Do you know polar bears well? In this article, we will discuss some 【小题1】 (amaze) facts about polar bears.

Black skin and white fur. Interestingly, polar bears usually have black skins which 【小题2】 (cover) with fur. When you see the white bear, it is because 【小题3】 (it) fur is a hollow transparent tube (中空透明管) that only 【小题4】 (reflect) light. This feature gives polar bears great advantage in their environment especially when they are hunting.

Polar bears live in cold 【小题5】 (place). The natural habitat (栖息地) of polar bears is in the Arctic in Canada, Russia, and so on. While the Arctic is known for extremely freezing temperatures, bears still manage to remain warm thanks   【小题6】 the 10 cm thick layers of fat under their skins and their thick furry coats.

Their population. It is estimated (估计) that there are about 20,000 polar bears. Polar bears are used to freezing temperatures. However, because the global temperature is rising, ice on the sea melts a bit 【小题7】 (fast) than usual. This way, bears don’t have enough time 【小题8】 (hunt) for food, so they are easy to go hungry. Each of the countries 【小题9】 bears have their natural habitat follows strict rules on hunting polar bears to prevent them from 【小题10】 (face) extinction.

The illegal ivory trade (象牙贸易) has been a major problem in Africa for decades. Poachers (偷猎者) and hunters have killed hundreds of thousands of elephants to obtain this precious material. Now the areas in which they do it are taking action. The International Union for Conservation (保护) of Nature (IUCN) announced on Dec 3 that key states 【小题1】 poaching takes place have made a promise to stop the ivory trade and protect Africa’s elephants.

Recently, top officials and experts from 30 states met to discuss how to protect Africa elephants. The conference, 【小题2】 (organize) by the IUCN and the government of Botswana, was held in Gaborone, Botswana’s capital city.

In 【小题3】1980s, as many as 1 million elephants across Africa were killed for ivory. The ivory 【小题4】 (use) to make jewelry and other items. This continued until 1989, 【小题5】 the convention (大会) on International Trade in Species voted to ban all trade in ivory. Then, elephants’ population slowly began to increase.

According to the IUCN, 2011 saw the highest levels of poaching and illegal ivory trading in at least 16 years. Around 25,000 elephants were killed in Africa that year. “With an estimated 22,000 elephants illegally 【小题6】 (kill) in 2012, we continue to face a critical situation,” said John E. Scanlon, CITES Secretary- General.

At the meeting, key Africa states where elephants make 【小题7】 home agreed to develop a “zero-tolerance approach” to poaching. The deal calls for tough sentences for poachers and hunters, and increased cooperation between states where poaching and hunting is a big problem. All participants at the conference agreed to sign the deal. With these states 【小题8】 (come) together, there may be hope for elephants.

A recent study found that extreme environmental change could cause an “extinction domino effect.”【小题1】it may seem unimportant if we lose one rat species, it matters because all species【小题2】(connect ) through their interactions in a web of life. A balanced ecosystem is one in which each species plays an important role and relies on the services provided by other species【小题3】(survive). Healthy ecosystems are more productive and resistant to disruptions.