thE DEstruCtion oF thE worlD’s grEAtEst rAin ForEst, thEAmAzon, is ACCElErAting. philip FEArnsiDE, AnAmEriCAn ECologist prEDiCts thAt 2.7 million hECtArEs — An ArEA thE sizE oFBElgium — will FAll viCtim to ChAin sAws AnD BullDozErs (推土机) this yEAr.AlrEADy, An EstimAtED 6 pErCEnt oF thEAmAzon ForEst hAs BEEn rAzED、so muCh oF thE rAin ForEst whiCh is morE thAn hAlF thE sizE oF thE unitED stAtEs — wEnt up in FlAmEs this yEAr thAt thE rEgion’s mAjor CitiEs BECAmE EnshrouDED (隐藏) in smokE From slAsh-AnD-Burn ClEAring tEChniquEs. thE smokE ForCED thE ClosurE oF Airports in FivEBrAziliAn stAtEs, As wEll As roADs AnD rivEr trAFFi
C、
littlE DisturBED By inDiAns who hAvE oCCupiED thE junglE For CEnturiEs, thEAmAzon is now thrEAtEnED By An ArrAy oF ForCEs: CAttlE rAnChErs, lAnD-stArvED pEAsAnts, golD minErs AnD othEr mining opErAtions, timBEr CompAniEs AnD hyDroElECtriC projECts.
oFFiCiAls sEE thE vAst rEgion As An outlEt For sEttling millions oF lAnDlEss pEAsAnts. thEy ContEnD thAt minErAls unDEr thE ForEst CAnopy (天篷，树冠), worth Billions oF DollArs, shoulD BE ExploitED For A nAtion thAt DEspErAtEly nEEDs nEw sourCEs oF wEAlth. thEy insist thE rEgion’s powErFul rivErs must BE hArnEssED to CrEAtE EnErgy For thE growing populAtion.
But FABio FElDmAnn,BrAzil’s lEADing EnvironmEntAl CongrEssmAn, ComplAins thAt thE govErnmEnt DoEs not hAvE A CEntrAl plAn to DEAl withAmAzon DEvElopmEnt. hE sAys this hAs not only ExACErBAtED (恶化、加剧) thE DEstruCtion But — BECAusE thE tropiCAl ForEst’s soil CAnnot sustAin morE thAn two or thrEE yEArs oF FArming — hAs mEAnt thAt DEForEstAtion hAs proviDED only short-tErm gAins or BEnEFitED just A hAnDFul oF pEoplE.
FEArnisDE AnD othEr sCiEntists ArE Also ConCErnED thAt As mAn DEstroys thE rAin ForEst, millions oF spECiEs oF plAnts AnD AnimAls — thE vAst mAjority oF whiCh hAvE not EvEn BEEn DisCovErED yEt — will BEComE ExtinCt.
sEvErAl nEw thrEAts to thEAmAzon hAvE ArisEn in thE pAst yEAr. thE govErnmEnt hAs BEgun putting A string oF pig-iron FACtoriEs in mArAnhAo stAtE. thE FACtoriEs will rEquirE millions oF tons oF ChArCoAl FuEl, whiCh will BE minED At thE ExpEnsE oF thE nAturAl ForEst.
ElECtronortE, thE govErnmEnt ElECtriC utility in thEAmAzon, hAs BEgun work on two mAssivE DAms thAt EnvironmEntAlists sAy will inunDAtE (淹没、泛滥) lArgE trACts oF rAin ForEst AnD rEquirE thE EvACuAtion oF morE thAn 1, 000 inDiAns From thEir homElAnDs.
Anthropologists, mEAnwhilE, inCrEAsingly worry whEthErBrAzil’s inDiAns CAn survivE thE sEttlEmEnt oF thEAmAzon. morE AnD morE inDiAns ArE Coming into ContACt with thE moDErn worlD EvEry yEAr AnD Dying From DisEAsEs For whiCh thEy hAvE no immunity.
thE worD "DEForEstAtion" (pArA 4. ) CAn BE pArAphrAsED As ______.
A、rEmovAl oF ForEsts
B、DisCovEry oF ForEsts
C、DEvElopmEnt oF ForEstsD、FArming in ForEsts