研究：致命病菌或使香蕉灭绝

 The most popular fruit in the world - bananas - may be about to be wiped out by an invisible killer¹ bug².

一种无形的致死性病菌或许马上就要把香蕉——这种世界上最受欢迎的水果——“赶尽杀绝”了。

Panama Disease – which has already destroyed the most popular variety of banana – is back and its spreading like wildfire across global crops.

巴拿马病（香蕉黄叶病）已经让人们最喜爱的香蕉品种消失不见了，现在又卷土重来，以野火般的势头席卷全球的香蕉作物。

The problem is, bananas are seedless and are essentially³ all cloned from exactly the same plant – making them extremely vulnerable to disease.

问题的症结在于香蕉没有果籽，基本上都是从同一植株克隆而来，因此对疾病的抵抗力极低。

A new study has warned the much-loved yellow fruit will be wiped out if we don't take action NOW.

一项最新的研究警告称，如果人类不“立刻”采取行动，这种广受欢迎的黄色水果将会永远消失。

研究：致命病菌或使香蕉灭绝

The Gros Michel banana was once the most popular variety in the world – until it was completely killed off by Panama Disease in the 1950s.

“大麦克香蕉”曾经是世界上最受欢迎的香蕉品种，但于上世纪50年代被巴拿马病灭绝了。

The Cavendish banana – from the UK – stepped in to replace the Gros Michel and now makes up 95% of all banana exports in the world.

源自英国的“卡文迪什香蕉”因此取代大麦克香蕉成为最受欢迎的品种，目前占世界香蕉出口总量的95%。

But Panama Disease – which is transmitted through soil and water and attacks the banana plant's roots – can lay dormant⁴, waiting to strike, for up to 30 years.

然而，这种能通过水和土壤传播、直击香蕉根系的巴拿马病，可潜伏高达30年之久，伺机再现。

And now it's back with a new global epidemic⁵.

现在它果然卷土重来，引发了又一场全球香蕉病变。

The deadly fungal pathogen is resistant⁶ to fungicide and cannot be controlled chemically.

杀菌剂对这种致命性真菌病原体无效，化学手段都不管用。

It has completely wiped out Cavendish banana crops in Taiwan and is now spreading through the Chinese mainland, Indonesia and Malaysia, decimating crops.

它使台湾地区的卡文迪什香蕉全部坏死，现在正在中国大陆、印度尼西亚和马来西亚等地蔓延，大肆毁灭香蕉作物。

The bug has "significantly" reduced the banana industry in Australia – which previously⁷ lost its bananas to disease in the 19th century – and threatens the entire export trade in the Philippines.

巴拿马病已使澳大利亚的香蕉产业大幅缩水，现在又威胁到了菲律宾的香蕉出口。早在19世纪时，澳大利亚香蕉产业就曾毁于此病菌之手。

Since 2013 it has been reported as far and wide as Jordan, Pakistan, Lebanon, Mozambique and Oman.

2013年以来，约旦、巴基斯坦、黎巴嫩、莫桑比克和阿曼等地也都发现了巴拿马病的踪迹，可见其影响的远度和广度。

Vocabulary

fungicide：杀真菌剂

decimate：大量毁灭

1 killer   

n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者

参考例句：

• Heart attacks have become Britain's No.1 killer disease.心脏病已成为英国的头号致命疾病。
• The bulk of the evidence points to him as her killer.大量证据证明是他杀死她的。

2 bug   

n.虫子；故障；窃听器；vt.纠缠；装窃听器

参考例句：

• There is a bug in the system.系统出了故障。
• The bird caught a bug on the fly.那鸟在飞行中捉住了一只昆虫。

3 essentially   

adv.本质上，实质上，基本上

参考例句：

• Really great men are essentially modest.真正的伟人大都很谦虚。
• She is an essentially selfish person.她本质上是个自私自利的人。

4 dormant   

adj.暂停活动的；休眠的；潜伏的

参考例句：

• Many animals are in a dormant state during winter.在冬天许多动物都处于睡眠状态。
• This dormant volcano suddenly fired up.这座休眠火山突然爆发了。

5 epidemic   

n.流行病；盛行；adj.流行性的，流传极广的

参考例句：

• That kind of epidemic disease has long been stamped out.那种传染病早已绝迹。
• The authorities tried to localise the epidemic.当局试图把流行病限制在局部范围。

6 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。

7 previously   

adv.以前，先前（地）

参考例句：

• The bicycle tyre blew out at a previously damaged point.自行车胎在以前损坏过的地方又爆开了。
• Let me digress for a moment and explain what had happened previously.让我岔开一会儿，解释原先发生了什么。