Soil Formation and Erosion · 土壤形成与侵蚀
| English | 中文 | Pinyin · 拼音 |
|---|---|---|
| weathering/ˈweðərɪŋ/ | 风化 | fēng huà |
| humus/ˈhjuːməs/ | 腐殖质 | fǔ zhí zhì |
| erosion/ɪˈrəʊʒn/ | 侵蚀 | qīn shí |
The thin skin that feeds us
- Almost all our food grows in a thin layer of soil.
- Soil is not just dirt — it is a living mix of rock, air, water, and life.
- It takes centuries to build, but can wash away in a day.
- Understanding how soil forms shows why we must protect it.
养育我们的薄皮
- 我们几乎所有的食物都长在一层薄薄的土壤里。
- 土壤不只是泥土——它是岩石、空气、水和生命的活的混合。
- 它需要几个世纪来积累,却能在一天里被冲走。
- 理解土壤如何形成,展示了我们为什么必须保护它。
From rock to soil
- Soil begins as solid parent rock.
- Weathering 风化 slowly breaks the rock into ever-smaller pieces.
- Wind, water, freezing ice, and plant roots all do the breaking.
- Over long times, this produces the mineral grains of soil.
从岩石到土壤
- 土壤起初是坚硬的母岩。
- 风化(weathering)慢慢把岩石破碎成越来越小的块。
- 风、水、冻结的冰和植物的根都在破碎。
- 经过漫长时间,这产生了土壤的矿物颗粒。
Soil forms when weathering breaks down… · 土壤在风化分解……时形成。
Soil starts as weathered rock — broken down over long times into mineral particles. · 土壤起初是风化的岩石——经过漫长时间被分解成矿物颗粒。
Adding life
- Dead plants and animals decay and mix into the mineral grains.
- This dark, decayed organic matter is called humus 腐殖质.
- Humus holds water and nutrients, making the soil fertile.
- Living things — worms, fungi, bacteria — keep the soil healthy.
加入生命
- 死去的植物和动物腐烂,混入矿物颗粒。
- 这种深色、腐烂的有机物叫做腐殖质(humus)。
- 腐殖质保持水和养分,让土壤肥沃。
- 生物——蚯蚓、真菌、细菌——让土壤保持健康。
How soil forms · 土壤如何形成
Step through soil formation - rock is broken down and mixed with organic matter over long times. · 一步步走过土壤形成——岩石被分解,并在漫长时间里与有机物混合。
The dark, decayed organic matter in soil is called… · 土壤里深色、腐烂的有机物叫做……
Humus is decayed plant and animal matter; it makes soil dark and fertile. · 腐殖质是腐烂的植物和动物物质;它让土壤变深色、肥沃。
Erosion strips it away
- Erosion 侵蚀 is the removal of soil by wind or water.
- Bare, ploughed, or deforested land erodes fastest.
- Erosion carries away the fertile top layer, leaving poor ground.
- Because soil forms so slowly, erosion is a serious threat.
侵蚀把它剥走
- 侵蚀(erosion)是风或水把土壤搬走。
- 裸露的、耕过的或被砍伐的土地侵蚀最快。
- 侵蚀把肥沃的表层带走,留下贫瘠的地面。
- 因为土壤形成得这么慢,侵蚀是一个严重的威胁。
The removal of soil by wind or water is called . · 风或水把土壤搬走叫做。
Erosion carries soil away — and it happens far faster than soil forms. · 侵蚀把土壤带走——而它发生的速度远快于土壤形成。
Soil forms slowly but can be eroded away quickly, so it is a limited resource. · 土壤形成缓慢,但能被快速侵蚀掉,所以它是一种有限的资源。
It can take centuries to build an inch of soil, but erosion can strip it in a single storm. · 积累一英寸土壤可能要几个世纪,但侵蚀能在一场风暴里把它剥走。
Select all · 所有 true statements about soil formation and erosion. · 选出关于土壤形成与侵蚀的所有正确说法。
Soil forms slowly, over centuries. The other three are correct. · 土壤形成得慢,经过许多世纪。其余三条正确。
Soil is a slowly renewable resource, close to non-renewable on human timescales. It can take centuries to form an inch of fertile soil, but a single storm on bare ground can erode it away. Once the fertile topsoil is gone, it is effectively lost for generations.
土壤是一种缓慢可再生的资源,在人类的时间尺度上接近不可再生。积累一英寸肥沃的土壤可能要几个世纪,但裸地上一场风暴就能把它侵蚀掉。一旦肥沃的表土消失,它实际上就损失了好几代人。
The Dust Bowl:
- In the 1930s, farmers ploughed up huge areas of dry grassland in the US.
- With no roots to hold it, the bare soil dried out.
- Great winds lifted the topsoil into towering dust storms, ruining the land — a disaster of soil erosion caused by removing the plants that protected it.
黑色风暴事件(Dust Bowl):
- 在 1930 年代,农民在美国耕翻了大片干燥的草原。
- 没有根来固定它,裸露的土壤干涸了。
- 大风把表土卷成高耸的沙尘暴,毁掉了土地——一场由移除保护土壤的植物造成的土壤侵蚀灾难。
Soil forms slowly: weathering breaks parent rock into mineral grains, and decayed organic matter (humus) makes it fertile. Erosion by wind and water removes soil far faster than it forms. Because soil builds over centuries but erodes in days, it is a precious, easily lost resource.
土壤形成得慢:风化把母岩破碎成矿物颗粒,腐烂的有机物(腐殖质)让它肥沃。风和水的侵蚀搬走土壤的速度远快于它形成。因为土壤经过许多世纪积累却在几天内被侵蚀,它是一种宝贵、易失的资源。