媒體英語
Extinction: Freshwater fish in 'catastrophic' decline 淡水魚物種數量將 “災難性” 減少
一份報告警告說，淡水魚的數量將出現 “災難性” 下降，近三分之一的淡水魚面臨滅絕的威脅。
More than half the world's fish are found in lakes, rivers and wetlands – from carp and minnow to giant catfish.
世界上超過一半的魚類都生活在湖泊、河流和濕地中，從鯉魚、米諾魚到巨型鯰魚，種類繁多。
They face a number of threats including pollution, unsustainable fishing, and the damming and draining of rivers and wetlands.
這些魚類面臨多種威脅，包括污染、竭澤而漁式的捕魚、河流與濕地的筑壩和排水。
Conservation groups say 80 species are known to have become extinct, 16 in the last year alone.
保育組織稱，目前所知已經有80個淡水魚物種滅絕，僅去年一年就有16個。
In UK waters, the sturgeon and the burbot have vanished; salmon are disappearing, and the European eel remained critically endangered.
在英國水域，鱘魚和江鱈已經絕跡；鮭魚正逐漸消失，而歐洲鰻鱺仍處于極度瀕危狀態。
According to the WWF, much of the decline is driven by the poor state of rivers – mostly as a result of pollution, dams and sewage.
世界自然基金會指出，造成數量下降的主因是河流狀況不佳，這主要歸咎于污染、筑壩和污水排放。
詞匯表
wetlands 濕地
carp 鯉魚
minnow 米諾魚
catfish 鯰魚
unsustainable 不可持續的，過度捕撈的
extinct 滅絕
sturgeon 鱘，鱘魚類
burbot 江鱈
salmon 鮭魚，三文魚
European eel 歐洲鰻鱺
endangered 頻臨滅絕
sewage 污物，污水
閱讀理解：請在讀完上文后，回答下列問題。
1. True or false? In UK waters, salmon has become extinct.
2. Where are most of the world's fish found?
3. What happened to the European eel in UK waters?
4. What are the main causes of the poor state of rivers?
答案
1. True or false? In UK waters, salmon has become extinct.
False. In UK waters, salmon is disappearing but not yet extinct.
2. Where are most of the world's fish found?
More than half of the world's fish are found in lakes, rivers and wetlands.
3. What happened to the European eel in UK waters?
It remained critically endangered.
4. What are the main causes of the poor state of rivers?
They are pollution, dams and sewage.
