阅读理解。
本文介绍了美国著名的生物学家Edward Wilson 的著作The Future of Life中的一些有关如何开发、利
用和保护自然资源的情况.
Edward Wilson is America's, if not the world's, leading naturalist. In The Future of Life, he takes us on a
tour of the world's natural resources (资源). How are they used? What has been lost? What remains and is it
able to continue with the present speed of use? Wilson also points out the need to understand fully the
biodiversity (生物多样性)of our earth.
Wilson begins with an open letter to the pioneer in environment (环境) protection, Henry David Thoreau.
He compares today's Walden Pond with that of Thoreau's day. Wilson will use such comparisons for the rest
of the book. The problem is clear: man has done great damage to his home over the years. Van the earth, with
human help, be made to return to biodiversity levels that will be able to support us in the future?
Biodiversity, Wilson argues, is the key to settling many problems the earth faces today. Even our agricultural
crops can gain advantages from it. A mere hundred species (物种) are the basis of our food supply, of which
but twenty carry the load. Wilson suggests changing this situation by looking into ten thousand species that
could be made use of, which will be a way to reduce the clearing of the natural homes of plants and animals to
enlarge farming areas.
At the end of the book, Wilson discusses the importance of human values in considering the environment.
If you are to continue to live on the earth, you may well read and act on the ideas in this book.
1. We learn from the text that Wilson cares most about ______
A. the environment for plants
B. the biodiversity of our earth
C. the wastes of natural resources
D. the importance of human values
2. How many species are most important to our present food supply?
A. Twenty.
B. Eighty.
C. One hundred
D. Ten thousand.
3. Wilson suggests that one way to keep biodiversity is to _______.
A. learn how to farm scientifically
B. build homes for some dying species
C. make it clear what to eat
D. use more species for food .
4. We can infer that the text is _______
A. a description of natural resources
B. a research report
C. a book review
D. an introduction to a scientist