高中英语第一册课本(上)U10reading

Are We Endangered¹?

Steve Jones is an environmental² expert who tries to keep animals and plants from becoming endangered. “We are not alone in the world. We human beings could not survive without all the plants and animals around us. We often talk about how important it is to take good care of ourselves and our planet³, but we don’t always do as we say,” Steve says as he takes us on a tour of Green Park in Birmingham. Many of the earth’s plants and animals have already died out, and several other species⁴ are endangered. If we want to live a better life and have a bright future, we must learn to act in ways that do not harm other living things.

If we know more about what causes endangerment⁵, we may be able to take measures before it is too late. A species can become endangered for different reasons. Animals and plants must have a habitat⁶, or home, which is comfortable and clean, and where there is enough food and other resources⁷. They are all used to their environment; that is, they have learnt how to live successfully⁸ in their habitat. When the habitat of a species is changed of destroyed, the animal or plant has to either adapt to the change or find a new home. If this is not possible, the species becomes endangered. If a new species arrives, the animals and plants of the habitat must change again. If the new species is too strong or uses too much of the resources in the habitat, some of the original species may become endangered. A species may also die out if humans or other animals use too much of a plant or kill too many animals.

The good news is that there is a lot we can do to help. First of all, we need to learn more about animals, plants and the environment. Experts tell us that we need to think about what we can do to keep animals and plants from becoming endangered. Steve says that we can help by creating more space for animals and plants: “You can plant a tree or build a birdhouse. It is simple but useful.” Steve also wants us to think about what we do: “Please don’t pollute the environment.” If we find out more about what we should do, we can help Steve and others like keep animals and plants – and ourselves – from becoming endangered.
 

1 endangered   

adj.濒于灭绝的；(生命等)有危险的

参考例句：

• The health of our children is being endangered by exhaust fumes. 我们孩子们的健康正受到排放出的废气的损害。
• Poison gas blew off and endangered the lives of hundreds of persons. 毒气喷出来，危及几百人的生命。

2 environmental   

adj.环境的

参考例句：

• A global environmental meeting is going to be held here.一个全球环境会议将在这里举行。
• We need to cure our environmental problems.我们需要解决环境问题。

3 planet   

n.行星

参考例句：

• Neptune is the furthest planet from the sun. 海王星是离太阳最远的行星。
• Rubbish, however, is only part of the problem of polluting our planet. 然而, 垃圾只是我们这个星球的污染问题的一个方面。

4 species   

n.物种，种群

参考例句：

• Are we the only thinking species in the whole of creation?我们是万物中惟一有思想的物种吗？
• This species of bird now exists only in Africa.这种鸟现在只存在于非洲。

5 endangerment   

n.危害；受到危险

参考例句：

• Remember the first paradox: risk only looks like reckless endangerment. 记住这第一条矛盾：风险看起来像真的那毫不在意的危机。
• If we know more about what causes endangerment, we may be able to take. 如果我们对于引起濒于灭绝的原因所知更多，我们就有可能。

6 habitat   

n.生活环境；栖息地

参考例句：

• The polar region is the habitat of the polar bear.北极地带为北极熊的栖息地。
• This creature's natural habitat is the jungle.这种动物的栖息地是丛林。

7 resources   

n.勇气；才智；谋略；有助于实现目标的东西；资源( resource的名词复数 )；[复数]物力；办法；来源

参考例句：

• The world's resources are rapidly diminishing. 世界资源正在迅速减少。
• a policy to equalize the distribution of resources throughout the country 使资源在全国分布均衡的政策

8 successfully   

adv.圆满地；顺利地；成功地

参考例句：

• The meeting passed off successfully.会议开得很成功。
• At last we successfully put through the business deal.最终我们成功地完成了这桩交易。