4.
阅读理解
Animals
need protecting
Animals are natural resouirces that people
have wasted all through our history. Animals have been killed for their fur and
feathers, for food, for sport, or simply because they are in the way. Thousands
of kinds of animals have disappeared from the world forever. Hundreds more are
on the danger list today. About 170 kinds in the United States are considered
in danger.
Why should people care about animals? Because
we need them. And because once they are gone, there will never be animals any
more. Animals are more than just beautiful and interesting. They are more than
just a source of food. Every animal has its place in the balance of nature. Destroying
one kind of animal can create many problems. For example, when farmers killed
large numbers of hawks, the farmers' stores of corn and grain were destroyed by
rats and mice. Why? Because hawks eat rats and mice. With no hawks to keep down
their numbers, the rats and mice multiplied( 繁殖)
quickly.
Luckily, some people are working to help save
the animals. Some groups raise money to let people know about the problem. And
they try to get the governments to pass laws protecting animals in danger.
Quite a few countries have passed laws. These laws forbid(禁止) the killing of all animals and plants on the danger list. Slowly,
the number of some animals in danger is growing.