The 2016 State of North America’s Birds report was published by the North American Bird Conservation Initiative(NABCI) last Wednesday at the Museum of Nature in Ottawa, Canada. The report-for the first time-assesses(评估)conservation status of 1,154 native bird species that occur in Canada, the continental United States, and Mexico, as well as oceanic birds that occur off these three countries. However, the findings were distressing. Over one—third of all North America bird species are most at risk of extinction without significant conservation action.
“North American migratory birds(候鸟)are on the decline (下降). But these birds link us, they unite us, and we have a shared duty to them and to the environments they are closely tied in with, so it requires international teamwork,” said Christian Artuso, a biologist at Bird Studies Canada. “This will come back to bite us if we don’t deal with it while we still have a chance.”
The threat to bird populations has brought nations together to try and save them from extinction. “Canada, the United States, and Mexico share an amazing wealth of birds. And not one of them carries a passport,” said Catherine McKenna, Canadian federal Environment and Climate Change Minister. “Partnerships like this allow us to ‘spread our wings’ beyond our own nests.”
This week policymakers, scientists, and nonprofit leaders met in Ottawa, Canada, to discuss the results of the study and how to increase conservation efforts in the continent.
The authors recommend various ways to take action to save the homes of at-risk birds. For seabirds, the report suggests expanding protected areas in the sea, signing agreements to cut plastics pollution, managing fisheries to protect fish populations upon which the birds feed, and making sure the birds do not get caught in fishing lines or nets.
“The thing about migratory birds is they connect us. What we do up here in Canada affects what goes on down in the southern US and Mexico and even further beyond, throughout the whole hemisphere(半球),” said Artuso.
32. What does the underlined word “distressing” in the first paragraph mean?
A. Boring B. Exciting
C. Upsetting D. Interesting
33. What does the teamwork mentioned by Artuso probably aim to do?
A. Study bird species B. Protect migratory birds
C. Help international biologists D. Create a competitive environment
34. What can we infer about Mckenna’s words?
A. She wanted birds to fly beyond their nests.
B. She was curious about birds in the three countries
C. She hoped the three countries could work together
D. She believed passports were sometimes unnecessary
35. How is Paragraph 5 mainly developed?
A. By providing examples B. By giving descriptions
C. By analyzing causes D. By making comparisons.
CBCA
A. Profits enlarging B. Technology developing C. Education investing D. Benefits transferring E. Dominance disappearing F. A nation rising |
The following is an imaginary diary entry written by US president. This diary is part of Global Trends 2025, which was written by the US National Intelligence Council
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The
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The
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Global wealth and economic power will shift from West to East.
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The transition from old fuels to new will be slow, as will the development of new technologies that present feasible alternatives to fossil fuels or help eliminate food and water problems. All current technologies are inadequate, and new ones will probably not be commercially possible by 2025