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  3. According to a study published this week in the journal Ecology Letters, the quantity of birds in Europe has declined by more th

According to a study published this week in the journal Ecology Letters, the quantity of birds in Europe has declined by more th

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问题     According to a study published this week in the journal Ecology Letters, the quantity of birds in Europe has declined by more than 20 percent in the past 30 years. While there were over 2.1 billion European birds in 1980, there are now around 1. 6 billion, says study co-author Rich Inger, an ecologist at the University of Exeter in the United Kingdom.
    Most of the decline—or 90 percent—is accounted for by a shrinking population in the 36 most common species, Inger tells Newsweek. For example, throughout the continent there are now 62 percent fewer house sparrows(a common species also found in North America)than there were when Margaret Thatcher became prime minister, a decline of about 150 million animals, he says. There were also drops in the numbers of such common species as skylarks(云雀), grey partridges(灰色鹧鸪)and starlings(椋鸟).
    The decline is likely due in part to habitat loss and pesticide use. The amount of land used for agriculture in Europe has greatly increased since 1980, and there are fewer places for birds to nest and find food, Inger says. At the same time, pesticide use has gone up, knocking down the number of "pests" like insects that birds prey upon, he adds. "We don’t manage the environment in a way that’s good for birds," Inger says.
    The study looked at an immense amount of data collected by thousands of "citizen scientists" over 30 years in most countries in Europe, in "an insightful departure from conventional approaches to reviewing bird monitoring data," said Michael Wunder, an ornithologist(鸟类学家)at the University of Colorado-Denver who wasn’t involved in the study. Wunder says the study clearly shows that " population sizes are most strongly affected by land use patterns" like farming. The measures used to protect rare species, like restrictions on hunting in certain areas, are not enough to prevent a decline in common birds, he adds.
    If we want to protect birds in general, we need to change farming practices to provide more non-crop-laden land for birds, Inger says. Reducing pesticides would also help, as research has shown that areas with high pesticide use have fewer birds. "What we can do is start more environmentally friendly farming," Inger says. "We can leave wider margins on fields, get farmers to look after hedgerows(灌木篱墙), put up more bird boxes and provide places for birds to nest. "
Which of the following is CORRECT about the decline of birds in Europe?
选项 A、The quantity of birds in Europe dropped by about 500 million.
B、90% of the drop in Europe occurred in the last decade.
C、Ms. Thatcher was the first one to notice the decline.
D、The most common species are the most vulnerable.
答案A
解析 细节题。由题干中的decline of birds in Europe定位至第一段第二句。定位句中明确表示，1980年，欧洲有鸟类2．1 billion(21亿)，现在只有1．6 billion(16亿)，因此，鸟类数量减少了5亿，故[A]为答案。
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