When the UNESCO World Heritage Committee(WHC) met from July 16 to 31, 2021, they were tasked with addressing threats to some of the world's most treasured sites of priceless natural and cultural heritage. Among the issues the committee must face is the growing threat that dams cause to some of the world's most treasured World Heritage Sites.
A recent study found that over 500 dams under construction or planned worldwide would be built in protected areas. while dams threaten at least 80 World Heritage Sites. This number is only expected to grow as dam developers, faced with a reduction in the number of dam sites available, pursue increasingly reckless(不计后果的) projects such as the Batang Toru Dam, which experts say could lead to the extinction of the newly discovered Tapanuli orangutan(红毛猩猩).
The increasing impact of dams on World Heritage Sites has caused a global outcry, most recently in the case of the Selous Game Reserve, a World Heritage Site recognized as a biodiversity hotspot and one of the largest protected areas for African wildlife. The Tanzanian government's decision to construct the Julius Nyerere Dam in the Selous led to an angry proposal from UNESCO to remove it from the list altogether.
Meanwhile, history is in danger of repeating itself in Laos, where the planned Luang Prabang dam threatens the historic city it's named for. Luang Prabang, the old royal capital was listed as a World Heritage Site in 1995. Despite this World Heritage status, the Mekong River, which flows through and is an important part of Luang Prabang's history. culture, and way of life. is under threat. The Laos' government is planning to build a dam, 25 kilometers upstream from Luang Prabang. Given the proposed dam's size and locntion, the dam will have major environmental impacts on the river system and surrounding area.
【小题1】Which was an unavoidable topic at the meeting of WHC in 2021?| A．The number of dams under construction or planned worldwide. |
| B．The growing threat that dams cause to World Heritage Sites. |
| C．The extinction of the endangered animals in the whole world |
| D．The measures that some major countries' governments took. |
| A．It is a project in Tanzania. | B．It blocks Mekong River. |
| C．It could threaten a historic city. | D．It could endanger a species. |
| A．Unfavourable | B．Curious. | C．Interested. | D．Thankful. |
| A．A novel. | B．A newspaper. | C．A guidebook. | D．A health magazine. |
