【英语时差8,16】伐木致热带雨林土壤贫瘠（下）

（单词翻译）

In any forest, dead organic matter falls to the ground, providing valuable nutrients¹ for new growth. In cooler or drier climates, the nutrients build up in the soil. But in a rain forest, with its abundance and variety of life, those nutrients are reabsorbed almost as fast as they’re deposited. Also, the trees in tropical rain forests are often evergreens² and so very few leaves actually fall to the ground. When a rain forest is burned to raise crops or cattle, most of the nutrients are destroyed along with the vegetation. Grass may grow for a year, but as the grass is turned into beef, the few remaining nutrients are depleted³. Since land in the rain forest is often cheaper than fertilizer, farmers often clear new fields each year, leaving the old ones to turn into desert.