英语阅读_31-40_Shanghai’s Chongming Dongtan

Shanghai’s Chongming Dongtan National Nature Reserve (保护区) has been added to the World Heritage List.
上海崇明东滩国家级自然保护区已被列入世界遗产名录。

It is the city’s first World Natural Heritage Site.
它是该市首个世界自然遗产地。

Dongtan lies at the mouth of the Yangtze River.
东滩位于长江口。

Each year, nearly one million birds stop there for short stays or wintering.
每年，近一百万只鸟在那里停留作短暂停留或越冬。

To protect these birds, a nature reserve was set up in Dongtan’s wetlands in 1998.
为了保护这些鸟类，1998年在东滩湿地建立了一个自然保护区。

In 2005, it became a national bird nature reserve.
在2005年，它成为了国家级鸟类自然保护区。

Since 1998, great efforts have been made to protect the wetland ecosystem (生态系统).
自1998年以来，人们付出了巨大的努力来保护湿地生态系统。

The task has not been easy.
这项任务一直并不容易。

One of the biggest challenges is to control cordgrass.
最大的挑战之一是控制互花米草。

This invasive (侵略的) plant was introduced in the mid-1990s to Chongming for shoreline protection.
这种外来入侵植物在20世纪90年代中期被引进到崇明用于海岸线防护。

However, the grass grew too quickly across the Dongtan mudflats.
然而，这种草在东滩滩涂上生长蔓延得太快了。

As a result, many native plants died and the homes of birds were in danger.
结果，许多本土植物死亡，鸟类的家园处于危险之中。

Starting from 2002, the reserve has tried a number of ways to get rid of these plants.
从2002年开始，该保护区尝试了许多方法来消灭这些植物。

Finally, a plan was worked out.
最后，制定出了一套方案。

The first step was to build physical barriers (物理屏障) to prevent spread of the grass.
第一步是建立物理屏障以防止这种草的蔓延。

Once the barriers were built, water was allowed into small areas.
一旦屏障建成，水就被引入小区域内。

Above the water line, the grass was cut.
在水位线之上的草被割掉了。

Their roots were left underwater for half a year.
它们的根在水下留了半年。

This effectively killed these roots.
这有效地杀死了这些根。

When the soil dried out, native plants were replanted.
当土壤变干时，重新种植了本土植物。

The method has proved to be successful.
该方法已被证明是成功的。

“Our bird monitoring results have shown a great increase in the population of birds here,” says a worker at the reserve.
“我们的鸟类监测结果表明这里的鸟类种群数量大幅增加，”保护区的一名工作人员说。

One example is the little swans.
一个例子是小天鹅。

“The total population monitored in Dongtan in the 1990s was 3,000 to 3,500.
“在20世纪90年代东滩监测到的总种群数量为3000至3500只。

In 2000, dropped quickly.
在2000年，迅速下降。

But during the recent wintering season, we counted more than 2,900 little swans.” says another staff member.
但是在最近的越冬季节，我们统计到了2900多只小天鹅。”另一名工作人员说。

He adds that many birds are arriving at Dongtan because its improved ecosystem offers the perfect homes.
他补充说许多鸟类正在来到东滩，因为其改善的生态系统提供了完美的家园。

Shanghai’s Chongming Dongtan National Nature Reserve (保护区) has been added to the World Heritage List.
It is the city’s first World Natural Heritage Site.
Dongtan lies at the mouth of the Yangtze River.
Each year, nearly one million birds stop there for short stays or wintering.
To protect these birds, a nature reserve was set up in Dongtan’s wetlands in 1998.
In 2005, it became a national bird nature reserve.
Since 1998, great efforts have been made to protect the wetland ecosystem (生态系统).
The task has not been easy.
One of the biggest challenges is to control cordgrass.
This invasive (侵略的) plant was introduced in the mid-1990s to Chongming for shoreline protection.
However, the grass grew too quickly across the Dongtan mudflats.
As a result, many native plants died and the homes of birds were in danger.
Starting from 2002, the reserve has tried a number of ways to get rid of these plants.
Finally, a plan was worked out.
The first step was to build physical barriers (物理屏障) to prevent spread of the grass.
Once the barriers were built, water was allowed into small areas.
Above the water line, the grass was cut.
Their roots were left underwater for half a year.
This effectively killed these roots.
When the soil dried out, native plants were replanted.
The method has proved to be successful.
“Our bird monitoring results have shown a great increase in the population of birds here,” says a worker at the reserve.
One example is the little swans.
“The total population monitored in Dongtan in the 1990s was 3,000 to 3,500.
In 2000, dropped quickly.
But during the recent wintering season, we counted more than 2,900 little swans.” says another staff member.
He adds that many birds are arriving at Dongtan because its improved ecosystem offers the perfect homes.