《中英對照讀新聞》Global warming taking earth back to dinosaur era 全球暖化使地球回到恐龍時代

◎魏國金

Global warming over the coming century could mean a return of temperatures last seen in the age of the dinosaur and lead to the extinction of up to half of all species, a scientist said.

一位科學家指出，未來一個世紀的全球暖化，恐意謂地球的氣溫將重回在恐龍時代出現的高溫，進而導致多達半數物種滅絕。

Not only will carbon dioxide levels be at the highest levels for 24 million years, but global average temperatures will be higher than for up to 10 million years, said Chris Thomas of the University of York.

約克大學的克里斯．托瑪斯說，不僅二氧化碳的濃度將是2,400萬年來最高，全球平均氣溫也將是1,000萬年來最高。

Between 10 and 99 percent of species will be faced with atmospheric conditions that last existed before they evolved, and as a result from 10-50 percent of them could disappear. "We may very well already be on the breaking edge of a wave of mass extinctions," Thomas told the annual meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science.

10%至99%的物種將面對一個其演化前大氣環境，因而當中10至50%的物種恐將消失。托瑪斯在英國科學促進聯會年會上說︰「我們也許真的已處在一波大滅絕的臨界邊緣上。」

Scientists predict average global temperatures will rise by between two and six degrees centigrade by 2100.

科學家預測，2100年全球平均溫度可能上升攝氏2到6度。

Thomas said scientific observations had already found that 80 percent of species had already begun moving their traditional territorial ranges in response to the changing climatic conditions."That is an amazingly high correlation," he said. Not only had the animals, birds and insects started to react, but there was evidence vegetation was also on the move.

托瑪斯說，科學觀察已發現，80%物種為了因應變動的氣候，已開始移動其傳統的活動領域。「這樣高的相互關聯令人驚訝，」他說。不只是動物、鳥類、昆蟲開始作出反應，有證據顯示連蔬菜的分布也在遷移。

新聞辭典

be faced with︰面對…；塗在…上。The front of the house was faced with concrete. 房屋正面塗上混凝土。

breaking： 破壞。breaking point 指（張力的）極限、破壞點與界線點。She has almost reached the breaking point. 她幾乎到了極限。

on the move： 在進行中；也可指四處奔波、遷徙。Science is always on the move. 科學一直在進步。