“使消亡”常见的英文表达有 cause to perish、lead to the extinction of 或 make ... vanish/die out,具体使用哪个表达取决于语境:
Cause to perish:强调导致某物或某人走向消亡的过程,带有一种较为直接或必然的因果关系。例如:The prolonged drought caused many species in the region to perish.(长期的干旱导致该地区许多物种消亡。)
Lead to the extinction of:更侧重于描述某种行为、因素或事件导致某一物种、群体或事物的彻底消失,常用于科学、生态学等领域讨论物种灭绝等话题。例如:Human activities have led to the extinction of numerous plant and animal species.(人类活动已经导致许多动植物物种灭绝。)
Make ... vanish/die out:较为通俗和口语化,“make ... vanish”有“使……消失不见”的意思;“make ... die out”直接表达“使……灭绝”。例如:The construction of the dam will make many small villages vanish.(大坝的修建将使许多小村庄消失。) / If we don't take action soon, many rare animals will be made to die out.(如果我们不尽快采取行动,许多珍稀动物将会灭绝。 )