歌曲 | Restrict Pesticides to Save Bees |
歌手 | 英语听力 |
专辑 | VOA慢速英语:农业报道 |
下载 | Image LRC TXT |
[00:00.10] | From VOA Learning English, |
[00:01.75] | this is the Agriculture Report. |
[00:05.13] | A decline in the number of honeybees |
[00:08.23] | is a growing problem worldwide. |
[00:11.26] | The decreasing bee population could contribute |
[00:14.91] | to an increase in prices for crops |
[00:17.74] | that depend on pollination by honeybees. |
[00:21.29] | Researchers continue to study the decline |
[00:24.22] | while beekeepers like Terrence Ingram |
[00:27.62] | struggle to keep their bee colonies alive. |
[00:31.05] | He says he loves being at the center of a swarm of bees. |
[00:38.97] | "I love beekeeping. It's one of God's greatest miracles." |
[00:44.01] | He has raised honeybees since 1954 in managed colonies |
[00:49.59] | behind his house in rural Apple River, Illinois. |
[00:54.27] | "We had 250 hives at one time. |
[00:56.41] | We sold five, six tons of honey a year." |
[00:59.97] | But that number is declining. |
[01:02.31] | "Now we’re down to about probably four tons." |
[01:05.25] | Not because the 73 year-old beekeeper is slowing down, |
[01:09.59] | but because there are fewer bees producing honey. |
[01:13.83] | He says the decline in his bee population began in 1996. |
[01:20.05] | he blames that decline on the use of insecticides |
[01:24.38] | and herbicides on the farmland surrounding his property. |
[01:29.17] | "Every three weeks that summer, |
[01:30.82] | they were spraying with the airplane, |
[01:32.81] | and by the end of the year, |
[01:34.35] | I didn't have any of my 250 hives left." |
[01:36.49] | This caught the attention of researchers like Christian Krupke, |
[01:41.54] | a professor at Purdue University who studies bees and other insects. |
[01:47.52] | "There have been similar reports from Europe in the past, |
[01:50.85] | and so we looked into it a little bit further |
[01:52.80] | from the point of view of wondering |
[01:54.29] | first of all what is killing these bees, |
[01:56.39] | and second of all how are these bees acquiring |
[01:58.93] | whatever this toxic chemical is." |
[02:01.51] | Experts say there are many reasons for the worldwide bee decline, |
[02:06.35] | not just insecticides. |
[02:08.89] | But in this case, Proffessor Krupke and his colleagues |
[02:13.32] | thought insecticides might be the cause. |
[02:16.91] | So they studied the insecticides |
[02:20.61] | - known as neonicotinoids - that are applied to seeds |
[02:24.49] | as they are planted in the ground, rather than sprayed from above. |
[02:29.12] | "The two compounds that kept coming up when we tested these dead bees |
[02:33.24] | were the pesticides clothianidin and thiamethoxam. |
[02:37.32] | Those are insecticides that are applied to corn seeds." |
[02:39.60] | About 30 years ago, |
[02:41.45] | there were 4 million managed bee colonies throughout the United States. |
[02:47.07] | Today, there are fewer than 2 million. |
[02:51.36] | Researchers like Professor Krupke blame that in part on the use of insecticides. |
[02:57.14] | "Can we get by without neonicotinoids insecticides in these field crops? |
[03:01.67] | I believe we can. I believe we have data that show that we can." |
[03:04.52] | This December, the European Union plans |
[03:08.20] | to ban the use of some insecticides |
[03:10.69] | that researchers have linked to bee deaths. |
[03:14.33] | No such restrictions are planned in the United States. |
[03:18.62] | Illinois beekeeper Terrence Ingram says |
[03:22.31] | some of the damage already done is permanent. |
[03:26.34] | "We've got many bee keepers around here that have quit, |
[03:29.19] | just gone out of business because they can't succeed." |
[03:32.03] | But not Terrence Ingram, he says his passion for bees |
[03:36.32] | is just as strong as it was when he tended his first colony, |
[03:41.34] | more than 60 years ago. |
[03:44.03] | "See one bee coming out right here, she is attend coming up." |
[03:49.86] | And that's the Agriculture Report from VOA Learning English. |
[03:55.25] | I'm Christopher Cruise. |
[00:00.10] | From VOA Learning English, |
[00:01.75] | this is the Agriculture Report. |
[00:05.13] | A decline in the number of honeybees |
[00:08.23] | is a growing problem worldwide. |
[00:11.26] | The decreasing bee population could contribute |
[00:14.91] | to an increase in prices for crops |
[00:17.74] | that depend on pollination by honeybees. |
[00:21.29] | Researchers continue to study the decline |
[00:24.22] | while beekeepers like Terrence Ingram |
[00:27.62] | struggle to keep their bee colonies alive. |
[00:31.05] | He says he loves being at the center of a swarm of bees. |
[00:38.97] | " I love beekeeping. It' s one of God' s greatest miracles." |
[00:44.01] | He has raised honeybees since 1954 in managed colonies |
[00:49.59] | behind his house in rural Apple River, Illinois. |
[00:54.27] | " We had 250 hives at one time. |
[00:56.41] | We sold five, six tons of honey a year." |
[00:59.97] | But that number is declining. |
[01:02.31] | " Now we' re down to about probably four tons." |
[01:05.25] | Not because the 73 yearold beekeeper is slowing down, |
[01:09.59] | but because there are fewer bees producing honey. |
[01:13.83] | He says the decline in his bee population began in 1996. |
[01:20.05] | he blames that decline on the use of insecticides |
[01:24.38] | and herbicides on the farmland surrounding his property. |
[01:29.17] | " Every three weeks that summer, |
[01:30.82] | they were spraying with the airplane, |
[01:32.81] | and by the end of the year, |
[01:34.35] | I didn' t have any of my 250 hives left." |
[01:36.49] | This caught the attention of researchers like Christian Krupke, |
[01:41.54] | a professor at Purdue University who studies bees and other insects. |
[01:47.52] | " There have been similar reports from Europe in the past, |
[01:50.85] | and so we looked into it a little bit further |
[01:52.80] | from the point of view of wondering |
[01:54.29] | first of all what is killing these bees, |
[01:56.39] | and second of all how are these bees acquiring |
[01:58.93] | whatever this toxic chemical is." |
[02:01.51] | Experts say there are many reasons for the worldwide bee decline, |
[02:06.35] | not just insecticides. |
[02:08.89] | But in this case, Proffessor Krupke and his colleagues |
[02:13.32] | thought insecticides might be the cause. |
[02:16.91] | So they studied the insecticides |
[02:20.61] | known as neonicotinoids that are applied to seeds |
[02:24.49] | as they are planted in the ground, rather than sprayed from above. |
[02:29.12] | " The two compounds that kept coming up when we tested these dead bees |
[02:33.24] | were the pesticides clothianidin and thiamethoxam. |
[02:37.32] | Those are insecticides that are applied to corn seeds." |
[02:39.60] | About 30 years ago, |
[02:41.45] | there were 4 million managed bee colonies throughout the United States. |
[02:47.07] | Today, there are fewer than 2 million. |
[02:51.36] | Researchers like Professor Krupke blame that in part on the use of insecticides. |
[02:57.14] | " Can we get by without neonicotinoids insecticides in these field crops? |
[03:01.67] | I believe we can. I believe we have data that show that we can." |
[03:04.52] | This December, the European Union plans |
[03:08.20] | to ban the use of some insecticides |
[03:10.69] | that researchers have linked to bee deaths. |
[03:14.33] | No such restrictions are planned in the United States. |
[03:18.62] | Illinois beekeeper Terrence Ingram says |
[03:22.31] | some of the damage already done is permanent. |
[03:26.34] | " We' ve got many bee keepers around here that have quit, |
[03:29.19] | just gone out of business because they can' t succeed." |
[03:32.03] | But not Terrence Ingram, he says his passion for bees |
[03:36.32] | is just as strong as it was when he tended his first colony, |
[03:41.34] | more than 60 years ago. |
[03:44.03] | " See one bee coming out right here, she is attend coming up." |
[03:49.86] | And that' s the Agriculture Report from VOA Learning English. |
[03:55.25] | I' m Christopher Cruise. |
[00:00.10] | From VOA Learning English, |
[00:01.75] | this is the Agriculture Report. |
[00:05.13] | A decline in the number of honeybees |
[00:08.23] | is a growing problem worldwide. |
[00:11.26] | The decreasing bee population could contribute |
[00:14.91] | to an increase in prices for crops |
[00:17.74] | that depend on pollination by honeybees. |
[00:21.29] | Researchers continue to study the decline |
[00:24.22] | while beekeepers like Terrence Ingram |
[00:27.62] | struggle to keep their bee colonies alive. |
[00:31.05] | He says he loves being at the center of a swarm of bees. |
[00:38.97] | " I love beekeeping. It' s one of God' s greatest miracles." |
[00:44.01] | He has raised honeybees since 1954 in managed colonies |
[00:49.59] | behind his house in rural Apple River, Illinois. |
[00:54.27] | " We had 250 hives at one time. |
[00:56.41] | We sold five, six tons of honey a year." |
[00:59.97] | But that number is declining. |
[01:02.31] | " Now we' re down to about probably four tons." |
[01:05.25] | Not because the 73 yearold beekeeper is slowing down, |
[01:09.59] | but because there are fewer bees producing honey. |
[01:13.83] | He says the decline in his bee population began in 1996. |
[01:20.05] | he blames that decline on the use of insecticides |
[01:24.38] | and herbicides on the farmland surrounding his property. |
[01:29.17] | " Every three weeks that summer, |
[01:30.82] | they were spraying with the airplane, |
[01:32.81] | and by the end of the year, |
[01:34.35] | I didn' t have any of my 250 hives left." |
[01:36.49] | This caught the attention of researchers like Christian Krupke, |
[01:41.54] | a professor at Purdue University who studies bees and other insects. |
[01:47.52] | " There have been similar reports from Europe in the past, |
[01:50.85] | and so we looked into it a little bit further |
[01:52.80] | from the point of view of wondering |
[01:54.29] | first of all what is killing these bees, |
[01:56.39] | and second of all how are these bees acquiring |
[01:58.93] | whatever this toxic chemical is." |
[02:01.51] | Experts say there are many reasons for the worldwide bee decline, |
[02:06.35] | not just insecticides. |
[02:08.89] | But in this case, Proffessor Krupke and his colleagues |
[02:13.32] | thought insecticides might be the cause. |
[02:16.91] | So they studied the insecticides |
[02:20.61] | known as neonicotinoids that are applied to seeds |
[02:24.49] | as they are planted in the ground, rather than sprayed from above. |
[02:29.12] | " The two compounds that kept coming up when we tested these dead bees |
[02:33.24] | were the pesticides clothianidin and thiamethoxam. |
[02:37.32] | Those are insecticides that are applied to corn seeds." |
[02:39.60] | About 30 years ago, |
[02:41.45] | there were 4 million managed bee colonies throughout the United States. |
[02:47.07] | Today, there are fewer than 2 million. |
[02:51.36] | Researchers like Professor Krupke blame that in part on the use of insecticides. |
[02:57.14] | " Can we get by without neonicotinoids insecticides in these field crops? |
[03:01.67] | I believe we can. I believe we have data that show that we can." |
[03:04.52] | This December, the European Union plans |
[03:08.20] | to ban the use of some insecticides |
[03:10.69] | that researchers have linked to bee deaths. |
[03:14.33] | No such restrictions are planned in the United States. |
[03:18.62] | Illinois beekeeper Terrence Ingram says |
[03:22.31] | some of the damage already done is permanent. |
[03:26.34] | " We' ve got many bee keepers around here that have quit, |
[03:29.19] | just gone out of business because they can' t succeed." |
[03:32.03] | But not Terrence Ingram, he says his passion for bees |
[03:36.32] | is just as strong as it was when he tended his first colony, |
[03:41.34] | more than 60 years ago. |
[03:44.03] | " See one bee coming out right here, she is attend coming up." |
[03:49.86] | And that' s the Agriculture Report from VOA Learning English. |
[03:55.25] | I' m Christopher Cruise. |
[00:00.10] | 来自美国之音慢速英语, |
[00:01.75] | 这里是农业报道。 |
[00:05.13] | 蜜蜂数量的下降 |
[00:08.23] | 是一个全球日益严重的问题。 |
[00:11.26] | 蜜蜂种群持续减少可能有助于 |
[00:14.91] | 依赖蜜蜂授粉的农作物 |
[00:17.74] | 价格的上涨。 |
[00:21.29] | 研究人员继续研究着这一下降, |
[00:24.22] | 而像Terrence Ingram等养蜂人 |
[00:27.62] | 则在努力保持他们的蜂群存活。 |
[00:31.05] | 他说,他喜欢呆在蜂群的中心。 |
[00:38.97] | ”我喜欢养蜂,这是上帝的最伟大的奇迹之一。” |
[00:44.01] | 他自1954年养蜂以来, |
[00:49.59] | 就在自己位于伊利诺伊州的Apple River镇农村地区的屋后饲养有管理的蜂群。 |
[00:54.27] | “我们曾在同一时间拥有250个蜂箱, |
[00:56.41] | 我一年卖出五,六吨蜂蜜。” |
[00:59.97] | 但这一数字正在下降。 |
[01:02.31] | “现在我们下降到大约四吨。” |
[01:05.25] | 不是因为这位73岁的养蜂人正在慢下来, |
[01:09.59] | 而是因为生产蜜的蜜蜂少了。 |
[01:13.83] | 他说,从1996年开始,蜜蜂的数量下降。 |
[01:20.05] | 他指责自家附近农田使用了杀虫剂 |
[01:24.38] | 和除草剂。 |
[01:29.17] | “那年夏天每三周, |
[01:30.82] | 他们就使用飞机喷洒。 |
[01:32.81] | 到那年年底, |
[01:34.35] | 我250个蜂箱颗粒无收。” |
[01:36.49] | 这引起了像普渡大学研究蜜蜂和昆虫的教授Christian Krupke |
[01:41.54] | 等研究人员的注意。 |
[01:47.52] | “过去欧洲一直有类似的报道, |
[01:50.85] | 所以我们从该角度出发 |
[01:52.80] | 稍微深入调查了一下。 |
[01:54.29] | 首先要知道是什么杀死了这些蜜蜂; |
[01:56.39] | 其次,蜜蜂是如何感染上 |
[01:58.93] | 这些有毒化学品。” |
[02:01.51] | 专家称,全球蜜蜂数量下降有许多原因, |
[02:06.35] | 而不只是因为杀虫剂。 |
[02:08.89] | 但在该案例中,Krupke教授和他的同事们 |
[02:13.32] | 认为杀虫剂可能就是其诱因。 |
[02:16.91] | 因此,他们研究了这种 |
[02:20.61] | 被称为新烟碱类的杀虫剂, |
[02:24.49] | 当播种到地下时,这种杀虫剂被应用于种子本身,而不是从地面上喷洒 |
[02:29.12] | “我们检测这些死蜂时不断出现的这两种化学物, |
[02:33.24] | 是杀虫剂噻虫胺(clothianidin)和噻虫嗪(thiamethoxam) |
[02:37.32] | 这些都是应用于玉米种子的两种杀虫剂。” |
[02:39.60] | 大约30年前, |
[02:41.45] | 整个美国有400万有管理的蜂群。 |
[02:47.07] | 而今,这一数字少于200万。 |
[02:51.36] | 像Krupke教授等研究人员就其部分归咎于杀虫剂的应用。 |
[02:57.14] | “我们能在这些农田作物中不使用新烟碱类杀虫剂吗? |
[03:01.67] | 我认为我们可以,有数据表明我们能够做到。” |
[03:04.52] | 今年12月,欧盟计划 |
[03:08.20] | 禁止使用某些杀虫剂, |
[03:10.69] | 研究人员已将其与蜜蜂死亡联系起来。 |
[03:14.33] | 美国没有计划出台这样的限制。 |
[03:18.62] | 伊利诺伊州的养蜂人Terrence Ingram说, |
[03:22.31] | 一些伤害是永久性的。 |
[03:26.34] | “我们这附近很多养蜂人 |
[03:29.19] | 因为没法成功都已经退出。” |
[03:32.03] | 但不包括Terrence Ingram。他说,他对蜜蜂的激情 |
[03:36.32] | 和他60多年前照顾他第一个蜂箱时 |
[03:41.34] | 一样强烈。 |
[03:44.03] | 看到一只蜜蜂从这里出来,她出席了。 |
[03:49.86] | 这是美国之音英语学习的农业报道。 |
[03:55.25] | 我是Christopher Cruise。 |