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欢迎大家来到“英语阅读”，本栏目旨在提升各位同学的阅读、听力水平及阅读理解能力，内容精选自《英语周报》高中阅读专版。
Bye-Bye Blu
——高中进阶 (2018-2019学年第10期) 1版
Blu is gone. Jewel is no more. And so are all the other Spix's macaws (小蓝金刚鹦鹉) that once flew happily among the tree tops of Brazil's rainforests. The members of this brightly colored bird species have now been declared extinct in the wild by the conservation group BirdLife International.
You may remember Blu from the animated movie Rio (《里约大冒险》). He was the lonely Spix's macaw who flew from America to Brazil to find a mate. He found Jewel, and they fell in love. It was a funny movie, but with a serious message about protecting endangered species. In the movie, Blu and Jewel have babies and their species is saved. Unfortunately, movies are not real life.
According to BirdLife International, more and more bird species are dying out each year, not just on small islands, where 90 percent of extinctions happen, but increasingly on the large land areas of the earth's continents (大陆). Stuart Butchart of BirdLife International says, "There is a growing wave of extinction sweeping across continents, driven mainly by habitat loss and degradation (恶化) from unsustainable agriculture and logging (伐木作业)."
Bird extinctions are not something new. The dodo (渡渡鸟), an ostrich-like bird native to the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius (毛里求斯), became extinct in the 17th century when sailors hunted it for food. And the passenger pigeon of North America, which once numbered in the tens of millions, was killed off in just a few decades by hunters in the late 19th century. Today's extinctions, though, are different.
As the earth's population increases, more land is needed to grow food. Forests are cut down and wetlands are drained (减少), which take away the nesting and feeding areas that birds rely on. This is why we have to learn how to take the benefits of nature without destroying it.
In China, this idea of learning to live in harmony with nature is having some success. The crested ibis (朱鹮) was once seen in many parts of the country, but intensive agriculture, which destroyed the bird's wetlands habitat, almost caused its extinction — in the 1960s, it was considered extinct! Surprisingly in the 1980s, seven of these large, long-legged, long-beaked (长喙的) birds were found in Shaanxi province. And through the Chinese government's conservation efforts, the population of crested ibises has now grown to more than 1,400.
We need more of these happy endings. Better conservation programs will help, and so will a greater awareness of the problem by young people. With your help, we won't have to say bye-bye to our beautiful birds.
教案
PRE-READING
1. Name the cartoon characters in the picture. What happened to them in the movie?
2. Read the title and guess what the article is about.
WHILE READING
Sentences
1. According to BirdLife International, more and more bird species are dying out① each year, not just on small islands, where② 90 percent of extinctions happen, but increasingly ...
① die out: (of a family, species, etc.) to become less common and finally stop existing completely （指家族、物种等）逐渐消失，灭绝
e.g. Dinosaurs died out millions of years ago.
② 本句中where引导非限制性定语从句，相当于on which。
2. Stuart Butchart of BirdLife International says, "There is a growing wave of① extinction sweeping② across continents, driven② mainly by habitat loss and ..."
① a wave of: a sudden increase in a particular type of behavior, activity or feeling （行为、活动或感情的）一阵
e.g. a wave of anger/attacks/tiredness
② "sweeping across continents"和"driven mainly by ..."均为分词作定语的结构。前者与逻辑主语为主动关系，用现在分词；后者与逻辑主语为被动关系，用过去分词。
3. The dodo, an ostrich-like bird native to the Indian Ocean island of Mauritius①, became extinct in the 17th century when sailors hunted it for food.
① 该名词短语是the dodo的同位语。英语中，我们常用一个名词性成分（词、词组、从句等）对另一个名词或代词进行补充说明，这样既保证了句子的整体性，又对作者提到的人或物加以解释。"native ... Mauritius" 是形容词短语作后置定语的用法。
Vocabulary
Complete each sentence using one word from the box in its correct form. Note that there is one word more than you need and you can use each word only once.
declare extinct conservation unsustainable harmony awareness
1. I was __________ of the mistake until my teacher pointed it out.
2. A new law to __________ wildlife will come into effect next month.
3. All the countries were in favor of a ceasefire (停火) __________.
4. We might live to see the __________ of the elephant unless we take effective measures immediately.
5. It is believed that cycling is a(n) __________ form of transport.
Key:
1. unaware 2. conserve 3. declaration
4. extinction 5. sustainable
Translation
1. 和我们一起工作了很多年的拉里已经回到了他的出生地加拿大。(where)
2. 那幢正在建造的教学楼将于下学期开始启用。(分词作定语)
3. 汤姆平时是个胆小的男生，但一看到溺水的婴儿他就跳进了泳池。(同位语)
4. 如果我们无法确保生态旅游与环境和谐发展，那就应该重新考虑它是否有意义。(harmony)
Possible answers:
1. Larry, who worked with us for many years, has already returned to Canada, where he was born.
2. The building being built will come into use / be brought into use next semester.
3. Usually a timid boy, Tom jumped into the swimming pool as soon as he saw the drowning baby.
4. If we are unable to ensure that ecotourism develops in harmony with the environment, we should reconsider if it makes sense.
Comprehension
Choose the best answer.
1. According to the article, which of the following statements about Spix's macaws is NOT true?
A. They are native to Brazil.
B. They are different from other parrots in color.
C. They were endangered birds before the release of Rio.
D. They are no longer found anywhere on Earth.
2. According to the author, today's extinctions result from ______.
① population explosion ② urbanization
③ habitat destruction ④ intensive agriculture
A. ①②③ B. ①②④ C. ①③④ D. ②③④
3. The crested ibis was cited as an example to show that ______.
A. endangered animals could be saved if we raise awareness
B. we should not jump to conclusions
C. unsustainable agriculture should be banned
D. the Chinese government has made a great effort to save the endangered bird
Key:
1-3 DCA
AFTER READING
Apart from the crested ibis, are there any other endangered animals that have been successfully saved thanks to our joint efforts? Do some research in a group of four to six and make a presentation about your findings in class.
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后语：坚持是一种信仰，专注是一种态度！每一次您的转发，就是对我们的认同和鼓励！亲们，喜欢就积极转发吧，您的每一次转发，都是我们持续的原创动力。原创的路上感恩有您一路同行！！！
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