国际交流英语视听说4 U2 听力原文及翻译精要.doc

U 2 Listening 1 Tour Guide: OK, everyone, here’s our next exhibit. Do you see the body of the little bird in that bottle? That is a dusky seaside sparrow. It was an old male that died on June 16, 1987. It’s kind of sad because he was the very last dusky seaside sparrow in the world. They’re now extinct. Yes, you have a question? Male: Do you know why they became extinct? Tour Guide: Basically, they lost their habitat. See, the dusky seaside sparrow lived only in one place—on Merritt Island in Florida. The island had a lot of mosquitoes and wetlands. The people on Merritt Island used chemicals to kill the mosquitoes. Tour Guide: Those chemicals were also very harmful to the sparrows, and many died. In addition, the people on Merritt Island tried to control and exploit the wetlands. As they altered them, the wetlands were no longer a good habitat for the sparrows. The birds died one by one until there weren’t any left. Female: So, if people were to blame, can’t we make sure something like that never happens again? Tour Guide: We’re trying. The situation with the dusky seaside sparrow makes one thing very clear. We need to protect endangered animals. However, it’s a better strategy to protect the animals and their habitats, too. After all, if an animal’s habitat is destroyed, the animal will likely become extinct. Tour Guide: We’re trying. The situation with the dusky seaside sparrow makes one thing very clear. We need to protect endangered animals. However, it’s a better strategy to protect the animals and their habitats, too. After all, if an animal’s habitat is destroyed, the animal will likely become extinct. That’s why the Endangered Species Act, which was passed in the United States in 1973, protects both endangered animals and their habitats. For example, the steelhead trout lives in rivers and streams on the west coast of the United States—the Columbia River in Washington state for instance. Recently, both the fish and the river came under the protection