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in relief; protect…from…; pay close attention to; in danger of; burst into laughter; in peace; die out |
Daisy had always longed to help endangered species of wildlife. One day she woke up and found a(fly) carpet. She asked it to take her to a(distance) land where she could find the animal that gave fur to make her sweater. At once the carpet flew away and took her to TibetDaisy saw an antelope looking sad. The antelope told her that they were being killed for the wool and that asresult, they were an endangered species.
Then the carpet took Daisy to Zimbabwe where Daisy found that she(watch) by an elephant. The elephant told Daisy that farmers used to hunt themmercy, but afterwards the government took some measures(save) the wildlife. The carpet rose again and almost at once they were in a thick rainforest. She was amazed to find a monkey protecting(it) from mosquitoes by rubbing a millipede insect over its body. The insect contains a(power) drug which affects mosquitoes.
When Daisy woke, everything disappeared, but Daisy learned a lot.
New research suggests that human beings may have been partly responsible for the disappearance of cave bears thousands of years ago, when the plant-loving animals lived. Some experts believed that the cooling climate during the Ice Age was to blame for their extinction.
Scientists reported last week they had studied genetic data from 59 cave bears. Their bones were recovered from seven countries: France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Serbia, Spain and Switzerland. From the genetic information, the scientists noted a decrease in the cave bear population beginning about 50, 000 years ago. That is around the time of the arrival of Homo sapiens (现代人), or modern humans, in Eastern Europe. The researchers said they observed a sharp drop in the bears' numbers about 40, 000 years ago. That coincides with(与……同时发生) the spread of Homo sapiens throughout Europe.
The animals disappeared about 20, 000 years ago. The cave bear lived in the Ice Age at the same time as other now extinct creatures. The bear was as big as a modern polar bear, but ate only plants. It appears often in prehistoric(史前的) cave paintings.
There has been a scientific debate about what led to the extinction of the cave bear. Some scientists believe that the climate change greatly reduced the plants they needed, while others have blamed it on human activities, including hunting and taking over the caves where the bears gave birth and slept during winter. The bear's population remained largely unchanged for long periods before climate cooling, including during two noticeably cold periods and other cooling events.
Homo sapiens appeared in Africa more than 300, 000 years ago and later moved to other areas. The study offered new evidence that the arrival of Homo sapiens led to ruin for many kinds of animals across Eurasia, the Americas and Australia.
It is widely believed that biodiversity (生物多样性) is promoted to save species. But in reality species exist only as part of ecosystems and cannot survive unless their ecosystems are protected along with the diversity they contain as much as possible.
Protecting habitats is important for keeping biodiversity. In 2003, over 102, 000 habitats covering nearly 19 million square kilometres, or 11. 5% of the world's land surface, were under some form of protection. Though this has been a great improvement since 1962, when just 1, 000 protected habitats were listed, it is still not considered enough to stop the ecocide that is endangering the world's biodiversity.
For a number of environmentalists, protecting the world's 25 biodiversity hotspots(热点地区) is critical to saving habitats and species. But many hotspots are endangered already, having lost up to three-quarters of their original plants.
The poor state of most biodiversity hotspots results directly from population growth and migration(迁移) into these areas. A study found that by the mid-1990s around 1. 1 billion people had lived in these hotspots. Moreover, the annual population growth rate in these areas was 1. 8%, higher than the global average of 1.4%. The PAI report concluded that human-related environmental changes would continue to put pressure on hotspots. Therefore, keeping biodiversity requires paying close attention to population size.
Protecting hotspots is not simply a matter of putting up fences or employing guards. The best results will be achieved when local people are educated about the value of wildlife, and actually gain a share of the benefits from eco-tourism. Only then do they have a chance to see the benefits of protecting hotspots.
China has made great improvements in environmental protection during the past 70 years. Each species on Earth has a role to play in the ecosystem.
In recent decades, a series of wildlife-protection movements has been carried out by the central government. The giant panda and the crested ibis(朱鹮) are among these successful stories.
The giant panda used to have a population of 1,114 in the 1970s. It now totals 1, 864 thanks to 52 protection areas. By the end of last year, seven of the nine released pandas had survived in the wild. In 1981, only seven crested ibises were found in Yang County, Shaanxi Province. Since then, breeding programs have helped the population reach 2, 000. China has even sent crested ibises to Japan and South Korea in recent years to help with the species' survival.
Key projects will be continually carried out to improve protection, including making the lists of wild animals and plants under State protection, and also fighting against illegal wildlife trade, which includes the ivory(象牙)trade.
A. Another species was once thought to be extinct.
B. Protecting wildlife is, without doubt, an important part.
C. China will continue its efforts in the wildlife protection.
D. People call for immediate protection of the remaining species.
E. Scientists have worked to feed pandas and then release them into the wild.
F. As environmental damage has increased, signs of change have appeared around the world.
G. Several species in danger of extinction have made impressive progress thanks to the methods.
