常春藤生活英语【142】Amazon Rainforest 地球的守护者——亚马逊雨林

Amazon Rainforest 地球的守护者——亚马逊雨林

Biodiversity is vital for many reasons, one of which is medicine. Many drugs that we use to cure illness and fight disease are made from plants in the rainforests. That is why scientists always do tests on plants that are newly found there. If the rainforests keep disappearing, we might lose the chance to find cures for certain diseases. Aside from medicine, there is the beauty of the rainforests and the creatures that live there. When the rainforests are gone, they will be gone forever. The same goes for plants and animals. Those that become extinct will never be seen again.

The millions and millions of trees and plants in the rainforests help to clean carbon dioxide out of the air. This reduces air pollution and helps keep the Earth clean. However, the life of the Amazon rainforest is being seriously threatened. Climate change is one problem that makes it harder and harder for the rainforest to survive. Another is farming. People have been cutting down the trees to clear the land so that they can use it for farming. Deforestation causes great damage to rainforests. Although it is important that people can grow food on farms, it is equally important to save the Amazon rainforest. Researchers believe that within 20 years, 40 percent of the current Amazon rainforest will be lost forever. Therefore, we should make every effort to protect this natural treasure before it is too late.

Building Your Vocabulary  

1. vital　a. 极其重要的，不可或缺的
Sufficient sleep is vital to one's health.
充足的睡眠对一个人的健康来说极其重要。
2. extinct　a. 灭绝的，绝种的
Polar bears will probably be extinct if global warming becomes worse.
如果全球暖化日益严重的话，北极熊很可能会绝种。
3. reduce　vt. 减少；降低
Did Ed's landlord agree to reduce his rent?
艾德的房东同意降低他的房租吗？
4. pollution　n. 污染
Water pollution is a serious problem here.
水污染是这里的一大问题。

Phrases for Learning  

1. aside from...　　除……以外
Aside from one small mistake, Sal did well.
除了一个小错误以外，沙尔的表现都很好。
2. go for...　　对……也适用
I told Ben that he should quit smoking, and that goes for you, too.
我告诉小班他应该要戒烟，这句话对你也适用。
3. cut down.../cut...down　　砍倒……（树木）
It is not easy to cut a coconut tree down.
要砍倒椰子树并不容易。
4. make every effort to + 原形动词　　尽一切努力去（做）……
Al made every effort to pass the final exam.
艾尔尽全力要通过期末考。 

Extra Words  

1. carbon dioxide　n. 二氧化碳
2. climate change　n. 气候变迁
3. farming　n. 农牧业
4. deforestation　n. 森林砍伐

Grammar Check  

..one problem that makes it harder...for the rainforest to survive.
（……一大问题，它使得雨林……越难以存活。）
make 作不完全及物动词使用时，译为『使……成为……』，加受词后，可接名词或形容词作受词补语。其句型如下：
make + 受词 + 名词∕形容词　　使……成为……
The accident made Henry an orphan.
（那场意外使亨利成了一个孤儿。）
注意:
make 之后不得用不定词词组（to + 原形动词）作受词，一定要用虚受词 it 取代，接形容词或名词做受词补语后，再接不定词词组。本句即为此句构。
make it + 形容词∕名词 + 不定词词组
Dad's encouragement made it possible for me to face difficulties in life.
（我父亲的鼓励使我能够面对人生中的困境。） 

中文翻译  

生物多样性之所以重要有很多原因，其一便是医疗用药。许多我们现在用来治疗疾病及对抗病魔的药物皆由雨林中的植物所制成。这就是为何科学家总是在测试雨林中最新发现的植物。如果雨林持续消失，我们就可能会失去找到某些疾病疗法的机会。除了药物的研发，雨林之美以及生活于其中的动物也将受到影响。雨林一旦消失，它们将不复存在。同样道理也适用于动植物。那些绝种的动植物将无法再亲眼见到。

雨林中数以百万的树木及植物有助于清除空气中的二氧化碳。这不仅减少了空气污染，也协助维持地球的清净。然而，亚马逊雨林的生命却正遭受严重的威胁。气候变迁是一大问题，它使得雨林越来越难以存活。另一原因则是农牧业。人们不断砍伐树木以制造空地，好让他们能用来经营农牧。林木的滥垦滥伐会对雨林造成重大伤害。人们种植或饲养食物固然重要，但保护亚马逊雨林也同样要紧。研究学者认为在二十年内，现存的亚马逊雨林有百分之四十将永远消失。因此，我们应该在为时已晚之前，尽全力来保护这座大自然的瑰宝。 

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