VOA慢速英语2019--中国特有物种白鲟被宣布灭绝

The Chinese paddlefish – one of the world's largest freshwater fish – has been declared extinct.

Scientists say the paddlefish, also called the Chinese swordfish, is believed to have a lineage dating back at least 34 million years. With its long nose and mouth, the paddlefish could grow as long as seven meters.

But a research paper recently published in Science of The Total Environment reported the paddlefish was now extinct. The researchers include scientists from the Chinese Academy of Fishery Sciences, Britain's University of Kent and the University of South Bohemia in the Czech Republic.

The paper says the paddlefish was declared extinct for two reasons. None of the animals is known to exist in captivity¹ and no living paddlefish tissues had been saved. The paper states that the fish was not able to survive widespread overfishing and damage to its native environment in the Yangtze River.

The scientists said the Chinese paddlefish had suffered major drops in population since the 1970s. The drops came as major dam building projects were carried out along the Yangtze.

Building of the Gezhouba Dam began in 1970 and was completed in 1988. The massive Three Gorges² project was completed in 2003 - the last year a live Chinese paddlefish was seen.

Researchers discovered 332 different species of fish in the Yangtze in 2017 and 2018. But they did not find a single Chinese paddlefish. They estimate the fish disappeared between 2005 and 2010.

Pan Wenjing is a forest and oceans expert with Greenpeace East Asia. She told The Associated Press the extinction³ of the Chinese paddlefish was "a huge loss" for nature. She said the development confirms that the Yangtze River is experiencing major environmental damage.

"The ecology of the Yangtze River is close to collapse⁴ due to human activity in past decades," Pan said. She noted⁵ that China had launched a campaign to find ways to repair the Yangtze's environment, including a 10-year ban on fishing..

After the extinction was reported in the news, some Chinese media and internet users took a look back at the large creatures. Many people appeared to have not heard of the Chinese paddlefish before it was declared extinct.

"It's farewell at first sight," reported the official China Youth Daily. Many internet users shared similar feelings on social media services like China's Weibo. But some expressed hope that a Chinese paddlefish might still be discovered in the river.

"Every time I see the news of another species going extinct, my heart starts to throb⁶," wrote one Weibo user. "Humans should not live alone on this planet," the user added.

Words in This Story

extinct – adj. no longer existing or living

species – n. a group of animals or plants that are similar and can produce young animals or plants

due to – phr. because of something

decade – n. a period of ten years

farewell – n. goodbye

throb – v. to beat with a strong, regular rhythm

1 captivity   

n.囚禁；被俘；束缚

参考例句：

• A zoo is a place where live animals are kept in captivity for the public to see.动物园是圈养动物以供公众观看的场所。
• He was held in captivity for three years.他被囚禁叁年。

2 gorges   

n.山峡，峡谷( gorge的名词复数 )；咽喉v.（用食物把自己）塞饱，填饱( gorge的第三人称单数 )；作呕

参考例句：

• The explorers were confronted with gorges(that were)almost impassable and rivers(that were)often unfordable. 探险人员面临着几乎是无路可通的峡谷和常常是无法渡过的河流。 来自辞典例句
• We visited the Yangtse Gorges last summer. 去年夏天我们游历了长江三峡。 来自辞典例句

3 extinction   

n.熄灭，消亡，消灭，灭绝，绝种

参考例句：

• The plant is now in danger of extinction.这种植物现在有绝种的危险。
• The island's way of life is doomed to extinction.这个岛上的生活方式注定要消失。

4 collapse   

vi.累倒；昏倒；倒塌；塌陷

参考例句：

• The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
• The engineer made a complete diagnosis of the bridge's collapse.工程师对桥的倒塌做了一次彻底的调查分析。

5 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。

6 throb   

v.震颤，颤动；(急速强烈地)跳动，搏动

参考例句：

• She felt her heart give a great throb.她感到自己的心怦地跳了一下。
• The drums seemed to throb in his ears.阵阵鼓声彷佛在他耳边震响。