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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."
What can be inferred from the assessment by a team of scientists and environmentalists?
选项 A、The state of global biodiversity has turned better.
B、The promises of the environment ministers in 2002 have gone unfulfilled.
C、Human has nothing to do with the trend of biodiversity loss.
D、The environment protection policies haven’t been carried out at all.
答案B
解析 推理判断题。第二段最后一句指出由来自世界各地的科学家和环保人士共同组成的研究小组发表的一篇报告评估认为全球生物多样性正在持续下降。而第一段最后一句说环保部长们的发誓要在2010年前设法阻止生物多样性的丧失，由科学家们的评估可以看出这一目标并没有实现，故[B]项正确。生物多样性还在持续下降，故[A]项表述错误，人类对生物多样性的丧失不是无能为力的，故[C]项表述错误，第四段首句指出研究发现人类应对物种濒危和动物栖息地丧失的政策提高了，故[D]项错误。
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