选择性必修2 Unit5语篇1 MACQUARIE ISLAND: from Chaos to Conservation 麦夸里岛：从混乱到保护 I am standing on Macquarie Island,in the South-west Pacific Ocean,halfway between Australia and Antarctica.Strong winds and stormy seas have helped sculpt its long,thin shape.The green grass and bare rock of its landscape contrast dramatically, giving it a wild and natural beauty.No visitor would think it surprising that the island is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.Nor would they fail to imagine how its native inhabitants,including royal penguins, king penguins,and elephant seals,existed in perfect harmony with their natural habitat for thousands of years. 我正站在西南太平洋的麦夸里岛上，这里位于澳大利亚和南极洲之间的中点。强劲的海风和汹涌的海浪塑造了它狭长地貌。翠绿的草地与裸露的岩石形成鲜明对比，呈现出狂野而原始的自然之美。任何到访者都不会惊讶这座岛屿被联合国教科文组织列为世界遗产，也都能想象到包括帝企鹅、王企鹅和象海豹在内的原住民，如何与这片自然栖息地完美共存了数千年。 But the island's more recent history tells a different story.It's a tragic story that began in 1810 when humans arrived on the island.In their ships they unknowingly brought rats and mice.These small animals quickly took over the island,eating the birds eggs and attacking baby birds.Cats were brought to the island to control the rats and mice. Unfortunately, the cats subsequently developed an appetite for the birds, too. 但这座岛屿的近代历史却讲述了一个截然不同的故事。这是一个始于1810年的悲剧，当时人类登上了这座岛屿。他们乘坐的船只无意中带来了鼠类。这些小型动物迅速占领全岛，啄食鸟蛋并袭击雏鸟。人们引入猫来控制鼠患，不幸的是，这些猫随后也发展出了对海鸟的捕食欲。 Meanwhile,rabbits were introduced to the island as a source of food for humans. Loose on the island,they did what rabbits do best-they multiplied rapidly and began eating the native vegetation and digging holes,which caused soil erosion.The exploding rabbit population provided plentiful food for the cats,meaning that the number of cats also increased.This in turn led to more cats hunting the birds.The end result was that parakeets,once large in number and native to the island,died out in 1891. 与此同时，人们将兔子引入该岛作为人类食物来源。这些兔子在岛上自由活动后，展现了它们最擅长的本领———快速繁殖，并开始啃食本土植被、挖掘洞穴，导致土壤侵蚀。激增的兔群为猫提供了充足食物，这意味着猫的数量也随之增加。这进而导致更多猫捕食鸟类。最终结果是：曾经数量庞大且作为该岛本土物种的鹦鹉，于1891年灭绝。 Even after Macquarie Island became an official nature reserve in the 1970s,the rabbits remained out of control.Experts felt it necessary to come up with a plan to remove all the rabbits from the island.With this goal in mind,a virus was released onto the island. But although the virus caused the rabbit population to decrease from 130,000 to around 10,000,it also meant less food for the cats.The cats in consequence turned their attention -and their stomachs-back to the native birds,killing up to 60,000 each year.In the 1980s, traps and dogs were us ... ...
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