有声英文阅读-种种动物都濒临灭绝的危险境地，有谁关心？

Animals at Risk: Who Cares?

     An animal species becomes extinct when it fails to produce enough young is each generation to keep pace with the death-rate. We can tell from fossil evidence in rocks that many living species have become extinct over the millions of years since life began. It is a natural process and extinction¹ is the fate of many animal that has specialized² too far to change when its environment changes, or has to compete with a better-adapted and more powerful animal. Because of remarkable³ technical developments during the past few centuries, man has destroyed or nearly destroyed some species by killing⁴ them at such a rate that they couldn't produce enough offspring, or by completely changing their natural environment at surprising speed.
     A number of examples can be given of the way in which natural environments are being rapidly changed - Amazonia, for instance. There is every likelihood that many species of animals will be made extinct because of these and similar clearances⁵ of natural vegetation. Large numbers of animals have been hunted and killed for food. The North American buffalo⁶ is a case of the near-extinction of a species through hunting. Often the numbers are so great the hunters may not realize the danger. But even when the danger is widely publicized, the financial rewards for the hunters may be so great that they choose to ignore the threat to the species. Attitudes like this have led to hunters killing animals for furs, for ivory or merely for ornaments⁷. A slight variation on this is when tourists hunt animals for trophies⁸. Magnificent creatures such as lions and tigers have been hunted out of existence in some parts of the world. It is important to realise, though, that animals are sometimes killed out of fear. Big cats are killed in this way. And animals are sometimes killed out of a wish to reduce numbers to help the species to survive. The killing of the Canadian seals is claimed to be for this purpose, and the use of their skins for furs is only a by-product⁹.
     Many people are concerned about animals and wildlife conservation. One way to preserve species under threat of extinction - whatever the cause - is to remove them to zoos and parks and breed them there. There is always the chance that enough offspring will be born to return them one day to their natural environment - provided it still exists, and that hunters don't kill them again! Another method is to protect the animals in their natural environment by creating wildlife reserves and parks and using game wardens¹⁰ to look after them. But the parks are large, the wardens few and the determination of hunters very great. Early in 1980 wardens and hunters clashed in East Africa. The hunters were armed with modern weapons and several people were killed.
     There is great pleasure in watching wildlife in natural or near-natural environments, and tourism can add to the income of countries. The animals are still resources - but in a very different form.

种种动物都濒临灭绝的危险境地，有谁关心？

     不论何种动物，只要每一代不能繁殖出足够的后代，不能与这种动物的死亡数字相平衡，那么这种动物就会逐渐灭绝。我们从岩石中的化石遗留下的证据中可以辨别出来，自从地球上有生命时开始，在若干个百万年中，有很多动植物的物种已经逐渐地灭绝了。任何一种生性过于特殊化以致于不能随着环境的变化而改变自己的特性的动物，或者是任何一种必须与一种能更好地适应环境而又更加强大的动物相竞争的动物，它们的命运都将是灭绝，这是个很自然的演化过程。由于最近几百年来各项科学技术的迅猛发展，以惊人的速度大量杀死了某些种动物，或以惊人的速度彻底改变了这些动物的生存的自然环境，致使这些动物不能生育繁衍出足够的后代，人类已经消灭了或已经接近于消灭了某些种动物。
     可以举出很多很多的例子说明自然生态环境已经被迅速地改变了，亚马逊河流域就是最好的例证。因为在这些地区以及和这些地区相类似的地区，自然界的植物已经被砍伐净尽，许多种动物将完全有可能灭绝。一大批一大批的动物被当作食品而遭猎杀。北美洲的野牛就是因为捕猎而接近于灭绝的物种之一。这些动物的数量非常庞大，以致于猎手们意识不到这些动物会有灭绝的危险。但即使是把这种动物行将灭绝的危险已经广泛地公诸于众，偷猎对猎人们财务上的回报是非常巨大的，以致猎人们选定了对这些物种行将灭绝的危险采取不理不睬的态度。这类态度已经导致了猎人为了获得毛皮、获得象牙或者仅仅是为了用作装饰品就去猎杀动物。与此稍有不同的是，那些旅游观光客错杀动物是为了留作战胜猎物的纪念品。像狮子、老虎之类雄伟的动物在世界有些地区已经灭绝了。然而要注意到，有时人们杀死了动物是由于人们害怕，这一点是很重要的。大猫科的动物就是这样被杀死的。有时杀死一些动物是希望减少一些数目，以便有助于这种动物能生存下去。据说杀死了一批加拿大的海豹就是为了这个目的，而利用海豹皮只是一种副产物而已。
     许多人都关心动物及野生动植物的保护工作。不管是什么原因造成了灭绝，一种保存遭受灭绝威胁的物种的办法就是把这些物种搬进动植物园里面去，并让这些动植物在那里生息繁衍下来。假如这种动物能存活下来，假如猎手们不再杀死它们，那么等将来它们繁衍出足够的后代之后，总会有这样的机会，总有一天会让它们的大自然的环境中去！另一种在自然环境中保护动物的办法，就是创建野生动植物保护区和野生动植物园并设置禁止渔猎野生动物监督官来看护这些动物。但是野生动植物园范围很广大，禁止渔猎野生动物监督官人手又很少，偷猎野生动物的猎人们的偷猎决心都很大。1980年初监督官与猎手们发生了冲突。猎手们都装备有现代化的武器，结果有数人在冲突中死亡。
     在大自然当中或在接近于大自然的环境当中，欣赏野生动植物，真是一大赏心乐事，况且这种旅游观光业也能为国家或地方增加收入。各种动物都依然是我们的资源--但却是一种不同形式的资源。

1 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。

2 specialized   

adj.专门的，专业化的

参考例句：

• There are many specialized agencies in the United Nations.联合国有许多专门机构。
• These tools are very specialized.这些是专用工具。

3 remarkable   

adj.显著的，异常的，非凡的，值得注意的

参考例句：

• She has made remarkable headway in her writing skills.她在写作技巧方面有了长足进步。
• These cars are remarkable for the quietness of their engines.这些汽车因发动机没有噪音而不同凡响。

4 killing   

n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财

参考例句：

• Investors are set to make a killing from the sell-off.投资者准备清仓以便大赚一笔。
• Last week my brother made a killing on Wall Street.上个周我兄弟在华尔街赚了一大笔。

5 clearances   

清除( clearance的名词复数 )； 许可； （录用或准许接触机密以前的）审查许可； 净空

参考例句：

• But I can't get to him without clearances. 但是没有证明我就没法见到他。
• The bridge and the top of the bus was only ten clearances. 桥与公共汽车车顶之间的间隙只有十厘米。

6 buffalo   

n.(北美)野牛；(亚洲)水牛

参考例句：

• Asian buffalo isn't as wild as that of America's. 亚洲水牛比美洲水牛温顺些。
• The boots are made of buffalo hide. 这双靴子是由水牛皮制成的。

7 ornaments   

n.装饰( ornament的名词复数 )；点缀；装饰品；首饰v.装饰，点缀，美化( ornament的第三人称单数 )

参考例句：

• The shelves were chock-a-block with ornaments. 架子上堆满了装饰品。
• Playing the piano sets up resonance in those glass ornaments. 一弹钢琴那些玻璃饰物就会产生共振。 来自《简明英汉词典》

8 trophies   

n.（为竞赛获胜者颁发的）奖品( trophy的名词复数 )；奖杯；（尤指狩猎或战争中获得的）纪念品；（用于比赛或赛跑名称）奖

参考例句：

• His football trophies were prominently displayed in the kitchen. 他的足球奖杯陈列在厨房里显眼的位置。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The hunter kept the lion's skin and head as trophies. 这猎人保存狮子的皮和头作为纪念品。 来自《现代英汉综合大词典》

9 by-product   

n.副产品，附带产生的结果

参考例句：

• Freedom is the by-product of economic surplus.自由是经济盈余的副产品。
• The raw material for the tyre is a by-product of petrol refining.制造轮胎的原材料是提炼汽油时产生的一种副产品。

10 wardens   

n.看守人( warden的名词复数 )；管理员；监察员；监察官

参考例句：

• Air raid wardens in tin hats self-importantly stalked the streets. 空袭民防队员戴着钢盔神气活现地走在街上昂首阔步。 来自辞典例句
• The game wardens tranquillized the rhinoceros with a drugged dart. 猎物保护区管理员用麻醉射器让犀牛静了下来。 来自辞典例句