Casey

現在悲傷的情緒正在悄悄蔓延，想知道為甚麼嗎？原因就在新聞中

Beloved cherry trees get the axe over threat posed to relics備受喜愛但危及遺跡的櫻花樹將被砍   ◎張沛元

Much to the dismay of local residents, the city government here in the western prefecture of Ehime has decided to cut down or transplant 150 cherry trees on an island that is one of the area’s prime sakura viewing destinations.

日本西部愛媛縣的今治市市政府已決定，要砍掉或移植這座身為該區一大賞櫻名所的小島上的150棵櫻花樹，令當地居民大為遺憾。

But local officials had little choice, as the growing tree roots were found to be damaging the foundation of an ancient fort on Noshima island in the Seto Inland Sea.

隨著櫻花樹樹根被發現開始破壞一座位於瀨戶內海的能島上的一座古代城堡後，當地官員別無選擇。

"While local residents have expressed anger and confusion over our plan to cut down the trees, we have no choice but to do so in order to preserve the relics," said an official of the Imabari Board of Education. "We will try to fully express the situation to obtain their consent."

「儘管當地居民對砍樹計畫感到憤怒或不解，但為了保存古蹟，我們別無選擇，」今治市教育委員會的一名官員如是說。「我們會完整說明情況，以取得居民認同。」

With many of the nation’s choice sakura viewing spots located within the ruins of castles and other historic sites, local cultural authorities are now concerned that the roots are damaging these relics.

全日本有許多首選賞櫻名所都位於城堡廢墟或其他歷史遺跡所在地，各地文化當局已開始擔心，櫻花樹樹根正在傷害這些古蹟。

According to the Cultural Affairs Agency, at least a dozen sakura viewing sites, including Matsumoto Castle in central Nagano Prefecture and Odawara Castle in Kanagawa Prefecture, have been confirmed to be facing similar threats.

根據日本文化廳資料，至少有十幾處賞櫻名所被證實面臨相同威脅，包括中部奈良縣的松本城與神奈川縣的小田原城。

新聞辭典

get the axe/be given the axe：慣用語，字面意義，被斧頭砍，形容人失去工作，計畫或服務中止。例句：His research project was the first thing to be given the axe when the new director took over.（新主任上台後，他的研究計畫率先被砍。）

to someone’s dismay/to the dismay of someone：慣用語，令人遺憾／驚駭／沮喪。

cut down：慣用語，砍倒，殺害，減少。例句：The doctor told him to cut down on his smoking.（醫生叫他少抽一點菸。）

Study Reveals Harm to Fish From Tiny Bit of Plastic Pollution 研究披露塑膠微粒污染有害魚類   ◎魏國金

Scientists have demonstrated for the first time the devastating physiological and behavioral effects on fish exposed to the tiny bits of plastic pollution clogging the world’s oceans.

科學家首度證實，塞滿全球海洋的塑膠微粒污染，將對暴露其中的魚類產生毀滅性的生理與行為效應。

Lab experiments with European perch larvae showed exposure to microplastic particles at levels present in seas inhibited hatching of fertilized eggs, stunted larval growth, reduced activity levels, and made them more susceptible to predators, increasing mortality rates.

以歐洲河鱸幼魚進行的實驗室試驗顯示，暴露於當前海洋中塑膠微粒濃度的環境，將抑制受精魚卵的孵化、阻礙幼魚的生長、降低活動程度，並讓牠們較易遭掠食者捕食，進而增加其死亡率。

"For me, the key finding and biggest surprise in this study was the fact that larvae preferentially ate microplastic particles and literally stuffed themselves with the microbeads," ignoring their natural food source of zooplankton, said marine biologist Oona Lönnstedt of Uppsala University in Sweden.

「對我而言，本研究最關鍵的發現與最大的震驚，是幼魚嗜吃塑膠微粒，簡直是用微珠撐飽自己，」而對其天然的食物來源浮游生物不屑一顧，瑞典烏普薩拉大學的海洋生物學家隆恩史泰德說。

Microplastic particles, bits of plastic measuring no more than 5 mm, come from large plastic trash that has fragmented into smaller pieces or from manufactured plastics of microscopic size such as microbeads in products like facial soap, body wash and toothpaste.

大小不超過5公釐的塑膠微粒來自於碎裂成小碎屑的大型塑膠垃圾，或來自微粒狀的塑膠加工品，例如洗面皂、沐浴乳與牙膏等產品中的柔珠。

"If microplastics are indeed affecting organisms, then this really calls for a ban on microplastic beads in body-care products and cosmetics around the world," Lönnstedt said.

「若塑膠微粒確實會影響生物，就真的要呼籲在身體護理產品與化妝品上全球禁用柔珠，」隆恩史泰德說。

新聞辭典

inhibit：動詞，抑制、約束。例句：Her shy character has inhibited her from interacting with unfamiliar people.（她膽小的性格使她怯於與不熟的人互動。）

susceptible：形容詞，易受影響的、敏感的。例句：He is very susceptible to colds.（他非常容易感冒。）

fragment：動詞，破碎、碎裂。例句：The vase fell and fragmented into small pieces.（花瓶掉下，摔成碎片。）

第一是因為不捨櫻花樹被砍，雖然是為了保護古蹟，但櫻花的美真的很難讓人捨得它被砍掉。

第二是因為魚被我們所使用的塑膠微粒所傷害阿阿阿阿阿

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