Level 3 Reading 8B

Ch.16 Reading 8B

第16章 阅读8B

HIGHWAY OF DREAMS A new road that connects the Pacific with the Atlantic could bring riches——and environmental ruin. Mary Luz Guerra remembers a trip she took in 2003 from the city of Cusco, high in the Peruvian Andes, to her home in Puerto Maldonado, a city in the Amazon rain forest. By plane, this 320-kilometer journey would have taken only 37 minutes, but Mary had traveled by truck along narrow mountain roads, across rushing rivers, and through dense jungle. It took her three days to reach home. During the long trip, she remembers thinking, "I can't wait till they build that highway!" Almost 10 years after that long journey, Mary's wish came true. Bridging a Continent In early 2012, the Transoceanic Highway opened to public vehicles for the first time. A dream of Peru's political leaders since the 1950s, work on the vast network of roads and bridges began in 2006 and was completed in 2011. Today, the east-west passageway spans 2,600 kilometers. From Peru's Pacific Ocean coastline, it continues across the Andes Mountains and through a large part of Peru's Amazon rain forest. It then travels into Brazil, where it connects with a network of existing highways to the Atlantic. The Transoceanic Highway has been celebrated as one of South America's greatest engineering feats, and supporters say it will greatly improve people's lives. Until recently, travel between the cities of Cusco and Puerto Maldonado in Peru took days by bus or truck— as Mary's story illustrates—and drivers had to use narrow, partially unpaved mountain roads. Now the trip only takes a few hours, and is much safer. Improving People's Lives In addition to making travel faster and easier, supporters say the highway will be good for business. There is enormous demand in North America and Asia for Brazilian and Peruvian products, including soybeans, beef, and gold. A number of companies in Cusco and Puerto Maldonado also sell wood to different corners of the world. Many of these companies transport their lumber to the Pacific, where it travels by ship to other countries. Thanks to the highway, wood can now reach the Pacific in days; in the past, it could take a week or more. This lowers costs and allows the wood to reach customers sooner, and in better condition. In the long run, say many business owners, this will mean more profit. The highway will also open up areas of the Peruvian Amazon that were not accessible just a few years ago. This may increase activity in these areas and give people new places to live in and travel to. This, in turn, could mean more jobs and money for Peruvians. Environmental Challenges Despite the highway's many potential benefits, environmentalists are concerned. The Transoceanic passes directly through a large part of the Amazon rain forest, in the state of Madre de Dios in Peru. According to a Peruvian government study, the forested area in the western mountains of this state has the greatest biodiversity of any place on Earth, and until recently, large parts of the forest were in pristine condition. As more people move into the region, environmentalists worry about the impact this will have on the Amazon's plants and animals, many of which are found nowhere else. Shortly after the highway opened, large numbers of people began coming into Puerto Maldonado from all over Peru— and the world—to mine gold. There's a lot of money to be made in mining, as well as in farming, says environmental photographer Gabby Salazar. "I think we're going to see a big increase in farming," she says. "Right across the border in Brazil, you see soybean farms all over the place." Studies show that 95 percent of the deforestation of the Brazilian Amazon occurs within 50 kilometers of a highway, and environmentalists like Salazar are concerned that the same thing is happening in Peru. "It's having an impact on the environment," she explains. "It's having an impact on the people as well." Faced with these risks, many Peruvians talk about the importance of being practical. "In rural Peru, a lot of people are living in poverty, so it's very difficult to say don't build the highway," explains Roger Mustalish, president of the Amazon Center for Environmental Education and Research. "But every time you see a road like this going through, you soon see major changes." Will these changes be mostly positive or negative? Many Peruvians are hopeful, but only time will tell.

梦想之路 一条连接太平洋和大西洋的新公路可能会带来财富和环境破坏。 Mary Luz Guerra记得2003年她从秘鲁安第斯山脉高处的库斯科市出发的一次旅行， 她回到了亚马逊雨林中马尔多纳多港的家中。 乘飞机，这320公里的旅程只需要37分钟， 但玛丽乘卡车沿着狭窄的山路，穿过湍急的河流，穿过茂密的丛林。 她花了三天时间才到家。 在长途旅行中，她记得当时想：“我等不及他们修建那条高速公路了！” 在那次长途旅行将近10年后，玛丽的愿望实现了。 连接大陆 2012年初，越洋高速公路首次对公共车辆开放。 自20世纪50年代以来，秘鲁政治领导人的梦想， 庞大的道路和桥梁网络工程始于2006年，于2011年完工。 如今，这条东西向的通道横跨2600公里。 从秘鲁的太平洋海岸线，它继续穿过安第斯山脉 以及秘鲁亚马逊雨林的大部分地区。 然后，它进入巴西，在那里与现有的通往大西洋的高速公路网络相连。 跨洋公路被誉为南美洲最伟大的工程壮举之一， 支持者表示，这将大大改善人们的生活。 直到最近，秘鲁库斯科和马尔多纳多港之间的巴士或卡车旅行还需要几天时间-- 正如玛丽的故事所说明的那样，司机们不得不使用狭窄的、部分未铺砌的山路。 现在旅行只需要几个小时，而且更安全。 改善人民生活 支持者表示，除了使旅行更快、更容易外，这条高速公路还将有利于商业发展。 北美和亚洲对巴西和秘鲁产品的需求巨大，包括大豆、牛肉和黄金。 库斯科和马尔多纳多港的许多公司也向世界各地销售木材。 其中许多公司将木材运往太平洋，在那里通过船运运往其他国家。 多亏了这条高速公路，木材现在可以在几天内到达太平洋； 在过去，这可能需要一周或更长时间。 这降低了成本，使木材能够更快、更好地送达客户手中。 许多企业主表示，从长远来看，这将意味着更多的利润。 这条高速公路还将开辟几年前还无法进入的秘鲁亚马逊地区。 这可能会增加这些地区的活动，并为人们提供新的居住和旅行场所。 反过来，这可能意味着秘鲁人有更多的工作机会和金钱。 环境挑战 尽管这条高速公路有许多潜在的好处，但环保主义者对此表示担忧。 横贯大洋直接穿过亚马逊雨林的大部分地区， 秘鲁马德雷德迪奥斯州。 根据秘鲁政府的一项研究，该州西部山区的森林面积 拥有地球上最大的生物多样性， 直到最近，大部分森林都处于原始状态。 随着越来越多的人迁入该地区，环保主义者担心这将产生的影响 亚马逊的动植物，其中许多在其他地方都找不到。 高速公路开通后不久，大量的人开始从秘鲁各地涌入马尔多纳多港-- 以及世界——开采黄金。 环境摄影师Gabby Salazar说，采矿和农业都可以赚很多钱。 她说：“我认为我们将看到农业的大幅增长。”。 “在巴西的边境对面，你可以看到到处都是大豆农场。” 研究表明，巴西亚马逊地区95%的森林砍伐发生在高速公路50公里范围内， 像萨拉扎这样的环保主义者担心同样的事情也在秘鲁发生。 “这对环境有影响，”她解释道。 “这也对人民产生了影响。” 面对这些风险，许多秘鲁人谈到了务实的重要性。 “在秘鲁农村，很多人生活在贫困中， 所以很难说不修建高速公路，”罗杰·穆斯塔利什解释道， 亚马逊环境教育与研究中心主席。 “但每次你看到这样的道路经过，你很快就会看到重大的变化。” 这些变化主要是积极的还是消极的？许多秘鲁人充满希望，但只有时间会证明一切。

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