VOA标准英语2009年-Liberia Caterpillar Threat Not as Bad as Origin

The threat from Liberia's caterpillar¹ infestation² is not as bad as originally thought. Entomologists have identified the caterpillars³ as a species that is easier to kill than those first thought to be devouring⁴ farmland near the border with Guinea and Sierra Leone.
　
Army worms feed on plant leaves in Pelelei in Bong County, Liberia, 16 Jan 2009

With more than half-a-million people affected⁵ by the infestation, Liberia was bracing⁶ for worse, fearing that caterpillars would burrow⁷ into the ground - where they would be safe from pesticides⁹ - and emerge as adult moths¹¹ capable of flying 1,000 kilometers.

Pesticide⁸ will be used to prevent spread

But entomologists have now concluded that the invading caterpillars are not the so-called "army worms" that pupate underground but larvae¹² of another moth¹⁰ species - Achaea catocaloides - that spin cocoons¹³ on the ground under fallen leaves and are thus easier to kill.

U.N. Food and Agriculture entomologist Winfred Hammond says now that the caterpillars are properly identified, Liberian and U.N. officials should quickly determine the extent of their infestation to properly choose the type and amount of pesticide needed to contain their spread.

While it is not as bad as it might have been, the infestation has closed schools and driven people from their homes in more than 100 villages.

Hammond says the caterpillars have already polluted most streams and fresh water wells.

"All along the waterways where the main host plant of this pest occurs, you find the water polluted," he said. "You have larvae that drops in the water or you have excreta or droppings from the larvae that goes into the water, polluting many of the waterways or the water bodies for the villagers."

Pests munch¹⁴ on cash crops

The caterpillars struck one of Liberia's richest agricultural regions near the border with Guinea and Sierra Leone. Hammond says they have decimated cash crops but should not have as large an impact on Liberia's food security as few of those crops are in the ground during the current dry season.

"Food crops at this time of the year are very scarce in the field," he said. "You do not have rice or cassava or any of the common food crops at the moment in the field. But you find them on cocoa on coffee on plantain on banana."

The caterpillars have already moved more than 25 kilometers into Guinea, eating crops and displacing farmers in half-a-dozen villages.

Sierra Leone has pre-positioned pesticides along the border and is asking civilians¹⁵ to notify authorities at the first sighting of black, hairy caterpillars.

1 caterpillar   

n.毛虫，蝴蝶的幼虫

参考例句：

• A butterfly is produced by metamorphosis from a caterpillar.蝴蝶是由毛虫脱胎变成的。
• A caterpillar must pass through the cocoon stage to become a butterfly.毛毛虫必须经过茧的阶段才能变成蝴蝶。

2 infestation   

n.侵扰，蔓延

参考例句：

• The premises were treated for cockroach infestation.因蟑螂成灾，这些房屋集中进行了灭蟑活动。
• Parts of California are suffering from an infestation of oriental fruit flies.加利福尼亚的部分地区正遭受东方果蝇的大肆侵袭。

3 caterpillars   

n.毛虫( caterpillar的名词复数 )；履带

参考例句：

• Caterpillars eat the young leaves of this plant. 毛毛虫吃这种植物的嫩叶。
• Caterpillars change into butterflies or moths. 毛虫能变成蝴蝶或蛾子。 来自辞典例句

4 devouring   

吞没( devour的现在分词 )； 耗尽； 津津有味地看； 狼吞虎咽地吃光

参考例句：

• The hungry boy was devouring his dinner. 那饥饿的孩子狼吞虎咽地吃饭。
• He is devouring novel after novel. 他一味贪看小说。

5 affected   

adj.不自然的，假装的

参考例句：

• She showed an affected interest in our subject.她假装对我们的课题感到兴趣。
• His manners are affected.他的态度不自然。

6 bracing   

adj.令人振奋的

参考例句：

• The country is bracing itself for the threatened enemy invasion. 这个国家正准备奋起抵抗敌人的入侵威胁。
• The atmosphere in the new government was bracing. 新政府的气氛是令人振奋的。

7 burrow   

vt.挖掘(洞穴)；钻进；vi.挖洞；翻寻；n.地洞

参考例句：

• Earthworms burrow deep into the subsoil.蚯蚓深深地钻进底土。
• The dog had chased a rabbit into its burrow.狗把兔子追进了洞穴。

8 pesticide   

n.杀虫剂，农药

参考例句：

• The pesticide was spread over the vegetable plot.菜田里撒上了农药。
• This pesticide is diluted with water and applied directly to the fields.这种杀虫剂用水稀释后直接施用在田里。

9 pesticides   

n.杀虫剂( pesticide的名词复数 )；除害药物

参考例句：

• vegetables grown without the use of pesticides 未用杀虫剂种植的蔬菜
• There is a lot of concern over the amount of herbicides and pesticides used in farming. 人们对农业上灭草剂和杀虫剂的用量非常担忧。 来自《简明英汉词典》

10 moth   

n.蛾，蛀虫

参考例句：

• A moth was fluttering round the lamp.有一只蛾子扑打着翅膀绕着灯飞。
• The sweater is moth-eaten.毛衣让蛀虫咬坏了。

11 moths   

n.蛾( moth的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The moths have eaten holes in my wool coat. 蛀虫将我的羊毛衫蛀蚀了几个小洞。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The moths tapped and blurred at the window screen. 飞蛾在窗帘上跳来跳去，弄上了许多污点。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

12 larvae   

n.幼虫

参考例句：

• Larvae are parasitic on sheep.幼虫寄生在绵羊的身上。
• The larvae prey upon small aphids.这种幼虫以小蚜虫为食。

13 cocoons   

n.茧，蚕茧( cocoon的名词复数 )v.茧，蚕茧( cocoon的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The silkworms have gone into the bushes to spin their cocoons. 蚕上山了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》
• In two more days the " little darlings" would spin their cocoons. 再得两天，“宝宝”可以上山。 来自汉英文学 - 春蚕

14 munch   

v.用力嚼，大声咀嚼

参考例句：

• We watched her munch through two packets of peanuts.我们看她津津有味地嚼了两包花生米。
• Getting them to munch on vegetable dishes was more difficult.使他们吃素菜就比较困难了。

15 civilians   

平民，百姓( civilian的名词复数 )； 老百姓

参考例句：

• the bloody massacre of innocent civilians 对无辜平民的血腥屠杀
• At least 300 civilians are unaccounted for after the bombing raids. 遭轰炸袭击之后，至少有300名平民下落不明。