Animals are considered to be endangered if the species is close to extinction throughout all or most of its environment. Animals become endangered for a variety of reasons.
Some animals become endangered when their habitats contain resources for humans. For example, commercial forest cutting in the Amazon Rainforest has seriously reduced the population of many animal species and lead to the extinction of other groups. Land itself is an important resource to humans since it provides us with living space, and when people replace animal habitats with human habitats, it can lead to larger loss of natural species.
Commercial and industrial operations may reduce land or water for animals and pollute their environment. Due to water pollution, the baiji, a fresh water dolphin native to China, was declared extinct, meaning it’s unlikely the population can recover. Even noise pollution from human activities can lead to the disorder of animal behavior.
Another cause that makes animals become endangered is over-fishing or over-hunting. Over-hunting whales led to near extinction of many species of whales.
The introduction of a non-native species to a habitat may make animals become endangered. The native species may not defend against a new one, and the effects can be dangerous. In Australia, the introduction of the common house cat led to the extinction of the red-fronted parakeet and has seriously damaged the populations of several small animals.
Introduced species can also bring new diseases with them. As a result, animals become endangered. Native animals may not have the power to fight against non-native diseases, and population levels can suffer. Another cause of disease is human-introduced chemicals. The use of DDT is believed to be one of the leading causes in driving the California Condor to near extinction.
When animals become endangered, the entire food chain can be affected. For example, in 2008 disease seriously harmed the honeybee, which is largely responsible for pollinating(授花粉) plants, including many fruits and vegetables. Without their pollination, a very large part of the human diet could be reduced. In fact, if the honeybee should become extinct, our life would be affected and billions of dollars would be lost. Therefore, many people argue that when animals become endangered it is in man’s own self-interest to protect them.
小題1:The passage is mainly about ______.
| A．ways of protecting animals’ habitats |
| B．effects caused by species endangerment |
| C．dangers of bringing in non-native species |
| D．reasons why animals become endangered |
小題2:Which of the following examples shows that environmental pollution may cause species endangerment?
| A．The extinction of the whales. |
| B．The extinction of the red-fronted parakeet. |
| C．The decreasing population of the dolphin. |
| D．The effect of the honeybee on the human diet. |
小題3:Why is it dangerous to introduce a non-native species to a habitat?
| A．Native species are likely to die from the new diseases. |
| B．It’s hard for non-native species to survive. |
| C．Non-native species will take up more space. |
| D．Native species are so powerful for non-native species. |
小題4:The California Condor is in danger of dying out because of ______.
| A．loss of habitat | B．harmful chemicals |
| C．forest cutting | D．unfamiliar diseases |
小題5:We can infer from the last paragraph that ______.
| A．humans are to blame for species extinction |
| B．small animals mean little to the whole food chain |
| C．protection of the honeybee has cost billions of dollars |
| D．humans protect animals for the benefit of themselves |
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