新外研版高中英语选择性必修2Unit5课文翻译.pdf

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MACQUARIEISLAND:fromChaosto

Conservation

麦夸里岛:从混乱不堪到精心保护

IamstandingonMacquarieIsland,intheSouth-westPacificOcean,halfway

betweenAustraliaandAntarctica.Strongwindsandstormyseashavehelpedsculpt

itslong,thinshape.Thegreengrassandbarerockofitslandscapecontrast

dramatically,givingitawildandnaturalbeauty.Novisitorwouldthinkitsurprising

thattheislandisaUNESCOWorldHeritageSite.Norwouldtheyfailtoimaginehow

itsnativeinhabitantsincludingroyalpenguins,kingpenguins,andelephant

sealsexistedinperfectharmonywiththeirnaturalhabitatforthousandsofyears.

我正站在麦夸里岛上,这里位于太平洋的西南部,澳大利亚和南极洲的中间。强风

和惊涛骇浪将海岛塑成现在狭长的形状。绿草和光禿的岩石形成的景观反差巨大,

使海岛呈现出一种狂野和天然的美。这座岛是联合国教科文组织确立的世界遗产,

游客们都认为其名副其实。他们也不难想象出,数千年来,包括帝企鹅、王企鹅和

象海豹在内的当地动物是如何与其自然栖息地完美地和谐共存的。

Buttheislandsmorerecenthistorytellsadifferentstory.Itatragicstorythatbegan

in1810whenhumansarrivedontheisland.Intheirshipstheyunknowinglybrought

ratsandmice.Thesesmallanimalsquicklytookovertheisland,eatingthebirds’eggs

andattackingbabybirds.Catswerebroughttotheislandtocontroltheratsandmice.

Unfortunately,thecatssubsequentlydevelopedanappetiteforthebirds,too.

但是,这座岛近些年的遭遇则是截然不同的故事。悲剧从人类1810年来到这座岛

屿开始。他们不经意间随船带来了大鼠和小鼠。这些小动物很快就占领了岛屿,

它们吃鸟蛋并攻击幼鸟。为控制鼠患,人们带来了猫,但不幸的是,猫随后也开始以

鸟为食。

Meanwhilerabbitswereintroducedtotheislandasasourceoffoodforhumans.

Looseontheisland,theydidwhatrabbitsdobest-theymultipliedrapidlyandbegan

eatingthenativevegetationanddiggingholes,whichcausedsoilerosion.

Theexplodingrabbitpopulationprovid