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  3. Conservationists on Tuesday appealed to countries to urgently address new threats to whales, dolphins and other cetaceans(鲸类动物)a

Conservationists on Tuesday appealed to countries to urgently address new threats to whales, dolphins and other cetaceans(鲸类动物)a

admin2015-09-26  59
问题     Conservationists on Tuesday appealed to countries to urgently address new threats to whales, dolphins and other cetaceans(鲸类动物)as climate change opens up previously inaccessible areas of the Arctic and industries move in to new areas.
    As emotional arguments broke out in the annual International Whaling Commission’s(IWC)conference between pro- and anti-whaling nations over the right of small, aboriginal groups to hunt a few whales each year, WWF appealed to countries to better regulate fishing and stop the oil and gas industries devastating populations.
    "A few thousand whales are killed each year because of whaling but 300,000 whales, dolphins and other cetaceans are killed just in fishing gear. Now the greater threat is from the oil and gas industries. Cetaceans have so far been lucky because the Arctic has been mostly inaccessible but as climate change develops new areas are opening up. These are some of the most important areas left for whales and cetaceans," said Wendy Eliott, head of the WWF delegation to the meeting in Panama.
    "It is essential these issues are addressed by the IWC. But whaling governments like Norway, Iceland and Japan refuse to acknowledge the conservation committee of the IWC and do not participate. "
    Shell plans to begin drilling operations in the Beaufort and Chukchi seas off Alaska as early as this month, and other oil companies are planning new off-shore drilling platforms in the Russian far east near the feeding area of critically endangered western gray whales. There are only an estimated 26 breeding females remaining and the oil-rich zone off Sakhalin Island is the only place where they can teach their calves to feed, said Elliott. "This could mark the beginning of a massive oil exploration effort," she said.
    The IWC, which is regularly torn by disputes, grants five-year permits to communities with a strong tradition of subsistence whaling. This year, several Caribbean countries, including St. Vincent and the Grenadines, as well as the USA, Russia and Denmark are asking approval from the commission for their annual quota of whales to be renewed. Most whaling opponents do not try to block small-scale aboriginal hunts as they do not threaten larger whale populations. While governments argue that the use of whales and dolphins contribute to national food security, cultural preservation and sustainable livelihoods, some are seen by conservationists as ill-disguised commercial whaling.
    On Monday, pro-whaling countries led by Japan shot down a Latin American-led proposal to create a no-kill zone for whales in the southern Atlantic Ocean. Argentina, Brazil, South Africa and Uruguay put forward a proposal to declare the southern Atlantic a no-kill zone for whales, a largely symbolic measure as whaling ended there long ago.
    Thirty-eight countries voted in favor of the measure and 21 voted against, with two abstentions. Under commission rules, proposals need to enjoy a "consensus" of 75% support for approval.
Which of the following is NOT mentioned as the responsibilities of IWC?
选项 A、To regulate whales hunting.
B、To make whales adapt to climate change.
C、To grant whaling permits.
D、To renew annual quota of whales.
答案B
解析 细节题。第三段中虽然提到气候变化，但指的是随着气候变化活跃起来，北极新开发的地区将逐渐开放，并未表明国际捕鲸委员会的责任是让鲸鱼适应天气的变化，所以[B]为正确答案。第二段第一句和第四段第一句都表明国际捕鲸委员会负责管理捕鲸，因此排除[A]；由第六段第一句可知，国际捕鲸委员会可以给予一些团体五年的捕鲸许可证，故排除[C]；第六段第二句提到一些国家请求委员会批准其年度捕鲸配额的延期，故排除[D]。
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