It’s reported that about 20 percent of the Amazon rainforest has disappeared during the past 50 years. Deforestation is not only threatening the millions of unique plant and animal species native to the Amazon River area, it’s affecting humans worldwide. When it comes to the protection of the Amazon, it’s hard for many people to relate because they don’t feel connected to the area. There are actually a lot of direct connections, no matter how far away we are.
A connection that affects everyone on the planet is climate (气候) change. Planting new trees in the forest is basically a way of removing CO2 from the air. Rain forests have a carbon (碳) reduction nearly equal to half of what is in the air. About half of that is in the Amazon. Another case in point is a big snake called the bushmaster that lives in the Amazon. Today, millions of people use medicines made from its venom (毒液) to treat high blood pressure. So they have longer, fuller, and more productive lives.
In the 1960s, there was only one highway in the entire Amazon. That’s an area as large as the continental United States with one highway and three million people. Today, there are between 30 million to 40 million people, countless roads, and about 20 percent forests have been cut down. But on the plus side, 50 years ago there were only two national parks and a national forest and a reserve in Brazil. Today, more than 50 percent of the Amazon is under some form of protection.
“There’s been a lot of damage done and forest lost, but nothing is gone until it’s gone”, noted National Geographic explorer Dr. Thomas Lovejoy. “We want to see more shared planning between the departments of transportation, energy, agriculture, and the other industries in the area. We think Amazon cities can have higher quality of life and keep people in existing cities so there’s less reason to deforest.”
【小题1】Which can replace the underlined word “Deforestation” in paragraph 1?| A．Planting more trees. | B．Destroying the forests. |
| C．Protecting the species. | D．Polluting the rivers. |
| A．The increase of extreme weather. | B．The removal of CO2. |
| C．More people with high blood pressure. | D．The overgrowth of the bushmaster. |
| A．By making comparisons. | B．By listing reasons. |
| C．By explaining a definition. | D．By making a summary. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Worried. | C．Positive. | D．Uncaring. |
