首页
外语
计算机
考研
公务员
职业资格
财经
工程
司法
医学
专升本
自考
实用职业技能
登录
外语
The human species came into being at the time of the greatest biological diversity in the history of the Earth. Today, as human
The human species came into being at the time of the greatest biological diversity in the history of the Earth. Today, as human
admin
2015-06-27
80
问题
The human species came into being at the time of the greatest biological diversity in the history of the Earth. Today, as human populations expand and alter the natural environment, they are reducing biological diversity to its lowest level. The ultimate consequences of this biological reduction are beyond calculation, but they are certain to be harmful. That, in essence, is the biodiversity crisis.
The history of global diversity can be summarized as follows: after the initial flowering of multicellular animals, there was a swift rise in the number of species in early Paleozoic times (between 600 and 430 million years ago), then plate-alike stagnation for the remaining 200 million years of the Paleozoic era, and finally a slow but steady climb through the Mesozoic and Cenozoic eras to diversity’s all-time high. This history suggests that biological diversity was hard won and a long time in coming. Furthermore, this pattern of increase was set back by five massive extinction episodes. The most recent of these, during the Cretaceous period, is by far the most famous, because it ended the age of the dinosaurs, giving hegemony to the mammals, thus ultimately making possible the dominance of the human species over the Earth. But the Cretaceous crisis was minor compared with the Permian extinctions 240 million years ago, during which between 77 and 96 percent of marine animal species perished. It took five million years, well into Mesozoic times, for species diversity to begin a significant recovery.
Within the past 10,000 years biological diversity has entered a wholly new era. Human activity has had a devastating effect on species diversity, and the rate of human-induced extinctions is accelerating. Half of the bird species of Polynesia have been eliminated through hunting and the destruction of native forests. The list of such biogeographic disasters is extensive.
Because every species is unique and irreplaceable, the loss of biodiversity is the most profound process of environmental change. Its consequences are also the least predictable because the value of the Earth’s species remains largely unstudied and unappreciated; unlike material and cultural wealth, which we understand because they are the substance of our everyday lives, biological wealth is usually taken for granted. This is a serious strategic error, one that will be increasingly regretted as time passes.
What is said about material and cultural wealth in the passage?
选项
A、Because we can readily assess their value, we tend to take them for granted.
B、Some of them may have to be sacrificed if we are to protect our biological heritage.
C、They are of less value than biological wealth because they have evolved over a shorter period of time.
D、Their value is more visible and easier to access and appreciate than biological wealth.
答案
D
解析
最后一段第二句的后半部分提到,我们明白物质和文化财富的价值,是因为它们是我们日常生活中的必需品,生物物种的财富却不同,我们常把生物资源当成是理所当然的东西。这句话的隐含义是,生物物种的财富不像物质财富和文化财富那样显而易见,它也不容易接触到,再根据上题的题解可知答案为[D]。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/aHXK777K
0
专业英语四级
相关试题推荐
What’sthepercentageofoverseasstudentsinCityUniversity,London?
GivingandSharing奉献与分享ThespiritofgivingandsharingisatitspeakduringtheChristmasseason./Peoplearesogenero
Ofallthegoalsoftheeducationreformmovement,noneismoredifficultthandevelopinganobjectivemethodtoassessteachers
1 Iamoneofthemanycitypeoplewhoarealwayssayingthatgiventhechoicewewouldprefertoliveinthecountryawayfrom
Whendoeshistorybegin?Itistemptingtoreply’hithebeginning",butlikemanyobviousanswers,thissoonturnsouttobeun
"Congratulations,Mr.Cooper,it’sagirl."Fatherhoodisgoingtohaveadifferentmeaningand【31】adifferentresponsefro
______theadvancesofscientificforecasting,inspiteofthethousandsofdailybulletinsandadvisoriesthatgetflashedabou
Thecaterersmustknow______howmanypeoplecomefordinner.
Howlongwashisjourney?
随机试题
Explainbrieflythefourmainindividuallearnerfactorsthataffectalearner’sacquisitionofasecondlanguage.
甲公司有关企业合笋的资料如下:(1)2012年4月1日,甲公司与乙公司的原股东丙公司签订购买丙公司持有的乙公司70%股权的合同,合同规定:以乙公司2012年3月30日评估的可辨认净资产公允价值为基础,协商确定对乙公司70%股权的购买价格;合同经双方股东大
西方秘书在处理人际关系中,往往首先取悦于【】
恩氟烷可引起
厚朴温中汤适用于()
在Excel中,修改工作表名字的操作可以从()工作表标签开始。
下列关于当事人进行财产权利出质时的做法中,错误的是()。
已知待销售商品价格总额1000亿元中,赊销商品价格总额120亿元,到期应支付的总额20亿元,相互冲销价格的总额90亿元,在原货币流通速度9次不变的条件下,作为流通手段和支付手段的货币需要量为()亿元。
比较利益
下列关于以太网帧结构的描述中,错误的是()。
最新回复
(
0
)