Koalas could disappear from Australia

四川雙流中學 蔣建平

樹袋熊，又叫考拉。 考拉是Koala的音譯名，源于古代土著文字，意思是“不喝水”。 因為樹袋熊從它們取食的桉樹樹葉中獲得所需水分的90%， 所以只在生病和干旱的時候喝水，當地人因此稱它“克瓦勒”。

題材動物 說明文體裁 文章詞數 建議用時約387 7分鐘

難詞探意

1. eucalyptus /?ju?k??l?pt?s/n. 桉樹

2. stark /stɑ?k/adj. 完全的；荒涼的

3. parliamentary /?pɑ?l??mentri/adj. 議會的；國會的

Australian animals koalas could disappear from New South Wales state by 2050, unless the state government immediately acts to protect them.

Koalas are among Australia's most beloved animals. Lawmakers in the New South Wales' upper house of Parliament released the report on Tuesday. It said land clearing for agriculture, urban development, mining and forestry are threatening the koalas' survival. Such operations destroy koala habitat. Koalas live ineucalyptusforests. The trees provide shelter and food for the koalas. They eat eucalyptus leaves.

But, the state's most recent fire season, aided by severely dry weather, was unusually long and proved disastrous for koalas. The investigation found that about 25 percent of koala habitat across the state was destroyed. The report also said that,in some parts of New South Wales, or NSW for short, fires destroyed as much as 81 percent of the habitat. “The evidence could not be morestark,” the report read, adding “If the government acts on the report's suggested measures, children's grandchildren will see a koala in the wild in NSW.”

Theparliamentarycommittee heading the investigation includes lawmakers from several political parties.The report advises that the government take42actions to deal with the problem. One calls for immediately counting koalas in New South Wales. Another advises that the government place the protection of the animals above urban development. And it calls for more money to support efforts to save the environment.

Stuart Blanch is an expert on land clearing and restoration at the Australian office of the WWF.He called on the government to do as the report advises and to strengthen protection for areas where the animals live. “WWF calls on the NSW Premier to rewrite weak land clearing laws to protect the koala habitat,” Blanch said in a statement. He also said that the government should provide increased economic support for farmers who actively protect eucalyptus trees and stop wood industry operations in koala habitats.

The Premier of New South Wales is Gladys Berejiklian. A spokesperson for her administration said the government would comment on the report after a period of consideration. The official added that New South Wales had already provided more than $30 million to protect koalas.

1. Which of the following is threatening the koalas' survival?

A. Eucalyptus leaves.

B. Land clearing.

C. The state government's slow acts.

D. Koalas' unusual system of reproduction.

2. What worsened the state's most recent fire season?

A. Urban development. B. Dry weather.

C. Mining. D. Forestry.

3. What's Stuart Blanch's attitude to the protection of animals' habitat?

A. Unclear. B. Indifferent.

C. Supportive. D. Thrilled.

Sentence for writing

The report advises that the government take 42 actions to deal with the problem.

【信息提取】advise that + 從句主語+ (should) do...意為“建議……”，表示虛擬。

【句式仿寫】他們建議要隨時攜帶護照。