英语听力精选进阶版 13846

（单词翻译）

BBC Learning English 

Words in the News  

2 May 2012 

Koalas at risk 

Transcript: 

A beloved symbol of Australia. 

Koalas have been listed as a threatened species in some parts of the country 

after a plunge¹ in the wild population. 

Habitat loss, urban expansion, vehicle strikes, dog attacks and disease have 

contributed to their dwindling² numbers. 

Estimates on koala numbers vary but some studies suggest there are fewer than 

80,000 koalas left in the wild.  

Vocabulary: 

beloved  

that people like a lot  

threatened 

likely to become endangered 

plunge 

sudden fall in number 

strikes  

collisions with vehicles 

dwindling  

falling 

Exercise: 

Use one of the words or phrases below to complete each of these sentences from 

BBC news reports.  

Note that you may have to change the form of a word to complete the sentence 

correctly. 

beloved / threatened / plunge / strikes / dwindling 

1.  But only weeks later, the cheers and smiles turned to tears as the decision 

accelerated Argentina's ________ into the worst economic crisis of its history. 

2.  Conservationists hailed the move as a way to protect Equatorial Africa's 

endangered animals and ________ forests. 

3.  A husband is auctioning³ off his late wife's ________ collection of designer 

handbags for charity. 

4.  There are no globally-collated figures for iceberg⁴ ________, but they happen 

every year. 

5.  Polar bears are listed as ________ under the US Endangered Species Act. 

Answers: 

1. But only weeks later, the cheers and smiles turned to tears as the decision 

accelerated Argentina's plunge into the worst economic crisis of its history. 

Source:  Is Argentina playing with fire? 

2.  Conservationists hailed the move as a way to protect Equatorial Africa's 

endangered animals and dwindling forests. 

Source:  Gabon: Surfing hippos, lacking tourists 

3.  A husband is auctioning off his late wife's beloved collection of designer 

handbags for charity. 

Source:  Rare Hermes bag among wife's collection being auctioned⁵ for charity 

4. There are no globally-collated figures for iceberg strikes, but they happen 

every year. 

Source:  Titanic threat: Why do ships still hit icebergs⁶? 

5. Polar bears are listed as threatened under the US Endangered Species Act. 

Source:  DNA reveals polar bear's ancient origins