2024年考研英语二阅读 Text 2 原文翻译及答案解析

The UK is facing a future construction crisis because of a failure to plant trees to produce wood, Confor has warned. The forestry and wood trade body has called for urgent action to reduce the country's reliance on timber imports and provide a stable supply of wood for future generations. Currently only 20 per cent of the UK's wood requirement is home-grown while it remains the second-largest net importer of timber in the world.

Confor警告称，由于未能种植树木以生产木材，英国正面临未来的建筑危机。该林业和木材贸易机构呼吁采取紧急行动，减少国家对木材进口的依赖，并为子孙后代提供稳定的木材供应。目前，英国木材需求中仅20%是国产的，而它仍是全球第二大木材净进口国。

Coming at a time of fresh incentives from the UK government for landowners to grow more trees, the trade body says these don't go far enough and fail to promote the benefits of planting them to boost timber supplies. “Not only are we facing a carbon crisis now, but we will also be facing a future construction crisis because of a failure to plant trees to produce wood,” said Stuart Goodall, chief executive of Confor. “For decades we have not taken responsibility for investing in our domestic wood supply, leaving us exposed to fluctuating prices and fighting for future supplies of wood as global demand rises and our own supplies fall.”

在英国政府为地主提供更多树木种植新激励措施之际，该贸易机构表示这些措施还不够，未能推广种植树木以增加木材供应的好处。Confor首席执行官斯图尔特·古道尔说：'我们现在不仅面临碳危机，而且由于未能种植树木以生产木材，我们还将面临未来的建筑危机。几十年来，我们没有承担起投资国内木材供应的责任，使我们暴露在价格波动中，并随着全球需求上升和我们的供应下降而争夺未来的木材供应。'

The UK has ideal conditions for growing wood to build low-carbon homes and is a global leader in certifying that its forests are sustainably managed, Confor says. While around three quarters of Scottish homes are built from Scottish timber, the use of home-grown wood in England is only around 25 per cent. The causes of the UK's current position are complex and range from outdated perceptions of productive forestry to the decimation of trees by grey squirrels. It also encompasses significant hesitation on behalf of farmers and other landowners to invest in longer-term planting projects.

Confor表示，英国拥有种植木材以建造低碳住房的理想条件，并且在认证森林可持续管理方面是全球领导者。虽然约四分之三的苏格兰住房由苏格兰木材建造，但在英格兰，使用国产木材的比例仅为25%左右。英国目前状况的原因很复杂，从对生产性林业的过时观念到灰松鼠对树木的严重破坏。这也包括农民和其他地主在投资长期种植项目上的显著犹豫。

While productive tree planting can deliver real financial benefits to rural economies and contribute to the UK's net-zero strategy, the focus of government support continues to be on food production and the rewilding and planting of native woodland solely for biodiversity. Goodall added: “While food production and biodiversity health are clearly of critical importance, we need our land to also provide secure supplies of wood for construction, manufacturing and contribute to net zero.”

虽然生产性树木种植可以为农村经济带来实际的经济效益，并有助于英国的净零战略，但政府支持的重点仍然是粮食生产以及仅为生物多样性而进行的本土林地重新野化和种植。古道尔补充说：'虽然粮食生产和生物多样性健康显然至关重要，但我们也需要我们的土地为建筑、制造业提供安全的木材供应，并为净零排放做出贡献。'

“While the UK government has stated its ambition for more tree planting, there has been little action on the ground. Confor is now calling for much greater impetus behind those aspirations to ensure we have enough wood to meet increasing demand.”

'尽管英国政府已表示其增加树木种植的雄心，但实际进展甚微。Confor现在呼吁在这些愿望背后施加更大的推动力，以确保我们有足够的木材来满足日益增长的需求。'