博茨瓦纳野生动物管理部门的官员们说，水中微型水藻产生的毒素导致该国数百头大象先前因不明原因死亡。在博茨瓦纳境内生活的大象数量占非洲日益减少的大象数量的三分之一。

The elephants, young and old, had collapsed and died suddenly in large numbers. Experts soon ruled out poaching. After all, no one had tried to hack off the elephants’ tusks. But beyond that lay a mystery.

这些大象，无论老幼，都突然大批倒地死亡。专家们很快就排除了死因是偷猎行为的可能性。毕竟，没有人试图砍掉这些大象的象牙。但除此之外，大象的死因是个谜团。 

Tests sent to laboratories around the world now appear to have settled the matter. Poisonous natural cyanobacteria is to blame, lurking in the elephants’ watering holes. Those watering holes have now dried up and the elephants have stopped dying.

送往世界多国实验室的采样测试结果看来已经解开了大象死因的谜团。有毒的天然蓝藻细菌是罪魁祸首，蓝藻细菌潜伏在大象饮水的水坑里。那些水坑现在已经干涸，大象也继而停止死亡。

But scientists warn that climate change may be making these incidents, known as toxic blooms, more likely. 

但科学家们警告说，气候变化可能使这些被称为 “有毒水华” 的事件更有可能发生。

词汇表

collapsed 倒下了
ruled out 排除了
poaching 偷猎
hack off 砍掉，砍下
tusks 象牙
mystery 谜，谜团
settled 解决了
cyanobacteria 蓝藻细菌
lurking 潜伏着，潜藏着
blooms 水华现象

阅读理解：请在读完上文后，回答下列问题。

1. True or false? The elephants that had died in Botswana were all young.

2. Why did the experts rule out poaching?

3. Where was cyanobacteria found?

4. According to the scientists, what is the possible connection between climate change and these incidents?

答案

1. True or false? The elephants that had died in Botswana were all young.
False. The elephants, young and old, had collapsed and died suddenly in large numbers.

2. Why did the experts rule out poaching?
Because no one had hacked off the elephants’ tusks. 

3. Where was cyanobacteria found? 
Cyanobacteria was found lurking in the elephants’ watering holes.

4. According to the scientists, what is the possible connection between climate change and these incidents?
Scientists warn that climate change may be making these incidents, known as toxic blooms, more likely.