【轻松英文阅读】切尔诺贝利森林面临的危险
时间：2018-12-28 作者：英语课 分类：轻松英文阅读
英语课
Something strange is happening in the forests around Chernobyl. More precisely 1, it is what is not happening that is the problem. When leaves fall and trees die there, they are not decomposing 2 properly.
Scientists visiting the dead forests noticed that the trees were almost unchanged nearly 30 years after the disaster. They also found an unusually thick carpet of fallen leaves. The scientists knew something strange was happening and they decided 3 to investigate. They uncovered that the rate of decay for the dead trees and leaves was much slower in the contaminated areas.
It appears that microbes, fungi 4 and insects, are suffering from contamination. Usually, when a tree dies in the forest these organisms break it down and turn it into soil. They are essential to the forest ecosystem 5. But near Chernobyl the ecosystem has broken down.
The problem could have wider implications. The scientists fear that the thick dead brush could be a huge fire risk. A forest fire in the area would be hard to control. What is worse is that it could spread radioactive material well beyond the exclusion 6 zone.
1 precisely
adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地
- It's precisely that sort of slick sales-talk that I mistrust.我不相信的正是那种油腔滑调的推销宣传。
- The man adjusted very precisely.那个人调得很准。
2 decomposing
腐烂( decompose的现在分词 )； （使）分解； 分解（某物质、光线等）
- The air was filled with the overpowering stench of decomposing vegetation. 空气中充满了令人难以忍受的腐烂植物的恶臭。
- Heat was obtained from decomposing manures and hot air flues. 靠肥料分解和烟道为植物提供热量。
3 decided
adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的
- This gave them a decided advantage over their opponents.这使他们比对手具有明显的优势。
- There is a decided difference between British and Chinese way of greeting.英国人和中国人打招呼的方式有很明显的区别。
4 fungi
n.真菌，霉菌
- Students practice to apply the study of genetics to multicellular plants and fungi.学生们练习把基因学应用到多细胞植物和真菌中。
- The lawn was covered with fungi.草地上到处都是蘑菇。