Greatest Extinction Since the End of the Age of Dinosaurs？
The atmosphere and oceans are not the only parts of the environment being damaged. Rain forests are being quickly destroyed as well， and their survival is questionable. E.O. Wilson， a biologist1 at Harvard， called the depletion2 of rain forest areas " the greatest extinction3 since the end of the age of dinosaurs4."
Unlike some environmental issues，rain forest depletion has fortunately received significant public and media attention.Despite the opposition5 to the cutting down6 of rain forests，the problem continues. Every year，Brazil chops7 down an area of forest the size of the state of Nebraska.In addition to8 the Amazon's rain forests， many other forests are being cut down as well.In Indonesia， Zaire9，Papua-New Guinea， Malaysia，Burma10，the Philippines，Peru，Colombia，Bolivia，and Venezuela11，rain forests that were once great have been lost.
According to some estimates， 50 million acres of rain forest are cut down every year. The United Nations says the figure is closer to 17 million acres. The World Wildlife Fund says that every minute， 25 to 50 acres are cut or burned to the ground.
The world's growing population has been a primary cause of rain forest destruction. More people need land to live on and wood products to consume. Limiting population growth may be the first in a series of steps that would limit the destruction of the rain forests.
恐龙时代以后的最磊规模灭绝？
环境破坏并非只限于大气和海洋。热带雨林也在迅速地遭到毁坏，它们能否幸存都是一个未知数。哈佛的生物学家E.O.威尔逊把热带雨林地区的毁尽称做"恐龙时代以后最大规模灭绝".
与环境的一些其他问题不同，热带雨林的减少已经幸运地引起了公众与媒体的高度重视。然而尽管反对滥砍乱伐的呼声不断，该问题依然继续存在。每年巴西砍伐的森林面积相当于内布拉斯加州的大小。除了亚马孙河流域的热带雨林，其他地区的许多热带森林也正在受到不断的砍伐。在印度尼西亚、扎伊尔、巴布亚新几内亚、马来西亚、缅甸、菲律宾、秘鲁、哥伦比亚、波利维亚和委内瑞拉，曾是庞大的热带雨林已经消失。
据一些人士估计，每年遭砍伐的热带雨林面积达5000万英亩。联合国称实际数字更接近1700万英亩。世界野生动物基金会说每分钟有25到50英亩的热带雨林树木被砍伐或烧毁。
世界人口的日益增长是造成热带雨林破坏的一个主要原因。越来越多的人需要土地来生活以及木制品来消费。控制人口的增长或许是一系列遏制热带雨林毁灭的步骤中的第一步。
注释：
1.biologist n.生物学家
2.depletion n.耗尽，枯竭
3.extinction n.消亡
4.dinosaur n.恐龙
5.opposition n.反对
6.cut down砍倒，杀死
7.chop vt.砍，劈，斩，剁
8.in addition to除…之外（还）
9.Zaire 扎伊尔（非洲中部国家）
10.Burma 缅甸（东南亚国家）
11.Venezuela 委内瑞拉（南美洲北部国家）
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