Air pollution is
damaging 60% of Europe’s prime wildlife sites in meadows, forests and bushes,
according to a new report.
A team of EU
scientists said nitrogen emissions(氮排放) from cars, factories and farming were threatening biodiversity. It’s
the second report this week warning of the on-going risks and threats linked to
nitrogen pollution.
Nitrogen in the
atmosphere is harmless in its inert(惰性的) state, but the report says reactive forms of nitrogen, largely
produced by human activity, can be a menace to the natural world.
Emissions mostly
come from vehicle exhausts(排氣), factories, artificial fertilizers(肥料) and
animal waste from intensive farming. The reactive nitrogen they emit to the air
disrupts the environment in two ways: It can make acidic soils too acidic to
support their previous mix of species. But primarily, because nitrogen is a
fertilizer, it favors wild plants that can maximize the use of nitrogen to help
them grow.
In effect, some of
the nitrogen spread to fertilize crops is carried in the atmosphere to fertilize
weeds, possibly a great distance from where the chemicals were first applied.
The effects of
fertilization and acidification favor common aggressive species like grasses,
brambles and nettles. They harm more delicate species like mosses(苔蘚), and insect-eating sundew plants.
The report said 60%
of wildlife sites were now receiving a critical load of reactive nitrogen. The
report’s lead author, Dr Kevin Hicks from the University of York’s Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI), told BBC News that England’s Peak District had a
definitely low range of species as a result of the reactive nitrogen that fell
on the area.
“Nitrogen creates a
rather big problem that seems to me to have been given too little attention,”
he said. “Governments are responsible for protecting areas like this, but they
are clearly failing.”
He said more
research was needed to understand the knock-on effects for creatures from the
changes in vegetation accidentally caused by emissions from cars, industry and
farms.
At the conference,
the representatives agreed “The Edinburgh Declaration on Reactive Nitrogen”.
The document highlights the importance of reducing reactive nitrogen emissions
to the environment, adding that the benefits of reducing nitrogen outweigh the
costs of taking action.
1.The underlined word “menace” is used to express that the reactive nitrogen,
largely produced by human activity can be ___________.
A. frightening B.
threatening C. unique D.
unusual
2. We can infer from the passage that _________.
A.
it’s harmless to have
reactive nitrogen existing in the atmosphere
B.
reactive nitrogen
emissions help aggressive species less than crops
C.
the harm to those
delicate species has a negative impact on biodiversity
D.
reactive nitrogen can
fertilize soils and keep their biodiversity
3. The team of EU scientists released the second report of nitrogen emissions
this week when __________.
A.
no action was taken to
stop nitrogen emission
B.
governments were willing
to protect areas harmed by nitrogen
C.
“The Edinburgh
Declaration on Reactive Nitrogen” was agreed
D.
nitrogen emissions were
threatening wildlife sites’ biodiversity
4. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A. Keeping Away From
Nitrogen Emissions B. Stopping Nitrogen Emissions
C. Air Pollution
Damaging Europe’s Wildlife D. Saving
Europe’s Wildlife
