题目

3. At first sight, the fate of threatened species might seem a world apart from the economy. Upon closer examination, however, we start to understand the connections between the two. The "good health" of natural systems is a precondition for the "good health" of our social and economic systems. Can one say that a society is thriving when it is exposed to air and water pollution and endures related health problems? Equally, can a society "function" if a large proportion of people are unemployed or cannot make ends meet?Despite gaps and uncertainties in our understanding, we can see that our world is changing. After 10,000 years of relative stability, the average global temperature is increasing. Although the European Union's (EU's) greenhouse gas emissions are declining, fossil fuels release more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere than our land and oceans can absorb. Some regions are more vulnerable to the potential impacts of climate change—and these are often the countries least prepared to adapt to new climatic conditions.With more than seven billion of us living on the planet, humans clearly have a role in steering and accelerating this change. In fact, our current consumption and production levels may be damaging the environment to the point that we risk making our home uninhabitable to many species, including ourselves. Many people in developing countries aspire to have lifestyles similar to those in developed countries, which could put additional pressure on our natural systems.We are losing global biodiversity at a rate never before seen in history. Extinction rates may be up to 1,000 times higher than the historical background rate. The destruction of habitats is one of the main reasons.Although the total forest area has been increasing in Europe in recent decades, globally it is a different story. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that every year about 13 million hectares of the world's forests are cut down and converted to other land uses, such as cattle grazing, mining, farming or urban development. Forests are not the only ecosystems under threat. Many other natural habitats are at risk because of human activities.What is a main cause of global biodiversity loss?A. The disappearance of natural habitats caused by human activities.B. The increase of the average temperature in the world.C. The release of excessive greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.D. The consumption and production patterns we follow today.

3. At first sight, the fate of threatened species might seem a world apart from the economy. Upon closer examination, however, we start to understand the connections between the two. The "good health" of natural systems is a precondition for the "good health" of our social and economic systems. Can one say that a society is thriving when it is exposed to air and water pollution and endures related health problems? Equally, can a society "function" if a large proportion of people are unemployed or cannot make ends meet? Despite gaps and uncertainties in our understanding, we can see that our world is changing. After 10,000 years of relative stability, the average global temperature is increasing. Although the European Union's (EU's) greenhouse gas emissions are declining, fossil fuels release more greenhouse gases into the atmosphere than our land and oceans can absorb. Some regions are more vulnerable to the potential impacts of climate change—and these are often the countries least prepared to adapt to new climatic conditions. With more than seven billion of us living on the planet, humans clearly have a role in steering and accelerating this change. In fact, our current consumption and production levels may be damaging the environment to the point that we risk making our home uninhabitable to many species, including ourselves. Many people in developing countries aspire to have lifestyles similar to those in developed countries, which could put additional pressure on our natural systems. We are losing global biodiversity at a rate never before seen in history. Extinction rates may be up to 1,000 times higher than the historical background rate. The destruction of habitats is one of the main reasons. Although the total forest area has been increasing in Europe in recent decades, globally it is a different story. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that every year about 13 million hectares of the world's forests are cut down and converted to other land uses, such as cattle grazing, mining, farming or urban development. Forests are not the only ecosystems under threat. Many other natural habitats are at risk because of human activities. What is a main cause of global biodiversity loss? A. The disappearance of natural habitats caused by human activities. B. The increase of the average temperature in the world. C. The release of excessive greenhouse gases into the atmosphere. D. The consumption and production patterns we follow today.

题目解答

答案

我们来逐步分析这道题，并找出正确答案。

题目分析：

题目问的是：“全球生物多样性丧失的主要原因是什么？”

选项有四个：

A. 人类活动导致自然栖息地的消失。
B. 全球平均气温的上升。
C. 过量温室气体排放到大气中。
D. 我们今天所遵循的消费和生产模式。

原文分析：

我们从原文中找出与“生物多样性丧失”有关的内容：

> “We are losing global biodiversity at a rate never before seen in history. Extinction rates may be up to 1,000 times higher than the historical background rate. The destruction of habitats is one of the main reasons.”

这句话明确指出：栖息地的破坏是生物多样性丧失的主要原因之一。

接着：

> “Although the total forest area has been increasing in Europe in recent decades, globally it is a different story. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that every year about 13 million hectares of the world's forests are cut down and converted to other land uses, such as cattle grazing, mining, farming or urban development. Forests are not the only ecosystems under threat. Many other natural habitats are at risk because of human activities.”

这段话进一步说明：人类活动（如砍伐森林、农业、采矿、城市化）导致自然栖息地被破坏，从而威胁到生态系统和生物多样性。

选项分析：

  • A. 人类活动导致自然栖息地的消失。
    ✅ 这是原文中明确提到的“生物多样性丧失的主要原因”。

  • B. 全球平均气温的上升。
    ❌ 虽然气温上升与气候变化有关，但原文并未将其直接列为生物多样性丧失的“主要原因”。

  • C. 过量温室气体排放到大气中。
    ❌ 这是气候变化的原因之一，但不是生物多样性丧失的“主要原因”。

  • D. 我们今天所遵循的消费和生产模式。
    ❌ 虽然这种模式可能间接导致栖息地破坏，但原文明确指出“栖息地破坏”才是直接原因。

结论：

正确答案是：

$\boxed{A}$

解析

本题考查对文章细节信息的理解和推理能力。解题的关键在于准确找到文中关于全球生物多样性丧失原因的描述，并将各选项与之进行对比分析。

  1. 首先，在文中定位到与全球生物多样性丧失相关的关键语句：“We are losing global biodiversity at a rate never before seen in history. Extinction rates may be up to 1,000 times higher than the historical background rate. The destruction of habitats is one of the main reasons.” 这表明栖息地的破坏是生物多样性丧失的主要原因之一。
  2. 接着，进一步阅读相关内容 “Although the total forest area has been increasing in Europe in recent decades, globally it is a different story. The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization estimates that every year about 13 million hectares of the world's forests are cut down and converted to other land uses, such as cattle grazing, mining, farming or urban development. Forests are not the only ecosystems under threat. Many other natural habitats are at risk because of human activities.” 可知，人类活动（如砍伐森林用于放牧、采矿、农业或城市发展等）导致了自然栖息地的破坏。
  3. 然后对各选项进行分析：
    • 选项A：“The disappearance of natural habitats caused by human activities.” 与文中提到的栖息地破坏是生物多样性丧失的主要原因以及人类活动导致栖息地破坏相符合，所以该选项正确。
    • 选项B：“The increase of the average temperature in the world.” 文中虽提及全球平均气温上升，但并未将其直接列为生物多样性丧失的主要原因，所以该选项错误。
    • 选项C：“The release of excessive greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.” 过量温室气体排放是气候变化的原因之一，并非生物多样性丧失的主要原因，所以该选项错误。
    • 选项D：“The consumption and production patterns we follow today.” 文中虽提到当前消费和生产模式可能对自然系统造成压力，但明确指出栖息地破坏才是生物多样性丧失的直接原因，所以该选项错误。