国家地理 工业化农业是导致鸟类数量锐减的一个原因

As industrial-scale farms flourish in the European Union, its fields have grown quiet—robbed of the birds that once filled them with song. Since 1980 the number of birds that typically inhabit Europe's farmlands has shrunk by 55 percent. And in the last 17 years alone, French farmland-bird counts dropped by a third -- a "level approaching an ecological¹ catastrophe," according to a recent survey.

随着工业规模的农场在欧盟蓬勃发展，那里的农田变得安静起来，不再有鸟儿在歌唱。自1980年以来，通常栖息在欧洲农田中的鸟类的数量减少了55%。而根据最近的一次调查，仅在过去的17年里，法国农田中的鸟类的数量就减少了三分之一--这是“接近生态灾难的水平”。

Intensified² agriculture is driving the losses. Habitats where birds once bred, nested, and wintered now bear crops, and pesticides³ have killed off birds' prey⁴. In the past 27 years Germany has lost 75 percent of its flying insects by mass. Even avian species that typically adapt to humans have dwindled⁵ on farms, suggesting that the land is less able to sustain all kinds of birds.

集约农业是造成这一数字下降的主要原因。鸟类曾经繁殖、筑巢和越冬的栖息地现在都种植了庄稼，而杀虫剂杀死了鸟类的猎物。在过去27年里，德国飞行昆虫的总数已经下降了75%。即使是那些一般来说已经适应人类的鸟类，在农场上也有所减少，这表明该土地不具备养活所有鸟类的能力了。

To curb⁶ the losses of farmland birds, researchers contend that agriculture must be remade in nature's image: less dependent on the addition of chemicals, more diverse in its flora⁷, and more hospitable⁸ to local fauna⁹.

为了控制农田鸟类数量的减少，研究人员主张农业必须按照自然的形象重塑：减少对化学物质的依赖，植物群更加多样化，对当地的动物更加友好。

1 ecological   

adj.生态的，生态学的

参考例句：

• The region has been declared an ecological disaster zone.这个地区已经宣布为生态灾难区。
• Each animal has its ecological niche.每种动物都有自己的生态位.

2 intensified   

v.（使）增强， （使）加剧( intensify的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Violence intensified during the night. 在夜间暴力活动加剧了。
• The drought has intensified. 旱情加剧了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 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》

4 prey   

n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨

参考例句：

• Stronger animals prey on weaker ones.弱肉强食。
• The lion was hunting for its prey.狮子在寻找猎物。

5 dwindled   

v.逐渐变少或变小( dwindle的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Support for the party has dwindled away to nothing. 支持这个党派的人渐渐化为乌有。
• His wealth dwindled to nothingness. 他的钱财化为乌有。 来自《简明英汉词典》

6 curb   

n.场外证券市场，场外交易；vt.制止，抑制

参考例句：

• I could not curb my anger.我按捺不住我的愤怒。
• You must curb your daughter when you are in church.你在教堂时必须管住你的女儿。

7 flora   

n.(某一地区的)植物群

参考例句：

• The subtropical island has a remarkably rich native flora.这个亚热带岛屿有相当丰富的乡土植物种类。
• All flora need water and light.一切草木都需要水和阳光。

8 hospitable   

adj.好客的；宽容的；有利的，适宜的

参考例句：

• The man is very hospitable.He keeps open house for his friends and fellow-workers.那人十分好客，无论是他的朋友还是同事，他都盛情接待。
• The locals are hospitable and welcoming.当地人热情好客。

9 fauna   

n.(一个地区或时代的)所有动物，动物区系

参考例句：

• This National Park is an area with unique fauna and flora.该国家公园区域内具有独特的动物种群和植物种群。
• Fauna is a biological notion means all the animal life in a particular region or period. 动物群是一个生物学的概念，指的是一个特定时期或者地区的所有动物。