Restrict Pesticides to Save Bees

歌名	Restrict Pesticides to Save Bees
歌手	英语听力
专辑	VOA慢速英语：农业报道

原歌词

[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.

歌词翻译

[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。