A
East Africa is experiencing the worst desert locust outbreak in decades. Climate events have accelerated breeding of the pest across the region, and with a sudden rise in the locust population expected in coming weeks, urgent actions and funds are needed to prevent a human crisis.
Twenty million people in six of the eight East African countries are most affected by an ongoing desert locust outbreak at risk of serious food insecurity. Considered among the most destructive of moving pests, an adult locust can consume 2g of plants per day, affecting crops and grasslands. A group typically holds 20 to 150 million locusts per square kilometer and can move hundreds of kilometers per day, invading areas covering millions of square kilometers. An active group, therefore, can destroy crops and grasslands within a very short period of time.
That global warming could increase the risk of desert locust crisis was proposed over ten years ago, and in February, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres stated that the current outbreak is linked to the effects of climate change: “warmer seas mean more perfect breeding ground for locusts”. The outbreak has its origins in 2018, when a series of windstorms in the Arabian Peninsula (阿拉伯半岛) enabled the warm and wet conditions the desert locust requires to breed and band undetected in remote regions. Though our focus here is migration west, dreadful outbreaks of the desert locust have been experienced to the east.
The situation is going out of control. A rescue operation and financial support admit no delay.
The Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) can take out only US$138 million for rapid response and immediate action — controlling the spread of the desert locust and safeguarding livelihoods. They say the maths is clear: about half the funding (资助) is needed for supervision, ground and sky control, and uniting efforts; the other half is needed for livelihoods and food security of farmers. As for the huge gap, they have called on the international community to act now through funding. However, by the end of February, just US $69 million had been promised.
This most alarming crisis has developed and is worsening in East Africa. The funds needed to control the situation become very difficult to achieve and the gap is a big concern.
【文章大意】本文是一篇新闻报道。文章讲述了东非发生了严重的沙漠蝗虫灾害, 预计在未来几周内蝗虫数量会急剧增加。粮食及农业组织呼吁国际社会立即筹集资金采取行动控制沙漠蝗虫灾害。
1. Why does the crisis happen in East Africa?
A. There is a big population there.
B. There are large deserts and grasslands.
C. Africa lies west of Arabian Peninsula.
D. Good climate for breeding plays a role.
【解析】选D。细节理解题。根据第一段可知, 东非正在经历几十年来最严重的沙漠蝗虫灾害, 气候活动加速了该地区害虫的繁殖。即蝗虫危机在东非发生的原因是气候条件有利于蝗虫的繁殖。故选D。
2. Why does the writer list those figures in Para. 2?
A. To warn of the terrible damage by locusts.
B. To help us understand how locusts live.
C. To show how many locusts there are now.
D. To draw a picture of the present Africa.
【解析】选A。推理判断题。根据第二段可知, 八个东非国家中有六个国家的2 000万人受持续不断的沙漠蝗虫的影响最大, 面临严重的粮食不安全风险。蝗虫被认为是最具破坏力的害虫之一, 一只成年蝗虫每天可以吃掉2克植物, 从而影响农作物和草原。通常每平方千米的一个蝗虫群会有2 000万至1. 5亿只蝗虫, 它们每天可以移动数百千米, 入侵面积达数百万平方千米的地区。因此, 移动中的蝗虫群可以在很短的时间内破坏农作物和草原。因此判断出作者在第2段中列出这些数字是为了警告人们蝗虫会造成严重的损失及破坏。
3. What can we infer from the text?
A. The crisis is not noticed until recently.
B. More fund is needed to prevent the crisis.
C. The crisis has been the focus of the world.
D. Locusts are all from the Arabian Peninsula.
【解析】选B。推理判断题。根据倒数第二段可知, 对于资金的严重不足, 粮食及农业组织呼吁国际社会立即筹款。然而, 到2月底, 仅筹措到6 900万美元。因此我们可以推断出需要更多资金来预防危机。
4. Which is the best title for the text?
A. Killing Locusts before too Late
B. Global Warming, a World Problem
C. Funding Gap for Locust Crisis
D. Africa, a Crisis-stricken Place
【解析】选C。主旨大意题。通读全文可知, 文章讲述了东非发生了严重的沙漠蝗虫灾害, 预计在未来几周内蝗虫数量会急剧增加。粮食及农业组织呼吁国际社会立即筹集资金采取行动控制沙漠蝗虫灾害。目前控制局势所需的资金变得非常难以实现, 缺口是一个大问题。因此文章的最佳标题是C项(蝗灾危机的资金缺口)。
【知识拓展】佳词积累
1. locust n. 蝗虫
2. outbreak n. 爆发
3. breeding n. 繁殖
4. ongoing adj. 仍在进行的, 持续存在的
5. crisis n. 危机
6. livelihood n. 生计, 营生
7. worsen v. 恶化, 变得更坏
