拯救濒危动物新工具

蒋建平

在1，900种被澳大利亚列入名单的濒危物种中，有近380种可以在澳大利亚的城市地区发现，它们正面临灭绝……

1 Do you know what is living in your backyard？ Almost 380 of the 1，900 nationally listed threatened species can be found in urban areas across Australia and are facing extinction and are under pressure from habitat loss and climate change.

2 The latest five?yearly State of the Environment Report was released （发布） in July 2022 and found there are growing pressures on Australian wildlife from habitat loss and climate change. The report found that there are now more than 1，900 species and ecological communities listed as threatened. Of these， 42 critically endangered species have no protection in the National Reserve System， which is Australias network of protected areas. The number of Australias threatened species has seen an 8 per cent rise since 2016. The number of plant and animal species listed as threatened in June 2021 was 1，918， up from 1，774 in 2016.

3 Since the release of the report， two new species have been added to the growing list of threatened animals. The mountain skink （石龙子） has been listed as endangered and the southeastern glossy black cockatoo （凤头鹦鹉） has been listed as vulnerable （脆弱的） in August 2022.

4 The World Wide Fund for Nature has released a backyard tool for everyday Australians to use to help save some of the endangered wildlife found in urban areas. The new interactive tool “My Backyard” allows users to discover which threatened species live in their local area and what measures can be taken to help protect them.

5 WWF?Australia chief conservation officer Rachel Lowry said people might be surprised to learn that bushland and forests near cities are home to some of Australias rarest animals. “It is a fun and interactive tool that also makes it easier for people to take action to protect Australian wildlife better. Australias native animals are under increasing pressure from climate change， habitat destruction and invasive （侵入的） species. But Id also argue that our silence is influencing our threatened species because they need our voices now more than ever，” Ms Lowry said.

1. Why does the author list so many figures in paragraph 2？

A. To show rich species in Australia.

B. To compare several reports about wild species.

C. To work out the total number of worldwide species.

D. To prove the rise of endangered species.

2. What does paragraph 3 mainly talk about？

A. The influences of the report.

B. New threatened species.

C. The number of endangered animals.

D. Challenges the mountain skink faces.

3. What can users do by using “My Backyard”？

A. Communicate with WWF.

B. Discover interesting animals.

C. Protect animals at risk in their local area.

D. Learn more about bushland and forests near cities.

4. Whats Lowrys attitude to the new tool？

A. Supportive. B. Tolerant.

C. Confused. D. Indifferent.

Difficult sentences

1. The number of plant and animal species listed as threatened in June 2021 was 1，918， up from 1，774 in 2016. 2021年6月被列為受威胁的动植物物种数量从2016年的1，774种增加到1，918种。

【点石成金】该句中，the number of...作主语，意为“……的数量”，谓语动词使用了单数形式。

2.But Id also argue that our silence is influencing our threatened species because they need our voices now more than ever. 但是，我也认为，我们的沉默正在影响我们的受威胁的物种，因为它们现在比以往任何时候都更需要我们的声音。

【点石成金】该句中，that引导一个宾语从句，宾语从句中又有一个由because引导的原因状语从句。