The Dead Sea, the lowest point on the earth's surface1, is shrinking2 as its salty waters rapidly dry up. With no clear solution3 to the problem4, environmentalists5 and tourist businesses are worried.
地球表面最低點「死海」，隨著其鹹水快速乾涸，正日益縮小。環境學家和觀光業擔憂這問題沒有明確的解決方法。
Too salty to sustain life, the Dead Sea is a draw for tourists6 who come to float in its greasy-feeling buoyant7 brine. Devotees also believe its waters and the mud at the margins are good for the skin.
死海太鹹，不能維生，卻具有吸引力，讓觀光客漂浮在感覺滑溜溜有浮力的鹽水上；熱愛者也相信，其岸邊的海水和泥漿對皮膚有益。
The Dead Sea has been shrinking for decades8 as the inflow dwindles from its main source, the Jordan River. Israel, Jordan and Syria rely on the river and its tributaries9 to meet the needs of increasing10 populations11 and agriculture in the arid region, and diversions have slowed the biblical river to a muddy trickle. Mineral extraction industries have also played a part by helping to accelerate12 evaporation.
隨著主要水源約旦河的流量減縮，數十年來，死海日漸縮小。以色列、約旦和敘利亞倚賴約旦河及其支流，滿足在這乾燥地區逐漸增加的人口和農業需求。而分流已使這條聖經時代的河流減緩，變成泥濘的細流，萃取礦物的工業也加速其蒸發。
The Dead Sea has fallen over 20 meters in the past 100 years and is now losing about one meter each year. The Dead Sea is not expected to disappear entirely because it is fed by underground water sources and winter rainfall. As it shrinks, it also gets more salty, which in turn makes it harder for the remaining13 water to evaporate.
在過去一百年間，死海已下降二十多公尺，現在每年消失大約一公尺。因為有地下水源和冬天的降雨量供給，死海預期不會完全消失。隨著減縮，死海也變得更鹹，因而使剩餘的水更難蒸發掉。
A World Bank-backed feasibility study is to be carried out on a plan to build a 200-kilometer canal to replenish the Dead Sea with water from the Red Sea. But the plan would cost an estimated US$5 billion and the economics14 of the project15 are in question. Scientists also wonder whether it would really be beneficial for the environment. The Dead Sea's unique make-up would be changed forever by introducing sea water into a body that has only ever been fed by fresh water. While sea water contains mostly sodium16 salts, the Dead Sea has much more magnesium and potassium.
一項由世界銀行支援的研究，探討興建一條二百公里的運河，以紅海的水補充死海的可行性。但這項計畫估計將花費五十億美元，而且其經濟效益也成問題，科學家也懷疑這項計畫是否真能裨益環境。一直只由淡水供應的死海水域，引進海水將永遠改變其獨特的結構。而海水主要含有鈉鹽，死海已含有更多的鎂和鉀。
"The best plan for the Dead Sea is to let the Jordan river flow again, this is its natural state," said geologist17 Eli Raz. But the chances of that happening are next to nothing given the reliance of the region's countries on the Jordan's water. Environmentalists are pushing18 for the Dead Sea to be declared a World Heritage Site by the U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural organization, hoping this will force surrounding countries to come up with a feasible plan.
地質學家雷茲說:「對死海最好的方案是讓約旦河的水再恢復其自然狀態，滔滔暢流」。但這機會微乎其微，幾乎不可能發生，因為該區域的國家都依賴約旦河的水源。環境學家正在推動讓死海申報為聯合國教科文組織的世界遺蹟，希望能迫使附近的國家提議一項可行的方案。
單字精選
1.surface 表面
2.shrink 縮小
3.solution 解答
4.problem 問題
5.environmentalist 環境專家
6.tourist 觀光客
7.buoyant 有浮力
8.decade 十年
9.tributary 支流
10.increase 增加
11.population 人口
12.accelerate 加速
13.remaining 剩餘的
14.economics 經濟學
15.project 計畫
16.sodium 鈉
17.geologist 地質學家
18.push 推動