The Amazon: More Than a River

课文

1. The Amazon River carries more water than the next seven largest rivers combined.

   亚马孙河的径流量超过接下来七大河流的总和。

2. Its basin covers over 7 million square kilometers across nine South American countries.

   其流域横跨南美洲九国，面积逾700万平方公里。

3. Rainforest trees here absorb carbon dioxide and release oxygen, earning it the nickname 'lungs of the Earth'.

   雨林树木吸收二氧化碳、释放氧气，因此被誉为‘地球之肺’。

4. Indigenous communities have lived sustainably along its banks for over 12,000 years.

   原住民社群已在河岸可持续生活逾1.2万年。

5. Hydroelectric dams built upstream alter fish migration and floodplain fertility downstream.

   上游修建的水电站改变了鱼类洄游路径，并削弱下游洪泛平原的肥力。

6. Deforestation rates rose sharply after new roads opened access to remote forest areas.

   新修道路打通偏远林区后，森林砍伐率急剧上升。

7. Scientists use satellite data to track seasonal flooding that nourishes nutrient-poor soils.

   科学家利用卫星数据追踪季节性洪水，以监测其对贫瘠土壤的养分补给。

8. Unlike most rivers, the Amazon’s discharge creates a visible plume of freshwater hundreds of kilometers into the Atlantic.

   与多数河流不同，亚马孙河入海径流在大西洋中形成数百公里可见的淡水羽流。