VOA慢速英语2021--科学家称亚马逊近万种生物可能灭绝

10,000 Amazon Plants, Animals Could Disappear Forever, Scientists Say

A new report says that more than 10,000 kinds of living things could disappear forever because of the Amazon rainforest's destruction.

The rainforest surrounding South America's Amazon River is the world's largest. The report said 35 percent of the rainforest has been destroyed or damaged.

The report is by the Science Panel for the Amazon. The project brought together 200 international scientists through the United Nations Sustainable Development Network. It is a detailed¹ study of the Amazon rainforest and its importance to the world's climate.

Reducing deforestation and forest destruction to zero in less than 10 years "is critical," the report said. The scientists also called for replanting trees that were destroyed.

The rainforest stores large amounts of carbon and is extremely important in fighting climate change. The report said that the plants and soil of the Amazon hold 200 billion metric tons of carbon. That is 400 percent of the world's yearly carbon dioxide emissions³.

The continued destruction of the Amazon rainforest also threatens more than 8,000 plants and 2,300 animals, the report added.

Mercedes Bustamante is a professor at the University of Brasilia. She spoke⁴ in an online presentation of some of the study's findings. She said the destruction of the Amazon also presents a serious risk to humans.

"There is a narrow window of opportunity to change this trajectory⁵," she said. "The fate of Amazon is central to the solution to the global" crisis.

Colombia's former President Juan Manuel Santos also spoke during the online discussion. He said there has been a lack of political leadership among the eight countries in the Amazon area.

The report said 18 percent of the Amazon area has already been deforested -- mostly for agriculture and illegal timber. Another 17 percent of the rainforest has been damaged.

Scientists said the main goal should be protecting existing plants and bodies of water rather than repairing damaged areas.

Marielos Peña-Claros is a professor at Wageningen University in the Netherlands. She said: "Restoration actions can be costly⁶ and complex to implement⁷, so it's actually better to avoid deforestation," she said.

A separate study, released in the science publication Nature, said that some parts of the Amazon are releasing more carbon than they take in.

Luciana Gatti from Brazil's space research agency led the study. She said carbon emissions are highest in the southeastern part of the Amazon area, where there are high rates of deforestation. She said many trees there are dying from lack of rain and rising temperatures.

Words in This Story

critical — adj. extremely important

emission² — n. the act of producing or sending out something (such as energy or gas) from a source

opportunity — n. a chance or situation in which something can be done or an aim can be reached

trajectory — n. often used figuratively to describe a process of change or development that leads toward a particular result

fate — n. the future that people or things will have

timber — n. trees that are grown in order to produce wood

restoration — n. the act or process of returning something to its original condition by repairing it, cleaning it, etc.

implement — v. to begin to do or use (something, such as a plan) : to make (something) active or effective

1 detailed   

adj.详细的，详尽的，极注意细节的，完全的

参考例句：

• He had made a detailed study of the terrain.他对地形作了缜密的研究。
• A detailed list of our publications is available on request.我们的出版物有一份详细的目录备索。

2 emission   

n.发出物，散发物；发出，散发

参考例句：

• Rigorous measures will be taken to reduce the total pollutant emission.采取严格有力措施，降低污染物排放总量。
• Finally,the way to effectively control particulate emission is pointed out.最后，指出有效降低颗粒排放的方向。

3 emissions   

排放物( emission的名词复数 )； 散发物（尤指气体）

参考例句：

• Most scientists accept that climate change is linked to carbon emissions. 大多数科学家都相信气候变化与排放的含碳气体有关。
• Dangerous emissions radiate from plutonium. 危险的辐射物从钚放散出来。

4 spoke   

n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说

参考例句：

• They sourced the spoke nuts from our company.他们的轮辐螺帽是从我们公司获得的。
• The spokes of a wheel are the bars that connect the outer ring to the centre.辐条是轮子上连接外圈与中心的条棒。

5 trajectory   

n.弹道，轨道

参考例句：

• It is not difficult to sketch the subsequent trajectory.很容易描绘出它们最终的轨迹。
• The path followed by a projectile is called its trajectory.抛物体所循的路径称为它的轨道。

6 costly   

adj.昂贵的，价值高的，豪华的

参考例句：

• It must be very costly to keep up a house like this.维修这么一幢房子一定很昂贵。
• This dictionary is very useful,only it is a bit costly.这本词典很有用，左不过贵了些。

7 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。