2017考研趣味閱讀：致命病菌或使香蕉滅絕

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研究：致命病菌或使香蕉滅絕

Banana extinction: Newly discovered virulent bug threatens future of bananas

The most popular fruit in the world - bananas - may be about to be wiped out by an invisible killer bug.

一種無形的致死性病菌或許馬上就要把香蕉——這種世界上最受歡迎的水果——“趕盡殺絕”了。

Panama Disease – which has already destroyed the most popular variety of banana – is back and its spreading like wildfire across global crops.

巴拿馬病(香蕉黃葉病)已經讓人們最喜愛的香蕉品種消失不見了，現在又卷土重來，以野火般的勢頭席卷全球的香蕉作物。

The problem is, bananas are seedless and are essentially all cloned from exactly the same plant – making them extremely vulnerable to disease.

問題的癥結在于香蕉沒有果籽，基本上都是從同一植株克隆而來，因此對疾病的抵抗力極低。

A new study has warned the much-loved yellow fruit will be wiped out if we don't take action NOW.

一項最新的研究警告稱，如果人類不“立刻”采取行動，這種廣受歡迎的黃色水果將會永遠消失。

The Gros Michel banana was once the most popular variety in the world – until it was completely killed off by Panama Disease in the 1950s.

“大麥克香蕉”曾經是世界上最受歡迎的香蕉品種，但于上世紀50年代被巴拿馬病滅絕了。

The Cavendish banana – from the UK – stepped in to replace the Gros Michel and now makes up 95% of all banana exports in the world.

源自英國的“卡文迪什香蕉”因此取代大麥克香蕉成為最受歡迎的品種，目前占世界香蕉出口總量的95%。

But Panama Disease – which is transmitted through soil and water and attacks the banana plant's roots – can lay dormant, waiting to strike, for up to 30 years.

然而，這種能通過水和土壤傳播、直擊香蕉根系的巴拿馬病，可潛伏高達30年之久，伺機再現。

And now it's back with a new global epidemic.

現在它果然卷土重來，引發了又一場全球香蕉病變。

The deadly fungal pathogen is resistant to fungicide and cannot be controlled chemically.

殺菌劑對這種致命性真菌病原體無效，化學手段都不管用。

It has completely wiped out Cavendish banana crops in Taiwan and is now spreading through the Chinese mainland, Indonesia and Malaysia, decimating crops.

它使臺灣地區的卡文迪什香蕉全部壞死，現在正在中國大陸、印度尼西亞和馬來西亞等地蔓延，大肆毀滅香蕉作物。

The bug has "significantly" reduced the banana industry in Australia – which previously lost its bananas to disease in the 19th century – and threatens the entire export trade in the Philippines.

巴拿馬病已使澳大利亞的香蕉產業大幅縮水，現在又威脅到了菲律賓的香蕉出口。早在19世紀時，澳大利亞香蕉產業就曾毀于此病菌之手。

Since 2013 it has been reported as far and wide as Jordan, Pakistan, Lebanon, Mozambique and Oman.

2013年以來，約旦、巴基斯坦、黎巴嫩、莫桑比克和阿曼等地也都發現了巴拿馬病的蹤跡，可見其影響的遠度和廣度。

Vocabulary

fungicide：殺真菌劑

decimate：大量毀滅