As millions of families plan summer visits, the world’s first, oldest, largest, and most envied collection of national parks is

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问题     As millions of families plan summer visits, the world’s first, oldest, largest, and most envied collection of national parks is facing the biggest crisis in its 124-year history. This crisis marks the unhappy convergence of two very different threats. The more immediate is political opportunism. The other, more insidious threat is the growing inability of the National Park Service to oversee our parks properly because of budget shortfalls and management limitations.
    The current congressional leadership has launched a frontal assault on the environment—an assault becoming even more politicized as an election-year issue. Its goals: to reverse a quarter century of progressive environmental legislation and to open public lands to private exploitation. National parks are only one element in this anti-environmental agenda, but they are a key one, for they are the standard by which American land stewardship is measured.
    Legislation introduced last year would have materially changed fundamental standards by which our national parks are managed, drastically slashing park budgets, eliminating scientific and environmental research, permitting roads through park wilderness areas, even allowing some parks to be closed and sold to the highest bidder.
    Many—but certainly not all—of these proposals were modified or shelved during the ugly budget debates. Still, park advocates expect most of these proposals to resurface. Says Paul Pritchard, president of the National Parks and Conservation Association(NPCA), "With this Congress, it’s an all-out war against parks."
    The other issue—lack of funds and management limitations—has been building for decades: the cumulative effects of years of budget and staffing cuts on park resources. Despite dramatically increasing numbers of visitors and constant public support for parks, Park Service leaders and successive secretaries of the interior have been unable to effectively address growing and changing park needs.
    To understand—and find acceptable solutions to—the parks crisis, we must look beyond partisan politics. Supporting and protecting the national parks isn’t about balancing the budget. Neither should parks be a bargaining chip this Congress uses to undo 25 years of carefully considered environmental legislation.
The author’s purpose in writing this text is______.

选项 A、to describe recent environmental policy
B、to point out the difficulties inherent in protecting national parks
C、to call for the protection of national parks
D、to analyze the current status of national parks

答案C

解析 属主旨思想题。作者通过讨论国家公园的危机,呼吁对国家公园加以保护。
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