英语听力文摘 English Digest 734 巨型非洲陆蜗牛的入侵

Invasion Of The Giant African Land Snails²

Like many midwesterners, it turns out that giant African land snails really love Florida.

Not A Good Thing

Unfortunately, giant African Land Snails are some of the world’s most destructive snails. They can grow to be eight inches long — as big as rats — and to weigh more than one pound. They’re so huge, in fact, that their shells have been known to blow out tires.

The real trouble is that these snails reproduce very quickly. Under optimal³ conditions — such as warm, tropical Florida — one snail¹ can lay up to a thousand or so eggs a year. And these snails’ typical life span is three to five years, with some living as long as nine years.

Why Is This A Problem?

Unlike most snails, giant African land snails don’t just eat decaying organic matter or leaf molds; they eat the plants themselves, so they pose a huge threat to agriculture, one of Florida’s main industries. What’s more, they’re not picky.They eat over five hundred species of plants, and some have even been known to chew through stucco and plastic containers.

And for your health. Some of these snails can carry diseases such as a parasitic⁴ rat lungworm that can cause meningitis in humans. So if you see a giant African land snail in your yard, don’t touch it or kill it yourself. Instead, call your local authorities or department of agriculture so that they can dispose of the snail and its nesting materials safely.

巨型非洲陆蜗牛的入侵

和许多中西部人一样，事实证明，巨大的非洲陆蜗牛真的很喜欢佛罗里达。

这不是件好事

不幸的是，巨大的非洲陆蜗牛是世界上最具破坏性的蜗牛之一。它们可以长到八英寸长——和老鼠一样大——体重超过一磅。事实上，它们是如此巨大，以至于人们都知道它们的外壳会炸掉轮胎。

真正的麻烦是这些蜗牛繁殖得很快。在最佳条件下，比如温暖的热带佛罗里达州，一只蜗牛一年可以产下一千个左右的蛋。这些蜗牛的典型寿命为三到五年，有些寿命长达九年。

为什么这是一个问题？

与大多数蜗牛不同，巨大的非洲陆上蜗牛不仅仅吃腐烂的有机物或叶霉菌；它们自己吃这些植物，因此对佛罗里达州的主要产业之一的农业构成了巨大威胁。更重要的是，他们不挑剔。它们吃超过500种植物，有些甚至可以咀嚼灰泥和塑料容器。

为了你的健康。这些蜗牛中的一些可以携带疾病，如寄生的鼠肺蠕虫，可导致人类脑膜炎。所以，如果你在院子里看到一只巨大的非洲陆蜗牛，不要触摸它，也不要自己杀死它。相反，请致电当地政府或农业部门，以便他们能够安全地处理蜗牛及其筑巢材料。

1 snail   

n.蜗牛

参考例句：

• Snail is a small plant-eating creature with a soft body.蜗牛是一种软体草食动物。
• Time moved at a snail's pace before the holidays.放假前的时间过得很慢。

2 snails   

n.蜗牛；迟钝的人；蜗牛( snail的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• I think I'll try the snails for lunch—I'm feeling adventurous today. 我想我午餐要尝一下蜗牛——我今天很想冒险。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Most snails have shells on their backs. 大多数蜗牛背上有壳。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 optimal   

adj.最适宜的；最理想的；最令人满意的

参考例句：

• What is the optimal mix of private and public property rights in natural resources?私人和国家的自然资源产权的最适宜的组合是什么？
• Optimal path planning is a key link for the sailing contest.帆船最优行驶路径规划是帆船比赛取胜的关键环节。

4 parasitic   

adj.寄生的

参考例句：

• Will global warming mean the spread of tropical parasitic diseases?全球变暖是否意味着热带寄生虫病会蔓延呢？
• By definition,this way of life is parasitic.从其含义来说，这是种寄生虫的生活方式。