VOA慢速英语2021--大批老鼠侵入澳大利亚

Destructive¹ Mice Invade² Parts of Australia

Huge numbers of mice are threatening crops in eastern Australia.

In New South Wales state, officials have described the situation as a "plague³" that has never been seen before.

The small animals have spread over wide areas of agricultural land across New South Wales and parts of the neighboring states of Queensland and Victoria.

In addition to eating grain crops, the mice have damaged farm and household equipment, caused power outages and invaded⁴ supermarkets.

Adam Marshall is the Agriculture Minister for New South Wales. He recently said the situation had reached "a critical point" and needed to be dealt with immediately to prevent further problems.

"If we don't significantly⁵ reduce the number of mice that are in plague proportions⁶ by spring, we are facing an absolute⁷ economic and social crisis," Marshall said.

Bruce Barnes runs a family farm near the town of Bogan Gate in central New South Wales. He told The Associated Press he was taking a risk by planting crops. "We just sow and hope," he told The Associated Press. The word sow describes the process of planting seeds.

The state's main agricultural organization predicts the mice could cause $775 million in losses.

The state government has ordered 5,000 liters⁸ of the banned poison Bromadiolone from India. But the federal⁹ government has not yet approved the substance for emergency use around crops. Critics fear the poison will kill not only mice, but also many other animals that feed on them, or family pets.

Marshall said the state wants to use the Bromadiolone "because we need something that is super strength."

Farmers like Barnes had struggled during four years of extreme dry conditions before 2020 finally brought a good rainy season. The wet weather helped produce Australia's largest-ever grain crop, but also provided¹⁰ more food for the mice.

Norman Moeris is another farmer in New South Wales. He grows several grains and raises 900 merino sheep on his farm near Gilgandra, about 430 kilometers northwest of Sydney. "This grain here, the mice have just totally ruined it. (We'll) probably just dig a hole and bury the lot of it," the 65-year-old Moeris told Reuters.

He said he had already lost $130,000 worth of grain to the mice. "It's just hard, after the drought¹¹, that's the biggest trouble," said Moeris. "We've been on our knees, we got up a bit, now we're back on our knees with the mice."

People in the area say the most activity comes after dark, when millions of mice that hide and rest during the day come out. But one of the biggest issues people have is the bad smell of mouse waste and decaying¹³ bodies.

"You deal with it all day...trying your best to manage the situation, then come home...to the stench of dead mice," said Jason Conn, a farmer in central New South Wales.

He said the mice are even getting in people's homes. "If your house is not well sealed, they're in bed with you. People are getting bitten in bed," Conn said.

Words in This Story

plague – n. a serious disease¹⁴ that spreads quickly and kills a lot of people

proportions – n.(pl.) the size, shape or extent¹⁵ of something

absolute – adj. complete

the lot of –phrase all of; the whole of

decay¹² – v. to break down over time

stench – n. a strong, unpleasant smell

seal – n. to close off a container or area

1 destructive   

adj.破坏（性）的，毁灭（性）的

参考例句：

• In the end,it will be destructive of our whole society.它最终会毁灭我们整个社会。
• It is the most destructive storm in 20 years.这是20年来破坏性最大的一次风暴。

2 invade   

v.侵略，侵犯；闯入，侵扰

参考例句：

• I don't want to invade your private life unnecessarily.我不想过多地干涉你的私生活。
• He ordered the army to invade at dawn.他命令军队在拂晓入侵。

3 plague   

n.瘟疫，鼠疫，祸患，灾难；v.烦扰，使痛苦

参考例句：

• Plague was then prevailing in that city.当时瘟疫正在该城流行。
• The plague once could wipe out a village.鼠疫曾一度可以夺走整个村庄村民的生命。

4 invaded   

v.侵入，侵略( invade的过去式和过去分词 )；涌入；侵袭；侵犯

参考例句：

• Troops invaded on August 9th that year. 军队是在那年的8月9日入侵的。
• The diseased tissue can be easily invaded by these microorganisms. 有病的组织容易被微生物侵袭。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 significantly   

adv.意味深长地；值得注目地

参考例句：

• Prices did not alter significantly during 2004. 2004年期间，价格没有大的变化。
• American English is significantly different from British English. 美国英语与英国英语有很大差异。

6 proportions   

n.部分( proportion的名词复数 )；[数学]比例（法）；面积；等比关系

参考例句：

• a financial crisis of mammoth proportions 极其严重的金融危机
• Scott of the Antarctic was a national hero of mythic proportions. 南极探险家斯科特是位赫赫有名的民族英雄。

7 absolute   

adj.十足的；绝对的；不受任何限制的

参考例句：

• The first year of the course was an absolute doddle.第一年的课程简单极了。
• I look upon this as an absolute necessity.我认为这是绝对必要。

8 liters   

n.升( liter的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• In the metric system, measurements are made in metres and liters. 在公制中，用米和升作计量单位。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This can holds five liters of water. 这个容器可装五升水。 来自《简明英汉词典》

9 federal   

adj.联盟的；联邦的；(美国)联邦政府的

参考例句：

• Switzerland is a federal republic.瑞士是一个联邦共和国。
• The schools are screaming for federal aid.那些学校强烈要求联邦政府的援助。

10 provided   

conj.假如，若是；adj.预备好的，由...供给的

参考例句：

• Provided it's fine we will have a pleasant holiday.如果天气良好，我们的假日将过得非常愉快。
• I will come provided that it's not raining tomorrow.如果明天不下雨，我就来。

11 drought   

n.旱灾，干旱，久旱

参考例句：

• The plants are growing in again,despite the drought.尽管干旱，植物又长出来了。
• The ground is as hard as stone after the drought.长期干旱后土地硬得就像石头一样。

12 decay   

vi.腐烂，衰落；n.腐烂，腐朽，衰败状态

参考例句：

• The vegetables have begun to decay.那些蔬菜已开始腐烂。
• Our powers decay in old age.我们的体力在老年时就衰退。

13 decaying   

v.（使）腐烂，腐朽( decay的现在分词 )；衰败，衰退，衰落

参考例句：

• The fish and crabs scavenge for decaying tissue. 鱼和蟹搜寻腐烂的组织为食。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Overhead, grayish-white clouds covered the sky, piling up heavily like decaying corpses. 天上罩满了灰白的薄云，同腐烂的尸体似的沉沉的盖在那里。 来自汉英文学 - 中国现代小说

14 disease   

n.疾病，弊端

参考例句：

• The doctors are trying to stamp out the disease.医生正在尽力消灭这种疾病。
• He fought against the disease for a long time.他同疾病做了长时间的斗争。

15 extent   

n.程度，范围，限度；广度，宽度，大小

参考例句：

• The new race track is nearly six miles in extent. 这条新跑道将近六英里长。
• What's the extent of the damage? 损坏的程度如何?