Saving Endangered Animals: The Importance of Conservation Efforts

1. Section II Store Your Bricks Endangered Animals Animals are beautiful and fascinating. A world without animals is no world at all. Humans and animals must co-exist in order to maintain balance and continue surviving on this planet . Yet with the rapid changes in human societies in the last two centuries, many animals have not been able to adapt quickly enough. As a result, they are in serious danger.

2. Section II Store Your Bricks The International Union for Conservation of Nature（IUCN）①has calculated the percentage of the endangered species as 31% of all organisms based on the samples of species evaluated through 2012. The IUCN has made a list of endangered animals called the “Red List”. In total, there are a staggering 19,817 species on the Red List as of 2012.

3. Section II Store Your Bricks Endangered animals are defined as animals that are in danger of becoming extinct. Animals are being endangered either because there are already too few of them living in the wild, or even in captivity; or because their continued existence is threatened by a changing environment which results in them losing access to adequate food or living conditions. The way to understand what is meant by “too few” is that their reproductive rates are lower than their mortality rates.

4. Section II Store Your Bricks Being identified as an endangered animal means that either the animal will be protected and find its way back to recovery, or it will vanish from existence. The label “endangered animal” is like being diagnosed with a disease, but it does not mean absolute eventual extinction. The path that endangered animals take is dependent on human intervention.

5. Section II Store Your Bricks Conservation groups work diligently for many decades to save them. There are many success stories in this category including the American Bald Eagle. Therefore, being listed as an endangered animal is not necessarily a death sentence. It is these success stories that keep us hopeful and persistent in our mission to save and protect endangered animals.

6. Section II Store Your Bricks Because there are so many different stages of being endangered, there are two different approaches for dealing with the conditions. As mentioned earlier, being labeled “endangered” is like being diagnosed with a disease. Think of “endangered” as a kind of disease that is a potential threat to all species in the same way that cancer or heart disease is a potential threat to all humans. The “disease” is treatable.

7. Section II Store Your Bricks If someone is already diagnosed with cancer, for example, the approach is to heal; if we have a susceptibility to the disease, but are not yet sick, we take preventive measures. Similarly, we take action to save endangered animals that are already threatened with extinction , and protective measures for animals that live under conditions that make them more susceptible to such a threat.

8. Section II Store Your Bricks Efforts to save endangered animals include breeding in captivity such as the panda bears, and building sanctuaries where wild animals are carefully monitored. Forms of protection include laws that forbid hunting and restrict land development, and the establishment of heavily guarded conservation reserves.

9. Section II Store Your Bricks The safari reserves in Africa are another example of protective measures. Although it is against the law to kill elephants in Africa, the demand for ivory from the elephants’tusks is in direct competition with efforts to protect the elephants. And because of the large geographic size of the elephants’ habitat, it is not humanly possible to guard all the land at all times.

10. Section II Store Your Bricks Though the challenges to save and protect endangered animals are great, we recognize the value of animal diversity on earth. The more we can learn about endangered animals helps us all to be more conscious and respectful of our environment which in turn helps to save and protect endangered animals.

11. Section II Store Your Bricks 濒危动物 动物是美丽的、迷人的。没有动物的世界不能称之为世界。为了保持平衡，继续生存在这个星球上，人类和动物必须共存。然而，在过去的两个世纪里，人类社会快速的变化，许多动物无法足够迅速地适应，结果，它们生命面临着严重危险。

12. Section II Store Your Bricks 世界自然保护联盟（ＩＵＣＮ）以２０１２年评估的物种样本为基础，计算出濒危物种的比例达到了所有生物物种的３１％。世界自然保护联盟已列了一份濒危动物的名单，称为“红色名录”。总的来说，截止到２０１２年，红色名录上的物种总数达到了惊人的１９８１７个。

13. Section II Store Your Bricks 濒危动物是指任何面临灭绝危险的动物。被确定为濒危动物要么是因为它们生活在野外的数量已经太少，甚至被圈养的数量也不多；要么是因为它们的继续生受到了变化的环境的威胁，而环境的变化导致它们失去足够的食物或生活条件。判别“数量太少”的方法就是看它们的生殖率是否低于它们的死亡率。

14. Section II Store Your Bricks 被确定为濒危动物意味着要么动物要被保护起来，找到它们自己的方式恢复繁荣，要么它们将消失不再存在。“濒危动物”的标签就像被诊断出患有一种疾病，但它并不意味着绝对的最终灭绝。濒危动物的未来依赖于人工干预。

15. Section II Store Your Bricks 环保组织为了拯救它们努力工作了几十年。在这个领域里有许多成功的故事，其中包括美国秃鹰。因此，被列为濒危动物不一定是被判了死刑。正是这些成功故事让我们充满希望，坚持不懈地去执行拯救和保护濒危动物的使命。

16. Section II Store Your Bricks 因为濒危有许多不同的阶段，因此有两种不同的方法处理各种情况。如前所述，被贴上“濒危”的标签就像被诊断出患有一种疾病。把“濒临灭绝”看作一种对所有物种有潜在威胁的疾病，就如同癌症或心脏病对所有人类是个潜在的威胁一样疾病是可以治疗的。

17. Section II Store Your Bricks 例如，如果有人已经被诊断出患有癌症，方法就是治疗；如果我们容易感染疾病，但还没有生病，我们要采取预防措施。同样，我们采取行动拯救已经受到灭绝威胁的濒危动物，对那些生活在更容易受到威胁的条件下的动物采取保护措施。

18. Section II Store Your Bricks 拯救濒危动物的努力包括圈养繁殖，如圈养熊猫和建立谨慎监控动物的禁猎区。保护的形式包括制定禁止狩猎、限制土地开发的法律以及建立戒备森严的保护区。

19. Section II Store Your Bricks 非洲的狩猎保护区是保护措施的另一个例子。虽然在非洲猎杀大象是违法的，但是对象牙的需求与保护大象的努力是直接冲突的。因为大象栖息地的地理规模是如此之大，随时保护所有的范围是办不到的。

20. Section II Store Your Bricks 虽然拯救和保护濒危动物是很大的挑战，但我们已经认识到地球上动物多样性的价值。我们对濒危动物越了解，就越能帮助我们认识和尊重环境，而环境又会帮助拯救和保护濒危动物。

21. Section II Store Your Bricks Practice What You Learnt Task 1 Comprehension Check Choose the best answer according to the text.

22. Section II Store Your Bricks 1. According to the text, which of the following is NOT the way to identify endangered animals? The animals are identified endangered when too few of them live in the wild or in the captivity. B. The animals could not find enough food and living conditions for their continued existence because of the changing environment. C. If an animal is not protected, it will vanish from existence. D. An animal has been reported extinct. D Click me

23. Section II Store Your Bricks 2.What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 4 mean? If an animal is labeled endangered, it will definitely become extinct. B. If an animal is identified endangered, it will definitely find its way to recovery. C. The possible fate for the endangered animals will be either recovery or extinction after being identified as the endangered. D. Being identified as an endangered animal, the animal will certainly be protected. C Click me

24. Section II Store Your Bricks 3. The underlined phrase “a death sentence” in Paragraph 5 refers to ____________ . A. a long sentence B. a death punishment C. going extinct D. a wrong sentence C Click me

25. Section II Store Your Bricks 4 What can we infer from Paragraph 6? A. When we are ill, we should take preventive measures. B. When animals are susceptible to the threat of extinction, we should take preventive measures. When animals become endangered, we should take preventive measures. D. When we are susceptible to disease, we should take healing approaches. B Click me

26. Section II Store Your Bricks 5. What can human beings do to protect endangered animals? A. To guard the animals’ habitats at all times. B. To prohibit human’s development. C. To make some laws that forbid illegal hunting. D. All of the above. C Click me

27. Section II Store Your Bricks Task 2 Vocabulary and Sentences （1）Match the words on the left with their meanings on the right.

28. Section II Store Your Bricks A. to determine or distinguish the nature of a problem or an illness through a diagnostic analysis ① fascinate B. a method of doing something or dealing with a problem ② adapt C. being attracted to someone or something and thinking they are extremely interesting ③ vanish D. to interfere or become involved, or to prevent something happening ④ diagnose ⑤approach E. adhere to something unremittingly ⑥ staggering F. the condition of being different or having difference ⑦ diversity G. very surprising and shocking; astonishing ⑧persistent H. showing realization or recognition of something ⑨ intervention I. to change to suit anew situation ⑩ conscious J. disappear suddenly

29. Section II Store Your Bricks （2）Complete the sentences with the words from above . Change the form if necessary. Click me fascinated The audience was _________ by their superb performance. 2.The aircraft just _________ without any trace. vanished Click me diagnosed Click me 3.The soldiers were _________ as having flu. intervention Click me 4. Government’s __________ in this dispute will not help. 5. The world will be different and we should be prepared to ________ to the change. adapt Click me

30. Section II Store Your Bricks approaches Click me 6. We will explore different __________ to give information. staggering 7.A __________ million people died in the catastrophe. Click me 8. He said he has never seen so many _________ views gathered together to deal with the problem. Click me diverse persistence Click me 9.Skill comes only with practice, patience, and __________. 10.He is not ____________of having made a mistake. conscious Click me

31. Section II Store Your Bricks （3）Complete the following sentences by translating Chinese into English, using the word un hold. Change the form if necessary. The child got up against ____________________________ （照满阳光的窗户取暖）. the sunny window to keep warm Click me

32. Section II Store Your Bricks are not worty keeping Click me These old clothes ____________________ （不值得保留了）.

33. Section II Store Your Bricks Dogs guarded the house Click me __________________________ （狗看守着房子）against intruders（侵入者）. ________________________________（三名安保人员被 枪杀）at the airport. Click me Three security guard were shot head

34. Section II Store Your Bricks Click me the demand for IT products At present， ________________________________________________ （对IT产品的需求）grow gradually. demands your immediate attention Click me The work ___________________________________________ （急需你立即处理）.

35. Section II Store Your Bricks Task 3 Translation (1)Translate the following English into Chinese. 1.There are hundreds of species of fish and even microscopic （微小的）life forms that live in polluted waters. Some of these actually mutate（变异）into different types of the same species. 成百上千种的鱼类，甚至微小的生物生活在受污染的水域。实际上其中一些生物变异成了同一物种的不同变体。 Click me ________________________________________________________________

36. Section II Store Your Bricks 2. People derive（获得）joy from playing with and talking to pets. This is especially true for the elderly or those who live a lonely life. 人们从与宠物玩耍和说话中获得了快乐，特别是对于老年人和那些独自生活的人来说，尤其如此。 Click me ____________________________________________________________________

37. Section II Store Your Bricks 3.Among other assessed（受评估的）groups of animals, 23% of mammals（哺乳动物）and 12% of birds are known to be at risk（风险）of extinction. 在其他被评估的动物种群当中，２３％的哺乳动物和１２％的鸟类面临灭绝的风险。 Click me ____________________________________________________________________

38. Section II Store Your Bricks 4. In spite of the lack of credible（可靠的）evidence, there’s plenty of information on the Internet reporting recent sightings（见到）of the Tasmanian tiger（塔斯马尼亚虎）in the wild. 尽管缺乏可靠的证据，但是最近互联网上出现了大量见到野生塔斯马尼亚虎的消息。 Click me ____________________________________________________________________

39. Section II Store Your Bricks 5. Circuses are indeed among the cruelest shows on earth but the public is not familiar with what goes on behind the scenes Click me 马戏团的确是地球上最残酷的表演，但公众无法得知幕后到底发生了什么。 ____________________________________________________________________

40. Section II Store Your Bricks (2)Translate the following Chinese into English. 1.所有房间都配有互联网接口。（access） Click me All the rooms have access to the internet. ____________________________________________________________________ 2.劫机者扬言若不满足他们的要求，就把乘客都杀死。（hijacker, threaten） Click me The hajackers threatend to kill all the passergers if their demands were not met. ____________________________________________________________________

41. Section II Store Your Bricks 3.中国或美国将成为未来世界的领导者。 （either...or） Either China or the USA will be future leader of the world. Click me ____________________________________________________________________ 4.有些动物靠很少的水就能在沙漠中存活下来。（survive） Click me Some animals can survive on very little water in the desert. ____________________________________________________________________ 5.所有的投诉都将由经理来处理。（complaint, deal with） Click me All compliants will be dealt with by the managers ____________________________________________________________________

42. Section II Store Your Bricks Task 4 Reading Aloud Read Paragraph 6 aloud until you have learned it by heart. Then try to complete the passage from memory. stages Click me There are so many different _____________ of being endangered, so there are two different______________ for dealing with the conditions. Being _____________ “endangered” is like being diagnosed with a disease. Think of “endangered” as a kind of disease that is a ____________ threat to all species in the same way that cancer or heart disease is a potential threat to all humans. approches Click me labeled Click me potential Click me

43. Section II Store Your Bricks Click me treatable The disease is ____________ , so if someone is already diagnosed with cancer, for example, the approach is to ____________ ; if we have a susceptibility to the disease but are not yet sick, however, we take ____________ measures. In the same way, we take action to ____________ endangered animals that are on the verge of _____________ , and protective measures for animals that are ____________ to such a threat. heal Click me preventive Click me save Click me extinction Click me susceptible Click me