时间:2019-02-21 作者:英语课 分类:英语听力精选进阶版


英语课

Some Species Threatened with Extinction 1 一些蝴蝶种类面临绝迹


The British summer is extremely beautiful. Trees, flowers, birds and butterflies make the whole country like a big garden. However, many British people have noticed that butterflies have been gradually disappearing from this picturesque 2 scenery during the past several years. What has happened to them?


Butterfly Conservation, a charity in the UK, is running a survey to help answer this question. The result is more serious than people expected. According to the survey, among 59 butterfly species found in the British Isles 3, more than three-quarters of them are suffering a declining population, including the most popular Meadow Brown. Moreover, half of all butterfly species are on the verge 4 of extinction.


Some common species such as the small Tortoiseshell butterfly and the Wall butterfly are dropping dramatically. The latter cannot even be seen in many parts of central and southern England.


The Blue butterfly, which was commonly seen in the south, has started colonising Edinburgh in the past few years.


The numbers of butterflies have dropped to a record low in the past three years largely because the summer in the UK is getting cooler and their habitat is also degrading.


Fortunately Britain is experiencing a long hot summer this year compared to the last few summers. Conservationists believe the warm weather will bring some benefit to the butterflies.


Sir David Attenborough, president of Butterfly Conservation, said: "Butterflies in profusion 5 tell us that all is well with nature. When they decline it's a warning that other wildlife will be soon heading the same way."


The survey is still going on. The public is also encouraged to keep track of the UK's butterfly population. The organisers hope the survey will help raise public awareness 6 of the value of butterflies in the UK. Butterflies give an indication of the well-being 7 of nature and the environment.


Glossary 词汇表


butterfly 蝴蝶 


picturesque scenery 如画的风景 


conservation 自然环境保护 


charity 慈善组织 


survey 调查 


species 品种 


British Isles 不列颠群岛 


decline 减少 


extinction 绝迹、灭绝 


dramatically 显著地 


colonise 居住、迁移至某地 


a record low 有记录以来最低 


habitat 居住地 


degrade 恶化、变坏 


conservationist 环保主义者 


profusion 大量、丰富 


keep track of 跟踪 


indication 指示



n.熄灭,消亡,消灭,灭绝,绝种
  • 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。
adj.美丽如画的,(语言)生动的,绘声绘色的
  • You can see the picturesque shores beside the river.在河边你可以看到景色如画的两岸。
  • That was a picturesque phrase.那是一个形象化的说法。
岛( isle的名词复数 )
  • the geology of the British Isles 不列颠群岛的地质
  • The boat left for the isles. 小船驶向那些小岛。
n.边,边缘;v.接近,濒临
  • The country's economy is on the verge of collapse.国家的经济已到了崩溃的边缘。
  • She was on the verge of bursting into tears.她快要哭出来了。
n.挥霍;丰富
  • He is liberal to profusion.他挥霍无度。
  • The leaves are falling in profusion.落叶纷纷。
n.意识,觉悟,懂事,明智
  • There is a general awareness that smoking is harmful.人们普遍认识到吸烟有害健康。
  • Environmental awareness has increased over the years.这些年来人们的环境意识增强了。
n.安康,安乐,幸福
  • He always has the well-being of the masses at heart.他总是把群众的疾苦挂在心上。
  • My concern for their well-being was misunderstood as interference.我关心他们的幸福,却被误解为多管闲事。
学英语单词
abadi
abnormalizing
Adabaī Mahamoud
Adonias
aided laying
Air Pressure Relief Valve
allantoises
aneitensis
annul-
arachnopia
ball viscosimeter
basic assember program
behavioral relationship
belly-achings
bristlecone
cakepans
canvass for contribution
Capromycinum
caroticotympanic nerves
central angles
Cheggers
cocosoid
connecting screw rod
convertible currencies
cubiclizes
Cuenca
deficit reactivity
Diamond Jim Brady
dicapryloyl peroxide
distributed delay model
driven rod
Einhorn's disease
enzymoprivic
Eoligonodina
Erigeron L.
feed on animal's blood
fresh in someone's mind
fruit diameter index
galdosian
Gamtoos R.
greatest common factor
Hirst's phenomenon
homo soloenses
hook stud
hydrocephalies
increment mode display
inculpably
isolated operation
jamuna
jup
Kabara, L.
Korsakov's psychosis
L. C. L. bodizs
Lake of the Woods
laser pressure gauge
leze-majesty
liquid composite molding (lcm)
lithodes formosae
madrepore marble
magnetic bearing
make our point
manufacture out of whole cloth
megamera
mulcher stubble
net explosive weight
non-b
nondessert
northwest corner rule
onion-domed
ornitholeucism
Paloxin
Pearson's coefficient of meansquare contingency
phase-iii
pig-metal
pigginstring
preaching to the choir
PSAD
pyrola americanas
radial force
refrigerator cryopump
revolves around
saccharogalactorrhea
sadsack
sapo glycerinatus
sarc-
sheddest
shovel-crowding engine
shovelnose-ray
single-cycle forced-circulation boiling water
slot part
snow-jobbed
spankiest
Strongylus apri
super orthogonal code
tertiates
thass
thermobank defrost
tracies
trise
video-fax
wet shoots
Yangdi