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
考研
Fate has not been kind to the western grey whale. Its numbers have dwindled to 130 or so, leaving it "critically endangered" in
Fate has not been kind to the western grey whale. Its numbers have dwindled to 130 or so, leaving it "critically endangered" in
admin
2012-06-02
70
问题
Fate has not been kind to the western grey whale. Its numbers have dwindled to 130 or so, leaving it "critically endangered" in the eyes of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Fishing-nets, speeding ships, pollution and coastal development threaten the few that remain. Most recently, drilling for oil and gas in their main summer feeding grounds, near Sakhalin island off Russia’s Pacific coast, has brought fresh risks for the luckless creatures. Yet the rush to develop Sakhalin’s offshore fields may yet be the saviour of the species.
When drilling was first discussed in the 1990s, there were muted complaints. When a consortium called Sakhalin Energy, led by Royal Dutch Shell, announced plans to build an oil platform and lay pipelines in the only bay where the whales were known to congregate, these protests proliferated.
In response, the consortium established an independent panel to advise it on how best to protect the whales and promised to fund its work. It subsequently agreed to change the route of the pipeline at the panel’s suggestion, although it refused to move the platform, as other critics had demanded. It also agreed either to follow the panel’s recommendations in future or to explain publicly why it was rejecting them.
The platforms and pipelines are now complete. Sakhalin Energy exported its first cargo of liquefied natural gas last week. The project, says Shell, is an engineering triumph and a commercial success despite all the controversy.
But has it been a success for the whales? Sakhalin Energy says their number seems to be growing by 2. 5% a year, although Ian Craig, the firm’s boss, admits that the cause might be greater scrutiny rather than population growth. The scientists on the panel still seem worried. They complain that the firm has not always provided the information they need to assess the threat to the whales. It also has not always followed advice, the scientists’ advice about how noisy construction might scare the animals away, for example, or the speed that boats should travel to minimize the risk of hitting the whales. The scientists warn that the loss of just a few fertile females would be enough to tip the population into irrevocable decline. Last summer, there seemed to be far fewer whales around than normal.
On the other hand, the panel knows this only because Sakhalin Energy funds lots of research on the whales. As a result, it has discovered that they have a wider range than originally thought, which might explain why so few of them showed up off Sakhalin island last year.
Therefore, it is hard to escape the conclusion that, for creatures with a lot as sorry as the western grey whale, a nearby oil project is something of a blessing.
Scientists are sure that
选项
A、the number of the whales is rising slowly by a small percentage.
B、greater scrutiny of the whale population explains the growing number.
C、the whales are in an irrevocable decline despite all their efforts.
D、the whales have other summer habitats besides Sakhalin’s offshore.
答案
D
解析
事实细节题。倒数第二段末句为一个多重复合句,该句提到,专家组发现灰鲸有了更广阔的活动区域,所以去年夏天在萨哈林岛海域只发现了数量很少的灰鲸。所以,[D]正确。萨哈林能源公司称,灰鲸的数量每年似乎增长了2.5%,但并不确定,且不是科学家们的看法,故排除[A];[B]、[C]分别是对第五段第二句和倒数第二句的错误理解。
转载请注明原文地址:https://kaotiyun.com/show/arp4777K
0
考研英语一
相关试题推荐
Thekidswhogrewupon"StarTrek"can’tfind(1)_____wayaroundEarth.Americanscan(2)_____directtoEngland,butonly
Thekidswhogrewupon"StarTrek"can’tfind(1)_____wayaroundEarth.Americanscan(2)_____directtoEngland,butonly
Thekidswhogrewupon"StarTrek"can’tfind(1)_____wayaroundEarth.Americanscan(2)_____directtoEngland,butonly
RetailersarelookingatbiggersalesnumbersfordigitaltelevisionsetsthisChristmasseason,boostingthespiritsoffedera
Accordingtothetext,theapeshouldbeconsideredforcertainjobsTheauthorofthisarticleis
Illiteracymaybeconsideredmoreasanabstractconceptthanacondition.WhenafamousEnglishwriterusedthe(1)_____overt
Illiteracymaybeconsideredmoreasanabstractconceptthanacondition.WhenafamousEnglishwriterusedthe(1)_____overt
Illiteracymaybeconsideredmoreasanabstractconceptthanacondition.WhenafamousEnglishwriterusedthe(1)_____overt
Whenyoungpeoplewhowanttobejournalistsaskmewhatsubjecttheyshouldstudyafterleavingschool,Itellthem:"Anything
随机试题
患者女性,25岁,近2个月来轻度咳嗽,咳白黏痰,内带血丝;午后低热,面颊潮红,疲乏无力,常有心悸、盗汗,较前消瘦。经X线摄片检查,发现右上肺第2肋部有云雾状阴影,无透光区。痰结核菌3次检验阴性,你认为下列哪项护理措施不必要()
独活具有的功效是
下列有关审判制度的哪种说法是错误的?
下列关于“起诉不停止执行”原则表述正确的是:()
《中华人民共和国环境保护法》规定:任何单位和个人不得()严重污染环境的工艺、设备和产品。
当申请办理属于申领进口许可证的转关运输货物时,进口货物收货人或代理人应事先将指运地海关核发的“进口转关运输货物联系单”交申请人带交进境地海关。()
主张“兼爱”的是以下哪种学派?()
当市场价格发生变化时,生活必需品的需求()。
①他们没有超过一千的的家谱②金鱼是世界上养殖最普遍的宠物鱼类③不过有一件事是可以确定的④却没有多少证据实他们是什么时候被驯养的⑤只有少数几个国家还没有引进⑥尽管我们知道金鱼原产于中国将以上6个句子重新排列,语序正确的是:
窗体中有两个命令按钮:“显示”(控件名为cmdDisplay)和“测试”(控件名为cmdTest)。以下事件过程的功能是:单击“测试”按钮时,窗体上弹出一个消息框。如果单击消息框的“确定”按钮,隐藏窗体上的“显示”命令按钮;单击“取消”按钮,关闭窗体。
最新回复
(
0
)