Endangered Species
Some animals and plants in our world are very common, like houseflies, cats or daisies. They are not in danger of dying out. Other species are very rare. Sometimes only a few of them are left. Such species may disappear forever.
Ever since life on earth began, animals and plants have died out and new ones have appeared. Dinosaurs, for example, roamed the planet during the earth’s middle ages. 65 million years ago they disappeared forever.
Animals and plants need each other to survive. They keep the world of nature in balance. If a certain plant dies out some animals may become extinct too, because they depend on the plant for food.
スカイプ英会話は、今回は「生命」について学びました。
はるか昔から、絶滅してく種もあり、新しく生まれる種もあり、自然の中で上手く循環していきます。
Why species become extinct
Long ago, most animals and plants became extinct because of natural events, like earthquakes or volcano eruptions. Climatic changes, like the beginning of the Ice Age, also led to the disappearance of certain species. Today, plants and animals are in danger mostly because of human beings.
Some plants and animals can survive in many areas. When they move to other places they adapt to their new environment very quickly. Others can only live in certain areas. We call such a living place a habitat. If a habitat is destroyed the species cannot find any more food or a place to live, sleep or have babies. So it dies out.
Habitats can be destroyed in many ways. More and more people live in our world. They need more space to live in. Rainforests, grasslands and other parts of nature are cleared and people start to settle there. They take away the natural home of plants and animals.
Pollution can also kill off certain species. Acid rain from factories goes down in rivers and lakes and can poison fish there.
The most endangered areas are the tropical rainforests. More than 50 % of all animals and plants live there. Every day, thousands of acres of rainforest are destroyed and many species become extinct every day.
Ever since man appeared on earth he has killed animals and gathered plants. They have been used for food, medicine, clothes and to make homes. Cheetahs, tigers and other wild cats have been killed for their skins. Whales have been hunted for centuries because of their oil and blubber.
Most animals today are protected by international law, but many, like the black rhinoceros and the African elephant are hunted illegally. Some species, like wolves, have been killed by humans because they were seen as a danger to farm animals.
Sometimes native animals become endangered when a new species comes to live in a place. Foxes were brought to Australia to kill off rabbits, which were seen as a pest. But instead of killing rabbits, the foxes killed kangaroos and other marsupials of Australia.
Parasites belong to the greatest threats to plants and animals. Tiny organisms, bacteria and fungi can destroy trees, kill birds and fish.
なぜ、絶滅する生命があるのか？自然界における気候の変化であったり、災害であったり。
しかしながら、人間が存在し始めてから、絶滅した動物は多いようです。
人は、食物としてだけではなく、服や薬、装飾品として、動物を殺しています。
絶滅の危機を回避しようと、現在では法律により、守られるようになりましたが、完全ではないようです。
Protection
People have hurt plants and animals but they are also willing to help them survive. All over the world organizations like the World Wildlife Fund, the Rainforest Action Network or Friends of the Earth are helping to protect habitats. They raise money for their projects and make governments and the public listen to them. New laws have also been made to protect endangered plants and animals all over the world.
牛や豚や鳥の肉を常時食べている私達なので、人が生きるために、動物を殺すのはやむおえない事かもしれませんが、
ハンドバッグのやコートの毛皮や装飾品の為に殺される動物達がいるのかと思うと、いたたまれない思いでした。
英会話では、英語を学ぶだけでなく、いろんな事を学べますよ。
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