2022年12月13日 VOA慢速英语：小型内华达蟾蜍因电力项目而被列为濒危物种

A power center that will create electricity by pumping hot water from the earth sounds like a good idea. The company that hopes to build the power center in a part of western Nevada says it will create electricity without creating very much pollution.
通过从地下抽取热水来发电的电力中心听起来是个好主意。希望在内华达州西部的部分地区建造电力中心的公司表示，它将在不产生太多污染的情况下发电。
 
But the U.S. government's Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) says the project will greatly change the area where a very small toad lives. A toad is a small animal that looks like a frog but has dry skin and lives on land.
但美国政府的鱼类和野生动物服务局 (FWS) 表示，该项目将极大地改变一只非常小的蟾蜍生活的区域。蟾蜍是一种小动物，外形像青蛙，但皮肤干燥，生活在陆地上。
 
The Dixie Valley toad lives in a small area about 160 kilometers from Reno, Nevada. It is the only place it is known to exist on Earth.
迪克西谷蟾蜍生活在距内华达州雷诺约 160 公里的一小片区域。这是地球上唯一已知的它存在的地方。
 
Because of the power center plans, the FWS in April temporarily moved the toad from its "threatened" list to its "endangered list." Animals on the endangered list are at a much higher risk of going extinct, or no longer existing.
由于电力中心计划，FWS 在 4 月份暂时将蟾蜍从“受威胁”名单移至“濒危名单”。濒危名单上的动物灭绝或不再存在的风险要高得多。
 
Last week, the FWS finalized that temporary move. It officially declared the Dixie Valley toad an endangered species.
上周，FWS 最终确定了这一临时举措。它正式宣布迪克西谷蟾蜍为濒危物种。
 
In its final ruling, the FWS said it was concerned that the power center will take the hot water from the ground before it can reach the surface naturally. The place where hot water comes up through the ground is a hot spring. The toads can only live on land that stays warm and wet because of the water from the ground.
FWS 在其最终裁决中表示，它担心电力中心会在热水自然到达地表之前从地下取走热水。热水从地下冒出来的地方就是温泉。由于来自地面的水，蟾蜍只能生活在温暖湿润的土地上。
 
FWS experts do not believe the toad will be able to adapt, or get used to, to the new environment. "These conditions could result in the species no longer persisting," or living, the FWS wrote.
FWS 专家认为蟾蜍无法适应或习惯新环境. FWS 写道：“这些条件可能导致该物种不再存在，”或无法生存。
 
The FWS also noted that the power project will change the conditions too quickly to give the toad a chance to adapt.
FWS 还指出，电力项目将过快地改变条件，使蟾蜍没有机会适应.
 
An environmental advocacy group called the Center for Biological Diversity said it was pleased with the FWS decision to protect the toad.
一个名为生物多样性中心的环境倡导组织表示，它对 FWS 保护蟾蜍的决定感到高兴。
Patrick Donnelly is the group's director for the area that includes Nevada. He called the decision an "essential step to prevent the extinction" of a special animal.
帕特里克·唐纳利 (Patrick Donnelly) 是该组织负责包括内华达在内的地区的主管。他称这一决定是“防止一种特殊动物灭绝的必要步骤”。
 
Donnelly agreed that clean energy is important in fighting the climate crisis. "But," he said, "it can't come at the cost of extinction."
唐纳利同意清洁能源对于应对气候危机非常重要。 “但是，”他说，“它不能以灭绝为代价。”
 
The power company behind the project is called Ormat Technology. Its original plan called for building two power plants that would produce 60 megawatts of electricity.
该项目背后的电力公司名为 Ormat Technology。它最初的计划是建造两座发电厂，发电量将达到 60 兆瓦。
 
Environmental activists took legal action to block the building of the power plant late last year. A Reno judge is still considering the case.
去年年底，环保人士采取法律行动阻止了发电厂的建设。里诺的一名法官仍在审理此案。
 
In October, Ormat asked the judge to put the case on hold while it developed a new plan to build just one plant that would produce only 12 megawatts of power.
10 月，Ormat 要求法官搁置此案，同时它制定了一项新计划，只建造一座发电量仅为 12 兆瓦的电厂。
 
Ormat's Vice President is Paul Thomsen. He said the company's plan to create the power center will "support the fight against climate change" and is in line with U.S. President Joe Biden's plans to create clean energy.
Ormat 的副总裁是 Paul Thomsen。他表示，该公司创建电力中心的计划将“支持应对气候变化”，符合美国总统乔·拜登创建清洁能源的计划。
 
Thomsen said the FWS ruling was not surprising, considering the emergency move to protect the toad last April. He also said the ruling does not change what Ormat is already doing to reduce and avoid possible harmful effects on the toad.
汤姆森表示，考虑到去年 4 月采取的紧急行动来保护蟾蜍，FWS 的裁决并不令人意外。他还表示，该裁决不会改变 Ormat 已经在做的事情，以减少和避免对蟾蜍的可能有害影响。