比沙漠棘蛇還駭人
Poison fire coral, previously thought to be exclusive to East Asia, has recently shown up where it was least expected–in suburban Cairns, Australia.
先前僅在東亞出現的「火焰茸」，近期罕見地在澳洲郊區凱恩斯被發現。
exclusive(adj.)專有的、獨有的suburban(adj.)近郊的
In a country well known for its blue-ringed octopuses, box jellyfish, funnel web spiders, and death adders, this bright, orange fungus species is fearsome even by Australian standards.
即便澳洲以藍圈章魚、立方水母、漏斗網蜘蛛與沙漠棘蛇聞名，但這種鮮亮、橘色的真菌類更加駭人。
Matt Barrett, a mycologist at James Cook University, said that poison fire coral could bring about “a horrifying array of symptoms.”
詹姆士庫克大學真菌學家巴雷特（Matt Barrett）表示，帶有毒性的火焰茸會導致「一系列可怕的症狀」。
bring about引發array(n.)一系列、一批、大量
Its consumption will cause stomach pain, vomiting, and fever, followed by the peeling off of the skin and shrinkage of the brain, not to mention impairments in perception, speech, and motion.
若吃下火焰茸，食用者會出現腹痛、嘔吐及發燒症狀，接著皮膚脫皮、腦部萎縮，更有可能致使感知、言語、行動損傷，
consumption(n.)食用shrinkage(n.)萎縮impairment(n.)損傷perception(n.)認知
Eventually, death from organ failure and brain nerve dysfunction can occur.
最終可能引發器官衰竭、腦部神經功能失調死亡，
failure(n.)衰竭dysfunction(n.)功能失調malfunction(n.)失靈、故障
Even merely touching it can cause dermatitis, i.e., the reddening or swelling of the skin.
即便僅僅觸碰到火焰茸都會導致皮膚紅腫等皮膚炎現象。
dermatitis(n.)皮膚炎
In fact, it is the only known fungus species with at least eight toxic compounds absorbable directly through the skin.
事實上，火焰茸帶有至少8種可直接透過皮膚吸收的毒素，也是目前已知唯一一種有此種特性的真菌類。
toxic(adj.)有毒的compound(n.)化合物absorbable(adj.)可吸收的
Fatalities have been reported in Japan and South Korea, where victims mistook it for an edible fungus before brewing it as a tea.
在日韓皆有與火焰茸相關的死亡案例報導，有民眾將火焰茸誤認為可食用性真菌，並將其泡茶飲用。
fatality(n.)死者edible(adj.)可食用的
This deadly fungus was spotted and sampled by Ray Palmer, a fungi enthusiast and photographer who knew enough to avoid skin contact with it.
火焰茸這種致命的真菌曾被一位喜愛蕈類的攝影師帕默爾（Ray Palmer）看到，並做成標本，他深知這種真菌的危險性，並避免直接以皮膚接觸。
contact(n.)接觸
With his knowledge of various fungus species gleaned over a decade, he was shocked to see poison fire coral for the first time in Australia, right next to a few residential homes.
數十年來，他慢慢累積關於真菌類的知識，他非常驚訝能首次在澳洲看見這種真菌，且位置就在一般住家旁邊。
glean(v.)緩慢艱難地收集（資訊）
The Australian Tropical Herbarium (ATH) later confirmed his discovery.
澳洲植物標本館隨後證實了帕默爾的發現，
Researchers speculate that this coral-like mushroom has existed locally for thousands of years, in light of recent sightings in neighboring countries such as Papua New Guinea and Indonesia.
研究者們推測，這款長得像珊瑚的蕈類已經在當地存在了幾千年，因近期在鄰近國如巴布亞紐幾內亞及印尼，都有發現火焰茸的蹤跡。
speculate(v.)推測in light of有鑒於sighting(n.)目擊