2016-09-09 British dormice risk extinction 英国睡鼠面临绝种危机

文字稿

据野生动物慈善组织 People’s Trust for Endangered Species 的一份最新报告称，自2000年起，英国本土睡鼠的数目已经下降超过三分之一。睡鼠也称冬眠鼠，是生活在野外树林和灌木丛中的一种小型哺乳动物。它们冬季十月至来年的五月在地下冬眠。那么是什么原因导致了它们的数目急剧下降？请听 Claire Marshall 的报道。

In one of the longest running small mammal monitoring projects in the world, trained volunteers around the UK have been gathering data on the tiny hazel dormouse since 1990.

The mice have dark golden fur, large black eyes, and live mainly in hedgerows and woods, weaving ball-like nests from bark and leaves. A populated area the size of two football fields will only contain four dormice, a giveaway sign is a nibbled hazelnut.

This report suggests that they are becoming more difficult to find than ever. Over the last sixteen years, the population has declined by almost 40 percent. Dormice are now restricted to parts of southern Wales and southern England. They have never been recorded in Scotland or Northern Ireland. 

The survey blames this decline on the loss of their native woodland habitat and more variable weather linked to climate change.

词汇表

longest-running 运行时间最长的
gathering data 收集数据
dark golden fur 暗金色的毛
hedgerows 灌木树篱
weaving 编织
bark 树皮
a giveaway sign 一个非常明显的、一看就知道的迹象或标志
nibbled 被啃了的
hazelnut 榛子
restricted to 受限制于
blames 责备、指责
native 土生土长的
habitat 栖息地
variable 多变的，反复无常的

测验

请听报道并回答下列问题。

1. In which era did the research start?

2. Where are we likely to find dormice?

3. True or false? Dormice have been found in Northern Ireland as well as Scotland.

4. Which word in the text means ‘the natural home or environment of an animal or plant’?

答案

1. In which era did the research start?
The research started in the 1990s.

2. Where are we likely to find dormice?
They are likely to be found in hedgerows and woods.

3. True or false? Dormice have been found in Northern Ireland as well as Scotland.
False. Dormice have only been seen in southern Wales and southern England.

4. Which word in the text means ‘the natural home or environment of an animal or plant’?
Habitat.