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  3. In 2002, environment ministers from around the world gathered in the Hague for a major summit on the Convention on Biological Di

In 2002, environment ministers from around the world gathered in the Hague for a major summit on the Convention on Biological Di

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问题     In 2002, environment ministers from around the world gathered in the Hague for a major summit on the Convention on Biological Diversity — an international treaty designed to protect the world’s plants, forests and wildlife. With rainforests being clear-cut in tropical countries, endangered species nearing extinction around the world, and the seas steadily being fished out, the ministers agreed it was time to take action. In a declaration, they vowed to strengthen their efforts to put in place measures to halt biodiversity loss, which is taking place at an alarming rate by the year 2010.

    Fast forward to 2010, the international year of biodiversity — things aren’t getting better. In fact, for wildlife around the world, they’re getting much, much worse. In a study published in Science, a team of scientists and environmentalists from around the world assessed the state of global biodiversity and found that it has been in steady decline.
    The study compiled more than 30 different indicators of biodiversity, including any changes in species’ population numbers and the extent of preserved habitat. In nearly every category, the news reveals biological depression. Despite our best intentions, we are leaving the planet poorer and less diverse than we found it. "The state of biodiversity is definitely showing a rapid decline, " says Matt Foster, director of conservation outcomes for Conservation International and one of the lead authors on the Science paper. "And the pressure just keeps increasing. "
    Ironically, even while biodiversity has deteriorated, the study indicates that policy responses to endangered species and habitat loss have actually improved. The amount of protected land has steadily increased around the world, as has the area of sustainably managed forests. Meanwhile, a growing number of countries have signed onto global pacts designed to limit the spread of invasive species, and the world is spending more than it ever has on biodiversity aid. And thanks to efforts like the new Science study, researchers are getting an increasingly clearer picture of the impact of human activity on Earth.
    Yet things are still getting worse — habitats are still being destroyed, and a growing, richer population is taking space and resources away from wildlife. The effect goes beyond endangered animals; human beings rely on a healthy, diverse planet too, and when the Earth suffers, so do we. The Science study found that the populations of vertebrate(脊椎动物的)species used for economic purposes by people had declined 15% since 1970, as has the population of birds and amphibians(两栖动物)used for food and medicine. More than 100 million poor people now live in remote areas with threatened ecosystems, and will be particularly vulnerable to the further degradation of a disturbed planet. Foster says, "We all benefit from biodiversity and we all hurt when it’s lost."
The last paragraph conveys that______.
选项 A、we should control population to save biodiversity
B、in protecting habitats, we are protecting the well-being of humankind
C、more and more people will live in areas with threatened ecosystems
D、species used for economic purposes should be the primary objects of protection
答案B
解析 推理判断题。最后一段第二句指出人类也需要依靠一个健康多样性的地球。最后一句Foster说我们受益于多样性，它的丢失必将给我们带来不幸。由这两句可以看出保护栖息地也是保护我们人类自己，故[B]项正确。
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