Orang-utans

Orang-utans live deep in the jungle of South-East Asia. For years, they were a complete mystery to humans. Hunters sometimes saw these shy animals from     1    distance, but rarely got a good look at them. No one was certain     2    they were a race of humans or a kind of monkey. Indeed, the name “Orang-utan” means “man of the forest”. Finally, about 150 years ago, scientists confirmed that orang-utans were a species of ape. Since then, people     3    (be)able to come into increased contact with orang-utans. Consequently, we have learnt     4    about them.

While the advance of civilization has brought us more knowledge about orang-utan, it has cause the orang-utan many problems, and now these wonderful creatures are threatened with extinction. In 1900, there were several hundred thousand orang-utans     5    (live)in the wild. Now there are fewer than 24,000     6    (leave)in the world. Some experts even believe that orang-utans will become extinct by the year 2023.

Humans are largely     7    (blame)for this decline. Altogether, 80% of the orang-utan’s natural habitat has been destroyed by companies cutting down trees for financial gain.     8    problem is the trade in orang-utan babies. Every year, thousands of these babies are smuggled to other countries,    9    they serve as zoo animals or as pets. Unfortunately, to capture an orang-utan baby, its mother must be killed as well.

In order to save the orang-utan, many conservation centres have been set up to preserve their natural habitats. Governments and volunteers are also working to rescue pet orang-utans and return them to the wild. However, this     10    be too little, too late. The extinction of orang-utans is at a critical stage. People must take dramatic action if orang-utans are to survive in the future.

In waters off Weizhou Island, Beihai,     1     group of experts have become familiar with the whales. The Bryde’s whale is regarded     2     a very mysterious species of whales, with a body     3     (long) of 10 to 12 meters and a weight of up to 15 tons. The captain of the research group Yang Chengteng,     4     returned to his hometown to start his own business, was the first     5     (discover) the Bryde’s whale in 2016. Yang said that the whales were hunting in open water not far from the ship, drawing seabirds to join. From then on, Yang kept the scientific research team     6     (inform) of the movement of the Bryde’s whale.

Efforts     7     (make) by the government and the guardians to protect the Bryde’s whale since then. The local government declared that fishing within 6 kilometers o[ the island was forbidden. Researchers were tight on money,     8     they still worked tirelessly und insisted on long-term offshore operations every day. At the same time, people from all     9     (walk) of life also called on the public not to take part in whale watching until the condition of the Bryde’s whale wales     10     (thorough) and scientifically examined.