Akoalawaswateredafterbeingrescuedfromabushfire.KoalasNeedOurHelp
考拉面临“功能性灭绝”,需要人类出手相助。
ThekoalaisoneofthemosticonicAustraliananimals.Thegreyfuzzballsspendnearlyalloftheirtimeinthetrees,survivingonadietofgumleaves(桉树叶)andahealthyroutineofextendednaps.AsAustraliahasbeensufferingthroughunprecedented(前所未有的)bushfires,thesituationofthekoalahasbeenfrontpagenews.Imagesaboundofkoalaswithskincharred(烧焦的)faces,whoareseverelydehygrated(脱水),crawlingtosafetyasflamesburnatthesurroundingbushland.
ThebushfireshavecausedseriousdamageacrossAustralia,destroyinghundredsofthousandsofhectares(公顷)ofbushland.It’sestimatedthatupto1,000koalasmayhavebeenlost,includinghalfthepopulationlivinginPortMacquarie.____1____
Anumberofrecentheadlinessuggestthatthebushfireshavedestroyedupto80percentofthekoala’shabitat(栖息地),causingthespeciestobe“functionallyextinct.”Thishasdrawnastrongresponseonline,witharticlesbeingsharedfarandwideacrosssocialmedia.Andthatmakessense.____2____Theyarequiteliterallyaninnocentbystander(旁观者)inthelineoffirebecauseofhumaninaction.{3}
Thereisnodoubtthatkoalasareindangerofdisappearingforgood.Theirpopulationnumbershavedeclineddramaticallyinthelastcentury.____3____Hunting,duringthe1920s,killedhundredsofthousandsofkoalas.Urbanization(城市化)hascutpopulationsofffromoneanother,loweringtheirgeneticdiversity(基因多样性)andmakingthemmorelikelytosufferfromdiseases.Habitatlosshasalsoremovedtheirprimaryfoodsources.
____4____Exaggeratedclaimsofthekoalas’declinecanbedebunked(揭穿真相)withaquickGooglesearch,weakeningthetrustinscientificinstitutionsandreporting.
Inaddition,thedefinitionof“functionallyextinct”meansthespeciesis“beyondthepointofrecovery”andsuggeststhekoalaisdoomed(注定灭亡的).Forsome,thatmaybeacalltoaction.Forothers,itcouldbeasignthatwhilewetriedourbest,butnowwemightaswelljustgiveup.Socialmediaisalreadymourning(哀悼)thedead.____5____
(选自Economist)
A.Atragedyforaspeciesalreadystrugglingtosurviveagainsttheeffectsofclimatechange,diseaseanddeforestation(滥伐森林).
B.Butthe(somewhat)goodnewsiskoalasarenot“functionallyextinct”andthatthebushfireshavenotpushedthemtothebrink(边缘).
C.However,headlinesshoutingthatthekoalais“functionallyextinctfollowingthebushfires”arepotentiallydamaging.
D.Itruinstheworkofconservationbiologistswhoaretryingtosavethespecies.
E.Researchersareworkingtirelesslytokeepthespeciesalive.
F.Therecentbushfireshaveplayedaroleinthisdecrease,buttherealityofthekoalas’declineismuchmorecomplicatedthanthis.
G.ThekoalaissuchabelovedspeciestiedtotheAustralianidentityanditsdeclinespeaksdirectlytothefailuresinfightingclimatechange.
译文:
考拉是澳大利亚最具标志性的动物之一。灰色的绒毛球几乎所有时间都在树上度过,靠吃桉树叶饮食和健康的小睡时间来生存。由于澳大利亚正遭受史无前例的丛林大火之苦,考拉的情况一直是头版新闻。考拉的图像到处都是烧焦的皮肤,表面焦黑,严重焦化,随着周围灌木丛的火焰燃烧,安全爬行。
丛林大火在澳大利亚造成了严重破坏,摧毁了数十万公顷的丛林。据估计,可能失去了多达1000只考拉,其中包括一半居住在麦夸里港的人口。
最近的许多头条新闻表明,丛林大火摧毁了考拉栖息地的80%,使该物种“功能上灭绝”。这在网上引起了强烈反响,文章在社交媒体上广泛共享。这是有道理的。实际上,由于人类的无所作为,他们实际上是火线旁的无辜旁观者。{3}
毫无疑问,考拉有永远消失的危险。他们的人口数量在上个世纪急剧下降。1920年代的狩猎活动杀死了数十万只考拉。城市化使人口彼此隔离,降低了他们的遗传多样性,使他们更容易患病。栖息地流失也消除了其主要食物来源。
可以通过快速的Google搜索揭露无尾熊衰落的夸大说法,从而削弱了对科研机构和报告的信任。
此外,“功能上已灭绝”的定义意味着该物种“已超出恢复点”,并提示考拉注定灭亡。对于某些人来说,这可能是采取行动的呼吁。对于其他人来说,这可能是我们尽力而为的信号,但现在我们还是最好放弃。社交媒体已经在哀悼死者。
单词:
1.exaggerated▲adj.ifsth.isexaggerated,itisdescribedasbetter,larger,etc.thanitreallyis夸大的,言过其实的
e.g.Thethreatofattackhasbeengreatlyexaggerated.
2.estimate
n.(对数量、成本等的)估计
officialgovernmentestimatesoftrafficgrowthoverthenextdecade
政府对今后十年交通增长的正式估计
3.innocent
adj.无辜的;清白的;
Hewassurethatthemanwasinnocentofanycrime...
他确信那个男人没有犯任何罪。
4.decline
n.(数量、价值、质量等的)减少,下降
Anincreaseincarshasresultedinthedeclineofpublictransport.
汽车的增加导致了公共交通的减少。
语法:
{2}这是一句主谓结构的句子,由于修饰images的ofkoalas...atthesurroundingbushland的部分较长,为避免句子的头重脚轻,放在谓语动词abound后。
{3}由于inthelineoffire是一个习惯用语,意为“成为批评、指责的对象”,由于本句仅指考拉被熊熊大火围困,因此作者用quiteliterally加以强调。
答案:1.A2.G3.F4.C5.D
标签:考拉,Akoalawaswateredafterbeingrescuedfromabushfire,功能性