侯冬意

The sight of lighted lanterns slowly drifting up into the night sky can create a beautiful， magical scene. Youve likely heard of the popular festivals where hundreds， even thousands of lanterns are released in celebration， or to honor the memory of dear loved ones. Or perhaps youve seen them at weddings， graduations， and charity events. Sky lanterns are made of rice paper， string， and a frame of bamboo or wire. When the candle in the lantern is lit， it causes the lantern to rise into the air like a hot air balloon. They might seem fun and harmless， but as we all know， what goes up must also come down， and when they do， these dangerous lanterns can damage the environment and harm animals.

點燃的灯缓缓升入夜空的景象可以营造出一幅美丽的奇景。你可能听说过在一些流行节日里的庆祝活动时，或者在纪念亲爱的人时，会放出成百上千的灯。或者你也许也能在婚礼、毕业典礼和慈善活动时看到它们。天灯是由宣纸、绳子和竹制或金属丝制骨架制成的。当灯笼里的蜡烛被点燃时，灯笼会像热气球一样上升到空中。它们可能看起来有趣而又无害，但我们都知道，升到天空的东西一定会掉下来，而当它们掉下来时，这些危险的灯会破坏环境并伤害到动物。

Sky Lanterns Being Labeled as “Biodegradable1” Is Misleading2.

The term “biodegradable” has been placed on products for years. You can find biodegradable balloons， paper cups and dishes， and now， sky lanterns. Sure， items marked as biodegradable might eventually break down over time， but it doesnt always happen as fast as you think. One sky lantern company states that the rice paper will biodegrade3 in a few days once it gets wet （which requires rain）， but that the remaining bamboo and string4 will biodegrade “in due time”. So， what does “in due time” mean？

称天灯“可生物降解”有误导性。

多年来，“生物降解”一词已应用于各种产品上。你能找到可生物降解的气球、纸杯和餐具，以及现在的天灯。当然，标志为可生物降解的物品可能会随着时间的推移而被分解，但分解并不总是像你想象的那么快。一家制作天灯的公司声称只要被打湿（这需要雨），宣纸会在几天里生物降解掉，但是残余的竹篾和绳子到了“适当的时候”也会被生物降解。那么，“适当的时候”又是什么时候呢？

Theyre a Fire Hazard That Destroys Property and Wild Habitats.

A live flame floating through the air， completely uncontrolled， is incredibly dangerous， yet the people who plan these festivals and sell the products assure people that theyre perfectly safe. The lanterns can fly up to 3，000 feet into the air and stay afloat5 for up to ten minutes， or whenever the flame burns out. But a simple malfunction6 can cause the lantern to hit the ground while its still lit.

Recently， 15 people were severely injured in India when a sky lantern landed on a shop， causing the four neighboring houses to burst into flames. In 2013， the release of a single sky lantern in Washington resulted in a 500-acre wildfire， and it took 100 firefighters to extinguish7 the flames. That same year， a recycling plant was set on fire in the UK because of sky lanterns. The fire was so intense， it took three days to extinguish.

These tragic stories represent just a few of the reported incidents where fires were started by sky lanterns， but its certainly enough to show that theyre a hazard. Its exactly why fire marshals8 have spoken up about the dangers of sky lanterns and why people are working so hard to get them banned. In the U.S.， sky lanterns have been banned in 29 states. And many different countries have carried out full bans on these dangerous lanterns.

它们是毁坏财产和野生动物栖息地的火灾隐患。

一簇浮在空中燃着的火焰，完全无法控制，这是极其危险的，而安排这些节日计划和销售产品的人向人们保证他们是安全的。这些灯可以飞到3000英尺的空中，最多可以在空中漂浮十分钟，或者飘到火焰熄灭时为止。但是一点小问题就会导致灯在蜡烛燃着的时候撞到地上。

最近，在印度，一个天灯掉到了一家商店里，造成四栋相邻的房屋起火及15人重伤。2013年，在华盛顿，一个单独燃放的天灯导致了500英亩范围的野火，动用了100名消防队员才被扑灭。同年，英国的一家回收工厂因为天灯而起火。火势太猛烈，花了三天时间才扑灭。

这些惨剧只是天灯引发的火灾的一部分，但这足以证明它们的危险。这也正是为什么消防队长们宣称天灯危险，以及人们为什么努力禁止燃放天灯的原因。在美国有29个州禁止燃放天灯。其他一些国家也全面禁止燃放这些危险的灯。

This Dangerous Litter Is Harming Animals and the Environment.

They might look pretty in the sky， but when sky lanterns fall to the ground， they pose a risk to wildlife and domestic9 animals. Particularly， birds can get entangled10 in the string or frames. Wildlife and domestic animals have also been harmed by eating the wire by mistake （when lanterns have landed on farmland）， which can damage the throat， stomach， and intestines， leading to immense pain and eventual death. Even the paper itself can cause harm when animals eat it， mistaking it for food.

这种危险的垃圾正给动物和环境带来危害。

天灯在空中看起来很漂亮，但是当它们落到地上的时候，它们会对野生动物和家畜造成危害。特别是鸟类，会被绳子或者灯笼骨架缠住。野生动物和家畜也会因误吃金属线而受到伤害（在灯笼降落在农田上的时候），这会弄伤它们的咽喉、胃和肠，导致它们遭受巨大的痛苦和最终死亡。甚至动物把纸当作食物误食时也会对它们造成伤害。

After you weigh all of the factors， its easy to see that sky lanterns simply arent worth the risk. They pose a danger to the environment by starting fires， result in excessive litter that is not only unsightly but can harm animals， and place humans in danger. There are plenty of other things to help raise money， celebrate an event， or memorialize your loved ones. By choosing greener ones you can help keep people， animals， and our beautiful planet safe from harm.

在權衡了所有因素之后，很容易明白人们冒险燃放天灯根本不值得。它们会因引发火灾对环境造成危害，带来大量垃圾，不仅有碍观瞻，而且会伤害动物，使人类处于危险之中。可以通过许多其他方式去帮助筹集资金、举行庆祝、纪念你所爱的人。选择更环保的方式，你可以帮助人们、动物和我们美丽的星球免受伤害。

Notes：

1. biodegradable adj. 能进行生物降解的

2. misleading adj. 令人误解的；引入歧途的

3. biodegrade vt. & vi. 生物递降分解

4. string n. 线，弦，细绳

5. afloat adj. 飘浮的

6. malfunction n. 故障；失灵

7. extinguish vt. 熄灭

8. marshal n. 队长；长官

9. domestic adj. 国内的；家庭的；驯养的

10. entangle vt. 使纠缠；卷入；使混乱