文章大意:本文是一篇说明文。文章讲述了97岁高龄的植物学家Margaret Bradshaw花费数十年研究英格兰北部Tees dale地区特有的植物群,然而这些植物群正面临灭绝的威胁。
Crouching on all fours on Widdybank Fell in Teesdale, Margaret Bradshaw, a 97-year-old botanist, calls out the names of some rare plants. This part of the uplands is a seemingly empty landscape, heavily grazed (吃草) by sheep, but it hides botanical treasures that have been here for more than 10,000 years. Some of the plants can’t be found anywhere else in the UK and —until Bradshaw arrived on the scene—many were unaccounted for.
Bradshaw is the chief caretaker of some of the country’s rarest flowers. She has spent seven decades studying the unique flora (植物群) of Teesdale, in the north of England. Although once they were widespread in Britain, now only a few remain, and 28 species are threatened with extinction.
Bradshaw has just written a 288-page book on the subject, Teesdale’s Special Flora: Places, Plants and People, published as part of the Princeton Wild Guides series.The Teesdale fora is celebrated because it is a mix of alpine-arctic (高寒的) flowers and southern European species; nowhere else in Britain do they all grow together.
Now, though, the area’s unique features are under threat. Bradshaw has been recording rare
plants here since the early 1950s and has witnessed great declines. Since the 1960s, plant abundance has dropped by 54%on average. Some have essentially disappeared, such as the dwarf milkwort, down by 98%, and the hoary whitlow-grass, down by 100%.
She says, “We’ve got various buildings in the country—Stonehenge, Durham Cathedral, and others; if they were falling apart, there would be groups and money helping stop it, because people would say we can’t let this happen. “These flowers’ communities are much older, and in some respects they are more beautiful.
The main reason for the decline of these plants is an unusual one—not enough sheep. The number of sheep on the areas had been reduced by half by 2000, as the uplands were generally believed to be overgrazed. Bradshaw says while some upland areas are damaged by sheep, reducing grazing on Teesdale has been devastating. Longer grass overshadows the delicate flowers, taking away the light they need to grow.
4. Why is the flora in Teesdale unique?
A.It is site-specific. |
B.There is a book about it. |
C.It is under strict protection. |
D.There are many sheep feeding on it. |
5. Why are some buildings mentioned in paragraph 5?
A.To recommend popular tourist attractions. |
B.To recognize their historic value. |
C.To draw attention to the flora in Teesdale. |
D.To praise the conservation efforts. |
6. What is the main threat to the flora in Teesdale?
A.Overgrazing in upland areas. |
B.Reduced sheep population. |
C.Response to climate change. |
D.Lack of enough shadows. |
7. What does the underlined word “devastating” in the last paragraph mean?
A.Innovative. | B.Satisfying |
C.Challenging | D.Destructive |