高中英语第一册课本(上)U10reading

（单词翻译）

Are We Endangered¹?

Steve Jones is an environmental² expert who tries to keep animals and plants from becoming endangered. “We are not alone in the world. We human beings could not survive without all the plants and animals around us. We often talk about how important it is to take good care of ourselves and our planet³, but we don’t always do as we say,” Steve says as he takes us on a tour of Green Park in Birmingham. Many of the earth’s plants and animals have already died out, and several other species⁴ are endangered. If we want to live a better life and have a bright future, we must learn to act in ways that do not harm other living things.

If we know more about what causes endangerment⁵, we may be able to take measures before it is too late. A species can become endangered for different reasons. Animals and plants must have a habitat⁶, or home, which is comfortable and clean, and where there is enough food and other resources⁷. They are all used to their environment; that is, they have learnt how to live successfully⁸ in their habitat. When the habitat of a species is changed of destroyed, the animal or plant has to either adapt to the change or find a new home. If this is not possible, the species becomes endangered. If a new species arrives, the animals and plants of the habitat must change again. If the new species is too strong or uses too much of the resources in the habitat, some of the original species may become endangered. A species may also die out if humans or other animals use too much of a plant or kill too many animals.

The good news is that there is a lot we can do to help. First of all, we need to learn more about animals, plants and the environment. Experts tell us that we need to think about what we can do to keep animals and plants from becoming endangered. Steve says that we can help by creating more space for animals and plants: “You can plant a tree or build a birdhouse. It is simple but useful.” Steve also wants us to think about what we do: “Please don’t pollute the environment.” If we find out more about what we should do, we can help Steve and others like keep animals and plants – and ourselves – from becoming endangered.