2016硕士研究生英语二Text2

Biologists estimate that as many as 2 million lesser prairie chickens-a kind of bird living on stretching grasslands-once lent red to the often grey landscape of the mid-western and southwestern United States. But just some 22,000 birds remain today, occupying about 16% of the species’ historic range.

生物学家估计多达200万的小草原鸡--一种生活在绵延草地上的鸟。曾经给美国中西部和西南部常年暗灰色的景象添加了一抹红色。但是如今只剩下有22000只鸟，大约占这个物种历史水平的16%。

Biologists：n. 生物学家
estimate:v. 估计，估价n. 估计，估价
lesser prairie chickens:小草原鸡
lesser /ˈlɛsə/ adj. 较小的;次要的
prairie / ˈpreəri / n.北美草原
stretch / stretʃ / v.延伸;绵延
lent:v.借给;借出;(向…)贷(款);给…增加，增添(特色)lend的过去分词和过去式
landscape:n. 风景，景色；乡村风景画；（文件的）横向打印格式v. 对…做景观美化；给…做园林美化

The crash was a major reason the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) decided to formally list the bird as threatened. “The lesser prairie chicken is in a desperate situation,” said USFWS Director Daniel Ashe. Some environmentalists, however, were disappointed. They had pushed the agency to designate the bird as “endangered,” a status that gives federal officials greater regulatory power to crack down on threats. But Ashe and others argued that the “threatened” tag gave the federal government flexibility to try out new,potentially less confrontational conservation approaches.In particular,they called for forging closer collaborations with western stata governments,which are often uneasy with federal action,and with the private landowners who control an estimated 95% of the prairie chieken's habitat.

       数量急剧下降是渔业和野生动物协会决定正式将这个鸟类列为受威胁的清单中的主要原因。USFWS主席DA说道：小草原鸡处在一个濒临灭绝的境地。然而，一些环保主义者却感到失望，他们已经推动这个机构将这类鸟列为“濒临灭绝”，一个可以让联邦政府更大监管权力去大力整顿这些威胁。但是Ashe和其他人认为“受威胁”这个标签给了联邦政府灵活的去尝试新的，潜在少对抗的保护方法。尤其是，他们呼吁与西部各州政府建立更加紧密的合作，这些州政府往往对联邦政府的行为感到不安，并且还呼吁与私人土地所有者建立更密切的合作，他们控制着大约95%的草原鸡的栖息地。

crash:n. 〔汽车的〕撞车事故；〔飞机的〕坠毁，失事；突然发出的巨响；崩溃，死机；〔股票的〕狂跌，暴跌
       v. 猛撞，撞击；发出巨响；崩溃；〔股市或股票〕狂跌，暴跌
formally:adv. 形式上, 正式地, 遵照一定格式地
desperate:adj. 绝望的；不顾一切的，拼命的；极度渴望的，极其需要…的；（局势）危急的，严峻的
agency:n. 中介；代理；代理行；经销处；服务机构；（政府的）专门机构，部门；力量；作用
designate:v. 指定，选派；标明，指明adj. 新指定的，新任命的
regulatory:adj. 管理的, 调整的, 监管的
to crack down on somebody or something 意思就是大力整顿或者打击某事。
argued:v. 争论, 争辩, 争吵, 论证；提出理由,认为
flexibility:n. 灵活性, 弹性, 挠性, (光的)折射性
potentially:adv. 潜在地
confrontational :adj. 对抗的, 对抗性的
conservation:n. 保护，保存
approaches:v. （在距离或时间上）靠近，接近；接洽；建议；要求；（在数额、水平或质量上）接近；着手处理；对付
           n. （待人接物或思考问题的）方式，方法，态度；（距离和时间上的）靠近，接近；接洽；建议；通路；路径；道路
particular:adj. 专指的，特定的；独特的，特别的；讲究的，挑剔的n. 详细资料；细节，详情
called for:需要;号召
collaborations with:与…合作,与…勾结
closer:v. 结束, 闭合, 封闭, 闭(眼等)adj. 局促的, 严密的, 紧密的, 严丝合缝的
       n. 【乐】终止(法), 结尾复纵线(∥), 终结, 白刃战adv. 密接, 亲密地, 紧密地, 秘密地

Under the plan, for example, the agency said it would not prosecute landowners or businesses that unintentionally kill, harm, or disturb the bird as long as they had signed a range-wide management plan to restore prairie chicken habitat. Negotiated by USFWS and the states, the plan requires individuals and businesses that damage habitat as part of their operations to pay into a fund to replace every acre destroyed with 2 new acres of suitable habitat. The fund will also be used to compensate landowners who set aside habitat. USFWS also set an interim goal of restoring prairie chicken populations to an annual average of 67, 000 birds over the next 10 years. And it gives the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA), a coalition of state agencies, the job of monitoring progress. Overall, the idea is to let “states remain in the driver’s seat for managing the species,” Ashe said.

        例如，在此项计划下，该机构表示它们不会起诉非故意杀死、伤害或骚扰鸟类的土地所有者或企业，只要他们已经签署一项为恢复草原榛鸡栖息地而制定的大范围管理计划。通过USFWS和州政府的谈判，要求在经营活动中破坏栖息地的个人和企业要缴纳罚金作为基金，以两英亩新的栖息地代替每英亩被破坏的旧栖息地。该基金还将用于补偿那些留出了栖息地区域的土地所有者。USFWS同样也会设置一个过渡的关于未来10年逐步恢复草原鸡数量到全年平均67000只的目标 。  这个目标会给到一个叫WAFWA的州联盟机构，他们的主要职责就是监管进度。 Ashe说：总体上，这个想法是为了让州政府仍然处在管理生物物种的控制地位。

prosecute：v. 起诉, 控告, 检举, 担任控方律师
unintentionally：adv. 无意地；非故意地；非存心地
disturb：v. 扰乱，妨碍；使……不安
as long as：只要; 与……一样长;
signed：adj. 带正负号的，已签字的
Negotiated：v. 谈判，磋商；商定；达成（协议）；通过，越过（险要路段）
individuals：adj. 单独的，独有的；个别的；一个人（使用）的；独特的，与众不同的n. 个人，个体；某种类型的人
damage：n. 损坏，破坏，损害；损害赔偿金v. 损害，毁坏
pay into：phrase. 把(钱)存入(银行账户)；pay into a fund 向一项基金付款
compensate：v. 补偿；弥补；赔偿，赔款
set aside 留作…之用 ; 留出…用于 ; 放弃 ; 置…于不顾
habitatn. 生长环境, 栖息地; 人类居住地; 海底实验室人员居住的加压舱；
interim：adj. 暂时的, 过渡的, 期中的n. 临时, 临时协定, 【史】(宗教改革时的)临时敕令
populations：n. 人口，种群
annual：adj. 每年的，年度的，一年生的n. 年刊，年鉴；一年生植物
coalition：n. 联盟, 联合, 结合, （两党或多党）联合政府
driver's seat 驾驶席
in the driver's seat 处于统治（或控制）地位；掌权
the driver's seat n.控制地位

Not everyone buys the win-win rhetoric. Some Congress members are trying to block the plan, and at least a dozen industry groups, four states, and three environmental groups are challenging it in federal court. Not surprisingly, industry groups and states generally argue it goes too far; environmentalists say it doesn’t go far enough.”The federal government is giving responsibility for managine the bird to the same industries that are pushing it to extinction,”says biologist Jay Lininger.

并不是所有人都接受这种双赢的说法。一些国会议员正在试图阻拦这个计划，最少12个行业团体，四个州和三个环境组织正在试图在联邦法庭对此提出上诉。行业集团和州政府认为这项计划措施太过火了，但是环保主义者却认为这个做得还不够，这一点也不奇怪。生物学家杰伊·利宁格说：“联邦政府这是把管理小草原松鸡的责任交给那些正把它推向灭绝的行业。”

win-win rhetoric：双赢的说法
Congress：n. 国会, 代表大会, 议会, （用于某些国家的政党名称）国民大会v. 开会
block：n. 块； 街区；<英>大楼，大厦；阻碍v. 阻止； 阻塞
dozen：n. 很多, （一）打, 十二个, 十来个
challenging：adj. 挑战性的, 要求高的，考验能力的, 挑起争论的, 不赞同的v. “challenge”的现在分词
surprisingly：adv. 令人惊讶地, 出乎意料地
extinction：n. （植物、动物、生活方式等的）灭绝，绝种，消亡
go too far，做得太过分了，走得太远，做的过火。
go far enough( 用于疑问句和否定句) 达到目的

26. The major reason for listing the lesser prairie chicken as threatened is _

[A] the insistence of private landowners

[B] the underestimate of the grassland acreage

[C] a desperate appeal from some biologists

[D] its drastically decreased population

27. The “threatened” tag disappointed some environmentalists in that it _

[A] was a give-in to governmental pressure

[B] would involve fewer regulatory powers

[C] granted less federal regulatory powers

[D] went against conservation policies

28.It can be learned from Paragraph 3 that unintentional harm-doers will be prosecuted if they _

[A] agree to pay a sun for compensation

[B] volunteer to set up an equally big habitat

[C] offer to support the WAFWA monitoring job

[D] promise to raise funds for USFWS operations

29. According to Ashe, the leading role in managing the species is _

[A] the federal government

[B] the wildlife agencies

[C] the landowners

[D] the states

30. Jay Lininger would most likely support _

[A] the plan under challenge

[B] the win-win rhetoric

[C] environmental groups

[D] industry groups

参考资料：

1、https://view.inews.qq.com/a/20201206A0CK4N00

2、http://blog.sina.com.cn/s/blog_a68d7ab10102wuf6.html