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  3. In the United States, the need to protect plant and animal species has become a highly controversial and sharply political issue

In the United States, the need to protect plant and animal species has become a highly controversial and sharply political issue

admin2010-08-04  43
问题     In the United States, the need to protect plant and animal species has become a highly controversial and sharply political issue since the passage of the Endangered Species Act in 1973. The act, designed to protect species’ living areas, and policies that preserve land and forests compete with economic interests. In the 1990’s, for example, the woodcutters in the Western United States were challenged legally in their attempt to cut trees for timber in the Cascade Mountains. The challenge was mounted to protect the endangered spotted owl(猫头鹰), whose remaining population occupies these forests and requires the intact, ancient forest for survival. The problematic situation set the interests of environmentalists against those of corporations and of individuals who stood to lose jobs. After months of debate and legal battles, the fate of the woodcutters--and the owls--was still undecided in mid-1992. Similar tensions exist between the developed and the developing nations. Many people in industrialized nations, for example, believe that developing nations in tropical regions should do more to protect their rainforests and other natural areas. But the developing countries may be impoverished(使穷困), with populations growing so rapidly that using the land is a means to temporarily avoid worsening poverty and starvation.
    Many of the changes to Earth that concern scientists ’have the potential to rob the planet of its biological richness. Global warming, for example, could wipe out species unable to quickly adapt to changing climates. Clearly, protecting Earth’s biological diversity is a complex problem. But solutions to humanity’s current problems will come only through coordinated international efforts to control human population, stabilize the composition of the atmosphere, and preserve intact Earth’s complex web of life.
Why does the author say that the protection of endangered species is a highly controversial issue?
选项 A、Because people can’t agree as to what species to protect.
B、Because it is difficult to find an effective way to protect such species.
C、Because it affects the interests of certain groups of people.
D、Because it is a major problem involving a series of legal procedures.
答案C
解析 推论题。问题涉及为什么保护濒危物种是个矛盾的议题的原因所在。关于这个信息参阅文章第一段，特别是通过美国西部保护森林、猫头鹰和大公司、伐木工人经济利益之间冲突的例子，我们可以得出原因在于影响了经济利益。所以答案为C。
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