞禽走向灭绝。19世纪中期，欧洲殖民者来到这里，他们带来了老鼠等其它害虫，新西兰失去了大量飞禽。这包括bush wren，笑鸮以及太平洋辉椋鸟。国鸟几维鸟正遭受威胁。仅5%的几维鸟雏鸟能存活到成年。

1 eradicate   

v.根除，消灭，杜绝

参考例句：

• These insects are very difficult to eradicate.这些昆虫很难根除。
• They are already battling to eradicate illnesses such as malaria and tetanus.他们已经在努力消灭疟疾、破伤风等疾病。

2 cull   

v.拣选；剔除；n.拣出的东西；剔除

参考例句：

• It is usually good practice to cull the poorest prior to field planting.通常在实践上的好方法是在出圃栽植前挑出最弱的苗木。
• Laura was passing around photographs she'd culled from the albums at home.劳拉正在分发她从家里相册中挑选出的相片。

3 predators   

n.食肉动物( predator的名词复数 )；奴役他人者（尤指在财务或性关系方面）

参考例句：

• birds and their earthbound predators 鸟和地面上捕食它们的动物
• The eyes of predators are highly sensitive to the slightest movement. 捕食性动物的眼睛能感觉到最细小的动静。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

5 lizards   

n.蜥蜴( lizard的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Nothing lives in Pompeii except crickets and beetles and lizards. 在庞培城里除了蟋蟀、甲壳虫和蜥蜴外，没有别的生物。 来自辞典例句
• Can lizards reproduce their tails? 蜥蜴的尾巴断了以后能再生吗？ 来自辞典例句

6 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。

7 sectors   

n.部门( sector的名词复数 )；领域；防御地区；扇形

参考例句：

• Berlin was divided into four sectors after the war. 战后柏林分成了4 个区。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Industry and agriculture are the two important sectors of the national economy. 工业和农业是国民经济的两个重要部门。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

8 wren   

n.鹪鹩；英国皇家海军女子服务队成员

参考例句：

• A wren is a kind of short-winged songbird.鹪鹩是一种短翼的鸣禽。
• My bird guide confirmed that a Carolina wren had discovered the thickets near my house.我掌握的鸟类知识使我确信，一只卡罗莱纳州鹪鹩已经发现了我家的这个灌木丛。

9 owl   

n.猫头鹰，枭

参考例句：

• Her new glasses make her look like an owl.她的新眼镜让她看上去像只猫头鹰。
• I'm a night owl and seldom go to bed until after midnight.我睡得很晚，经常半夜后才睡觉。

10 adulthood   

n.成年，成人期

参考例句：

• Some infantile actions survive into adulthood.某些婴儿期的行为一直保持到成年期。
• Few people nowadays are able to maintain friendships into adulthood.如今很少有人能将友谊维持到成年。