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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 looms4.
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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 | |
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2 dunes | |
沙丘( dune的名词复数 ) | |
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3 disastrous | |
adj.灾难性的,造成灾害的;极坏的,很糟的 | |
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4 looms | |
n.织布机( loom的名词复数 )v.隐约出现,阴森地逼近( loom的第三人称单数 );隐约出现,阴森地逼近 | |
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