（本節(jié)目使用的音頻資源于2021年10月底發(fā)表。）

由于人類活動(dòng)和氣候變化導(dǎo)致森林退化，世界上最受保護(hù)的森林中已有十處成為凈碳排放源。

There are 257 forests with Unesco World Heritage status. They cover an area twice the size of Germany and are formally listed, studied and protected for their global scientific and natural significance.

有257處森林被列為聯(lián)合國(guó)教科文組織世界遺產(chǎn)。其總面積是德國(guó)的兩倍。這些森林因在全球科學(xué)和自然方面的重要性被正式列入名單，并成為研究和保護(hù)的對(duì)象。

This was the first assessment of exactly how much planet-warming gas they absorb from the atmosphere. It showed that collectively, these forests soak up 190 million tonnes of carbon every year. But it also revealed that human activity has turned some of them into net emitters of carbon.

這是第一次評(píng)估這些森林從大氣中吸收的確切溫室氣體量。結(jié)果顯示，它們每年總共吸收1.9億公噸碳。但另一方面，研究也揭示了人類活動(dòng)已經(jīng)使其中一些森林成為凈排放源。

Illegal logging, agriculture and increasingly frequent wildfires, driven by climate change over the past two decades, have resulted in ten protected forests releasing more greenhouse gas than they absorb.

非法伐木和農(nóng)業(yè)，再加上過(guò)去20年氣候變化導(dǎo)致日益頻繁的野火，使十個(gè)受保護(hù)森林釋放的溫室氣體量超過(guò)其吸收量。

Just days ahead of the critical UN Climate Conference in Glasgow, the researchers say the world needs to act now to slash the emissions that have turned some of the most protected forests on Earth into sources of planet-warming gas.

就在聯(lián)合國(guó)在格拉斯哥召開(kāi)重要?dú)夂驎?huì)議的幾天前，研究人員指出，需要全世界立即采取行動(dòng)，大幅削減排放，溫室氣體排放已將地球上一些最受保護(hù)的森林變成了全球變暖氣體的來(lái)源。

詞匯表

significance 重要性，意義
assessment 評(píng)估
planet-warming 導(dǎo)致全球變暖的
absorb 吸收
soak up 吸取
net emitters 凈排放源（釋放量大于吸收量的事物）
logging 伐木
releasing 釋放
greenhouse gas 溫室氣體
slash 大幅削減

閱讀理解：請(qǐng)?jiān)谧x完上文后，回答下列問(wèn)題。

1. How big is the area covered by forests with Unesco World Heritage status?

2. How many tonnes of carbon do these forests absorb every year?

3. What have illegal logging, agriculture and wildfires caused some of the protected forests to do?

4. According to researchers, when should we do something to cut the emissions which the forests are releasing?

答案  

1. How big is the area covered by forests with Unesco World Heritage status?
They cover an area twice the size of Germany.

2. How many tonnes of carbon do these forests absorb every year?
These forests soak up – or absorb – 190 million tonnes of carbon every year.

3. What have illegal logging, agriculture and wildfires caused some of the protected forests to do?
They have caused ten of these protected forests to release more greenhouse gas than they absorb.

4. According to researchers, when should we do something to cut the emissions which the forests are releasing?
Researchers say the world needs to act now to slash the emissions.