阅读理解
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. Can 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 waste 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
