1 . A bill to conserve endangered species was passed by the U.S. House in a 231-to-190 vote on Tuesday.
The Recovering America’s Wildlife Act would create an annual fund of more than $1.3 billion, given to states, and territories for wildlife conservation on the ground. While threatened species have been recognized and protected under the Endangered Species Act since 1973, that law does not provide constant funding to actively maintain their numbers.
The effort comes as scientists and international organizations sound the alarm about accelerating species decline.
“Too many people don’t realize that about one-third of our wildlife is at increased risk of extinction,” said lead House sponsor Debbie Ding-ell, echoing (呼应) a recent study about climate change.
In the United States, there are more than 1,600 endangered or threatened species, but state agencies have identified more than 7 times that number in need of conservation assistance in their wildlife action plans.
“The bottom line is, when we save wildlife we save for ourselves,” said Collin O’ Mara, CEO of the National Wildlife Federation, which supports the bill. He said species loss threatens everything from the insects that pollinate (授粉) plants in the food chain, to sea life that helps to reduce damages to coastlines from storm.
The bill would improve a 1937 law, the Pittman-Robertson Act, which was passed in response to decreasing game and waterfowl species. That law allows states to tax hunting supplies to pay for wildlife and habitat restoration, but that money is not enough to do the same for non-game species.
The act would also invest more in conservation than the existing program for threatened non-game species, called the State Wildlife Grant Program, which awarded states a total of $56 million this year.
1. What do we know about the Endangered Species Act?| A．It does not involve continuous funding. |
| B．It was passed by the House this Tuesday. |
| C．It has proved to be a failed Act. |
| D．It ensured the population of all the species. |
| A．Human behavior causes species to decline. |
| B．People’s efforts matter a lot in conservation. |
| C．People lack awareness of animal protection. |
| D．The decline of species is beyond imagination. |
| A．To indicate they are at risk of dying out. |
| B．To illustrate how to protect them properly. |
| C．To show they’re more important than others. |
| D．To tell man and nature are an organic whole. |
| A．Entertainment. | B．News. | C．Technology. | D．Health. |
2 . New Zealand has announced it will outlaw smoking for the next generation, so that those who are aged 14 and under today will never be legally able to buy tobacco.
New legislation (法规) means the legal smoking age will increase every year, to create a smoke-free generation of New Zealanders, associate Health Minister Dr Ayesha Verrall said on Thursday. “This is a historic day for the health of our people,” she said.
The government announced the rising age alongside other measures to make smoking unaffordable and inaccessible, to try to reach its goal of making the country entirely smoke-free within the next four years. Other measures include reducing the legal amount of nicotine in tobacco products to very low levels, cutting down the shops where cigarettes could legally be sold, and increasing funding to addiction services. The new laws will not restrict vape (电子烟) sales.
New Zealand's daily smoking rates have been dropping over time - down to 11.65% in 2018, from 18% a decade earlier. But smoking rates for Maori and Pacifika were far higher - 29% for Maori and 18% for Pasifika. “If nothing changes, it would be decades till Maori smoking rates fall below 5%,” Verrall said. She said to end smoking in the next four years was within reach: “I believe it is. The issue is, though, if we don't change what we’re doing, we won’t make it for Maori - and that’s what the plan is really focused on”.
Smoking has already been widely replaced by vaping among teenage New Zealanders, which is also attracting many young people who would never have taken up smoking - according to surveying of 19,000 high school students this year, nearly 20% were vaping daily or several times a day, the majority with high nicotine doses. That’s compared to 3% of those aged 15-17 who smoked daily in 2018, or 13% who smoked a decade earlier.
Verrall said the legislation would be introduced in 2022, with the age limits coming in in 2023.
1. What’s the final goal of the new legislation?| A．To forbid the people aged 14 and under to buy tobacco. |
| B．To make the country entirely smoke-free within years. |
| C．To make buying tobacco hard. |
| D．To increase the legal smoking age. |
| A．Everyone is allowed to purchase tobacco with permit. |
| B．Purchase of smoking becomes easier and less pricy. |
| C．The vape sales will be greatly influenced. |
| D．It benefits the building of a smoke-free generation. |
| A．New Zealand’s daily smoking rate is quite low. |
| B．It has taken a long time to decrease the rate of smoking. |
| C．Smoking rates are not equal among different parts in New Zealand. |
| D．The smoking rate will be higher over the years. |
| A．A Historic Day of Smoking |
| B．Decreasing Smoking Rate of New Zealand |
| C．Vape-replacement of Tobacco |
| D．New Zealand to Ban Smoking for Next Generation |
3 . NOTICE
Lake Castle Administration
State of Georgia
Smoking Ban(禁令) in Public Places
Public Notice Number 328ROD47 Date- -July 20th
All individuals are informed that a legislation (法律) regarding(关于) “Ban of Smoking in Public Places” has been approved. Staring from 25th July the law will come into effect(生效、实施). Any person found including in smoking at any point of time, with any substance will be fined(罚款) a sum of 1,000 dollars.
No “First Warming”will be issued. This notice itself serves that purpose. Notice regarding this ban is being displayed in various TV channels, newspaper and radio stations.
Details of the Ban:
First Offence--$ 1 ,000 Fine
Second Offence-- $ 2 ,000 Fine
Third or more Offence-- $4,000 Fine
Fine is payable at Municipality Collection Centre of the State of Georgia.
H. M. Swinson,
Medical Heath Officer,
Georgia
1. When will the new law go into operation?| A．Three days later. | B．Five days later. |
| C．A week later. | D．A month later. |
| A．special smoking places will be set up |
| B．Smokers breaking the law will be warned firstly |
| C．one will be fined $4.000 at most by law |
| D．more people will give up smoking |
| A．At Lake Castle Administration. | B．At Municipality Collection Centre. |
| C．At H. M. Swinon, Medical Health Officer. | D．At federal Government of Stare. |
