题干

根据短文理解,选择正确答案。

    Australia's koalas could die out within 30 years unless immediate action is taken to stop the losing in population, according to researchers. They say development, climate change and bushfires have all combined to reduce the number of wild koalas sharply.

    The Australian Koala Foundation said a recent survey showed the population could have dropped by more than half in the past six years. The number of koalas was once estimated to be more than 100,000, but now is as few as 43,000.

    The foundation collected field data from 1,800 sites and 80,000 trees to calculate the numbers. In one area in northern Queensland estimated to have 20,000 koalas a decade ago, a team of eight people could not find a single animal in four days of searching.

    The foundation said besides problems caused by cutting down forests, hotter and drier conditions because of global warming had reduced the nutritional value of their main food, eucalyptus (桉树) leaves, leading to poor nutrition for them. Koalas, which live in the forests in Australia's east and south, are very picky about what types of the leaves they eat.

    Foundation chief Deborah Tabart said: “The koalas are missing everywhere we look. It's really no tree, no me. If you keep cutting down trees you don't have any koalas.”She is hoping the new figures will persuade the government's Threatened Species Steering Committee (TSSC) to list the koala as threatened. But committee chairman Bob Beeton said a decision was not likely recently and the koala's status as one of the country's favorite animals would not be a factor. “There's a number of species which are attractive and people have special feelings towards them. We don't consider that,” Mr Beeton said.

上一题 下一题 0.0难度 选择题 更新时间:2020-02-16 04:59:13

答案(点此获取答案解析)

同类题1

阅读下面说明文,完成下列小题。

人造太阳

    ①银装素裹的地球两极,每年都有好几个月笼罩于黑暗中。不见光明,没有温暖,漫长的“极夜”,使冰山冰谷冰原冰流更显寒峭。

    ②德国科学家格尔曼·奥别尔特在1929年提出了“人造太阳”的设想。这是多么美妙的梦――一轮“太阳”由人类送上苍穹,冰寒世界从此可告别寂寞的漫漫长夜。

    ③当然,设想中的“人造太阳”与真正的太阳完全不同。它自身不产生能量,只不过是一面宇宙反光镜,把太阳辐射光反射到地球上背光的地区,从而形成人工白昼。但是,要取得良好的空间照明效果,宇宙反光镜的面积至少得有几十公顷。如此庞大的装置,且不说制造起来将何等艰巨,单单考虑一下发射计划所面临的困难,就足以使人望而却步了。

    ④苏联莫斯科航空学院的科学家认为,当代科学技术已为“人造太阳 的诞生创造了条件。巨型反光镜无法整体运载到距地面36000公里的同步卫星轨道上,科学家筹划以“化整为零”的方法,借助小型卫星,把平面反光板一一携带到轨道上,然后在轨道“工厂”内“集零为整”,组装成“太阳”。

    ⑤目前,科学家正着手进行小型卫星反光镜的轨道试验。小“太阳”的反光平面为110平方米,它的自重不超过200千克,地面接收站获得的照明亮度约为满月时月光亮度的7倍。

    ⑥“人造太阳”高质量的照明,可提高机场、港口、公路的夜间通行能力,可为大型建筑工地的连续施工或农村的抢种抢收带来便利,可为发生地震和自然灾害地区的抗灾工作争取时间。科学研究的成果还表明,采用特殊的反光平面材料,可选择反射的光谱,可刺激植株的生长,获得早熟高产的效果,或者,可减轻霜冻程度,使农作物少受甚至不受损害。

    ⑦10多年后,“人造太阳”将冉冉升上太空,按人类之需“发光发热”。但是,科学家慎重指出,“人造太阳”不可滥用,过量的光辐射会影响地球的生态环境。因此,在研制巨型宇宙反光镜的同时,也要研究合理使用的课题,让“人造太阳”更好地造福人类。(有删节)