在過(guò)去的二十年間，北極地區(qū)的北美馴鹿（或野生馴鹿）的總數(shù)已驟減多半。一份關(guān)于北極地區(qū)氣候變化影響的新報(bào)告顯示，這類(lèi)馴鹿的總數(shù)從近五百萬(wàn)只下降到約二百一十萬(wàn)只。這項(xiàng)報(bào)告在美國(guó)地球物理聯(lián)盟（American Geophysical Union）會(huì)議上發(fā)表。

文字稿

A warmer Arctic and greener tundra might sound like good news for grazing animals. But the changes in the far north are actually making life much more challenging for wild reindeer.

更暖的北極和更郁郁蔥蔥的苔原帶對(duì)于草食動(dòng)物來(lái)說(shuō)似乎是個(gè)好消息。但在遙遠(yuǎn)的北方，這些變化實(shí)際上使野生馴鹿的生存變得更加艱難。

The animals rely on low-growing lichens, which are being swamped by taller plants. And more rain, rather than snow, when it falls onto freezing ground, forms a hard layer of ice that the animals simply can't push their noses through to feed.

這些動(dòng)物靠矮生地衣為生，但地衣正被長(zhǎng)得更高的植物沒(méi)過(guò)。同時(shí)，更多的降雨而非降雪使得雨滴落在凍土上時(shí)形成堅(jiān)固的冰層，這樣一來(lái)馴鹿完全沒(méi)辦法把鼻子伸進(jìn)去進(jìn)食。

It's also said that a good summer day for a human in the Arctic, still and warm, is a horrible day for the reindeer because they're mobbed by the increasing number of insects. During warmer summers, the animals have to use so much energy to keep the flies away that they can't sustain themselves. The same report revealed that sea ice continues to shrink, and that changes are fuelling extreme weather patterns further south.

也有人說(shuō)，北極地區(qū)的一個(gè)寧?kù)o而溫暖的夏日對(duì)于人類(lèi)來(lái)說(shuō)雖然是很舒適的，但對(duì)馴鹿來(lái)說(shuō)卻很可怕，因?yàn)樗鼈儽蝗找嬖龆嗟南x(chóng)子圍攻。在更溫暖的夏日里，這些動(dòng)物為驅(qū)趕蠅蟲(chóng)，不得不消耗很多能量，以至于無(wú)法維持自身的生存需要。報(bào)告還顯示，海冰仍持續(xù)縮小，而且這些變化正在加劇更南邊地區(qū)的極端天氣模式。

1. 詞匯

tundra 苔原、凍原
grazing 草食的
reindeer 馴鹿（單復(fù)數(shù)形式相同）
low-growing 矮生的、低矮的
lichens 地衣
swamped 被沒(méi)過(guò)，被覆蓋
still 寧?kù)o的
mobbed 被包圍、被圍攻
sustain 維持（生命）
fuelling 加劇、加強(qiáng)

2. 閱讀理解：請(qǐng)?jiān)谧x完上文后，回答下列問(wèn)題 。

1. What do wild reindeer in the Arctic feed on?

2. Why is a good summer day for a human in the Arctic horrible for the reindeer?

3. True or false? A warmer Arctic and greener tundra are making life much more difficult for wild reindeer.

4. Which word in the text means ‘very severe in degree’?

3. 答案

1. What do wild reindeer in the Arctic feed on?
They feed on low-growing lichens.

2. Why is a good summer day for a human in the Arctic horrible for the reindeer?
Because they're mobbed by the increasing number of insects due to the weather. During warmer summers, the animals have to use so much energy to keep the flies away that they can't sustain themselves.

3. True or false? A warmer Arctic and greener tundra are making life much more difficult for wild reindeer.
True. The changes in the far north are making life much more challenging for wild reindeer.

4. Which word in the text means ‘very severe in degree’?
Extreme.