Wildlife in Decline

The populations of Earth’s wild vertebrates (脊椎动物) have declined by 58% over the past four decades, according to the Living Planet Report 2016 published by the World Wildlife Fund.

Climate change and activities such as deforestation and poaching (偷猎) are in large part     1     (blame) for the decline. If the trend continues, by 2020, the world     2     (lose) two-thirds of its vertebrate biodiversity. “Sadly, there is no sign yet     3     this rate will decrease,” the report says.

“Across land, fresh water and the oceans, human activities are forcing wildlife populations to the edge,” says Marco Lambertini, director-general of WWF International.

The Living Planet Report is published every two years. It aims to provide an assessment of the state of the world’s wildlife. The 2016 study included 3700 different species of birds, fish, mammals, amphibians and reptiles around the world. The team collected data from more than 3000 sources, including government statistics and surveys     4     (carry) out by conservation groups. They then analyzed     5     the population sizes had changed over time.

Lambertini said some groups of animals had done worse than others. “We do see particularly strong declines     6     the freshwater environment. For freshwater species alone, the decline stands at 81% since 1970. This is related to the way water     7    (use) and taken out of freshwater systems, and also to the fragmentation (分裂) of freshwater systems through dam building, for example.”

The report also highlighted other species, such as African elephants,     8     have suffered huge declines in recent years, and sharks, which are threatened by overfishing.

    9       all the terrifying facts, however, some conservationists say there is still hope. “One of the things that I think is the most important is that these wild animals haven’t yet gone extinct,” said Robin Freeman, head of the Zoological Society of London. “On the whole,     10     are not dying out, and that means we still have opportunities to do something about the decline.”

There may be a new species of fox­like cat.Wildlife rangers(护林员) from France’s National Hunting and Wildlife Agency located 16 of the     1    (rare) seen golden striped(有条纹的) creatures in mountainous areas of a French island.

The cats are     2    (big) and more aggressive than a typical house cat，and have highly developed teeth and large，ringed tails.Because of the     3    (appear)，they are known locally as the “cat­fox”．The creature hunts at night and，from the looks,    4    (be) just thrilled by all of the attention.The cat could have originated in Africa or the Middle East thousands of years ago,    5    (belong) to an ancient species.“By looking at the DNA，we could tell it     6     the European wildcat.It’s close to the African forest cat；however,    7     isn’t determined is its exact identity，” Pierre Benedetti，who works as the chief environmental technician of the National Hunting and Wildlife Agency，said.

The first “cat­foxes”     8    (catch) non­violently by the rangers in 2016,    9     the tales of the forest animal   have circulated around the island for generations.The rangers hope by studying and tagging the animals，they can get the “cat­foxes”     10    (protect) in the next few years.

Our parakeet (长尾鹦鹉) Chip and Goldie, a stray tortoiseshell kitten we took in,     1     (grow) to be best friends, eating and playing together. I was a member     2     a bird conservation organization at the time, so we often took care of injured     3     (bird). Goldie helped raise dozens of injured and orphaned native birds,    4     (act) as a watchful guardian. One day, it was Chip who needed Goldie’s supervision. I had left a large bowl of pancake batter (面糊)    5     (cover) in the kitchen. But while I was out of the room, Chip climbed onto the bowl to have     6     taste but soon fell in and sank.    7     (luck), Goldie was on hand and stuck her face in the bowl to fish Chip out. She cleaned his face and beak so he could breathe before running to alert me with a loud meow. I followed Goldie,    8     was also covered in batter, back into the kitchen     9     found a battered budgie on the floor. After being washed, dried and warmed, Chip made a full     10     (recover). Bowls were always covered in future and Goldie and Chip remained the best of friends.

Dressed in long robes, a crowd of young people wanders around royal gardens, with their flowing sleeves (衣袖)     1     (gentle) swaying in the breeze. They are not actors nor actresses in a movie set, but Hanfu fans in a themed event held in Beijing.

“Over a decade ago, Hanfu fashion was a subculture, but relevant     2     (activity) often draw thousands of participants these days,” said Liu Xiang, an organizer of the event.

Hanfu,     3     was a traditional style of clothing     4     (wear) by the Han people, nowadays enjoys a growing     5     (popular) among young Chinese people, including Liu. Liu is a co-founder of a Hanfu community in Beijing. This community, called Hua Yan Hui,     6     (found) in 2011 following a Hanfu revival (复兴) movement that emerged from growing cultural confidence and the desire     7     (express) national identity. Since then, Liu has been volunteering to support the group.

“My passion     8     Hanfu came from two of my friends who love traditional Chinese clothing,” Liu said. Her interest grew as she learned more about     9     culture behind it and acquired her first Hanfu costume. Currently, more and more young people wear the adjusted Hanfu with the belief     10     the best way to preserve tradition is to adapt it to modern life.

The seventh day of the seventh lunar month is Qixi, widely     1     (regard) as China’s Valentine’s Day. But do you know the origin of the festival? Legend has it     2     the Weaver Girl met and fell in love with a cowherd. The Jade Emperor strongly objected     3     the couple’s union and forcibly separated them by the Milky Way, leaving them     4     (tear) apart by the galaxy and only allowing them to meet once a year.     5     that, the distance could not stop their love for one another and they look forward to meeting once a year on the seventh day of the seventh lunar month.

However, with the development of high speed railways, the tragedy of the Cowherd and the Weaver Girl could not happen in modern China. A ride between Beijing and Shanghai on the high-speed rail only takes four hours. The convenience and     6     (efficient) of modern travel have shortened the “galactic distance” between couples. On Qixi, more and more young people     7     (go) on dates and exchanging gifts to express their affection. Long queues are also often formed at the gate of the Civil Affairs Bureau     8     couples rush to register for marriage when love is in the air. This is because Qixi carries     9     (it) a symbolic meaning: choose your own love and remain     10     (faith) to life.