Human Activity in China and India Dominates the Greening of Earth
*Human Activity: 表面上是人类活动，实际译为“人为活动”
*greening: n. 绿化 → green v. 绿化，降低……对环境的危害
① 【给出NASA的数据，让人觉得出乎意料】The world is literally a greener place than it was 20 years ago, and data from NASA satellites has revealed a counter-intuitive source for much of this new foliage: China and India.
*literally：①字面上地 ②确实、的确 √
*foliage：n. 植物叶子的总和 → 植物
② 【一项新的研究佐证了前文提到的事实】A new study shows that the two emerging countries with the world’s biggest populations are leading the increase in greening on land. The effect stems mainly from ambitious tree planting programs in China and intensive agriculture in both countries.
*emerging countries：新兴国家
【结构】：第一句承接上文，确认前文观点属实；后一句提供更多的细节。
【思考】：集约化农业（intensive agriculture）如何影响全球绿化？
③ 【继续补充惊人的成果】Taken all together, the greening of the planet represents an increase in leaf area on plants and trees equivalent to the area covered by all the Amazon rainforests.
*represent：相当于 = amount to = equivalent to
④ 【集中解释为什么反直觉】China and India account for one-third of the greening, but contain only 9% of the planet's land area covered in vegetation – a surprising finding, considering the general notion of land degradation in populous countries from over-exploitation.
*land degradation：土地退化
【结构】：印证了前文提到的“counter-intuitive”。为什么反直觉？一、中印陆地植被面积只占全球9%，却贡献了1/3的绿化贡献。二、我们通常会认为人口多的国家应该会因为（土地）资源的过度开发而导致土地的退化，但中印不仅抑制了自己的土地退化，反而对全球绿化做出了巨大的贡献。
⑤ 【解释背后的原因】China's outsized contribution comes in large part from programs to conserve and expand forests, in an effort to reduce the effects of soil erosion, air pollution and climate change.
*outsized：特别大的（exceptionally large）
【结构】中国为什么这么做？为了（in an effort to）减少水土流失、空气污染和气候变化。
⑥ 【总结两国贡献】Land area used to grow crops is comparable in China and India and has not changed much since the early 2000s. Yet these regions have greatly increased both their annual total green leaf area and their food production.
*comparable：adj. 两者相当，差不多
*green leaf area: 绿化面积
【反思】
鱼与熊掌不可兼得么？—— 不一定
我们总认为凡事有利必有弊，所以很多时候畏首畏尾，怕这怕那不敢做出选择，但极有可能很多事情的结果并不是我们根据常识和经验想象的那样，生活中有很多反直觉的存在，需要我们尝试了才会相信。
启示：常识很多时候固然让我们得以简化生活，但囿于过去的经验会让我们徒增畏难情绪，害怕做出改变，要敢于体验，不要被自己想象中不好的结果吓到了。
，
