资料：ThefederalgovernmentonWedne-名校题库网

资料：The federal government on Wednesday recommended an endangered-species listing for the loggerhead turtles in U.S. Waters, a decision that could lead to tighter restrictions on fishing and other maritime trades.Environmental groups who’ d been pushing an endangered listing said the proposal was a “turning point”they hope will lead to greater turtle protections.

“I think it’ s huge day for loggerhead sea turtles, ”said Beth Riff, a marine wildlife scientist at Oceana.“it really draws attention to the fact these turtles are not doing well and more needs to be done to protect them.”With all that attention to paid to them, you’d think these creatures would at least have the gratitude not to go extinct, but Nature is indifferent to human notions of fairness.No one really knows how many loggerhead there are, or how many are being killed by fishing gear or other activities. Riff cites a 40 percent drop in the number of nesting females in Florida over the last decade as evidence of trouble.

Loggerheads are named for their large heads, which contain potent jaws that can crush the hard shells of prey such as conch. The turtles are about the size of a fist when they hatch and make a frenzied dash to the surf. But they typically grow to more than three feet in length and 250 pounds. The animal can log thousands of miles as it travels across oceans.

Barbara Schoder，national sea turtle coordinator for NOAA’s fisheries division, said the biggest threats to the North Pacific loggerhead include damage to primary nesting sites, which are mainly in Japan，as well as accidental snaring of the turtles in fishing gear. Andrea Tee of San Francisco-based Center for Biological Diversity said the turtles get hooked by Hawaiian longline fishermen targeting swordfish and tuna and can be injured or drowned. On the East Coast, the main threat to turtles is gear from the region’s various fishenes Schoder said.

A primary benefit of the endangered status would be increased public pressure on protecting the species, Riff said. But the government would also have to determine“critical habitats，”such as where the turtles reproduce or forage. Such places could be subject to additional protections for the turtles, including restrictions on maritime development or fishing.

Like every other environmental issue today, this is playing out against the background of global warming and human interference with natural ecosystems, The narrow strips of beach on which the turtles lay their eggs are being squeezed on one side by development and on the other by threat of rising sea levels as the oceans warm. Ultimately we must get a handle on those issues as well, or a creature that outlived the dinosaurs will meet its end at the hands of humans, leaving our descendants to wonder how creature so ugly could have won so much affection.

It can be learned from the first paragraph that（）.

A.human activities have changed the way turtles survive
B.Efforts have been made to protect turtles from extinction
C.Marine biologists are looking for the secret of turtles’ reproduction
D.Government bureaucracy has contributed to decreasing number of turtles

查看答案纠错

答案： B

本题解析：

本题考查的是判断推理。

【关键词】learned from; the first paragraph

【主题句】第1自然段The federal government on Wednesday recommended an endangered-species listing for the loggerhead turtles in U.S. Waters, a decision that could lead to tighter restrictions on fishing and other maritime trades. Environmental groups who’ d been pushing an endangered listing said the proposal was a “turning point”they hope will lead to greater turtle protections. 周三，联邦政府建议为美国水域中蠵龟提供濒危物种名录，这一决定可能会导致对捕鱼和其他海上贸易的限制更加严格。那些致力于推动濒危动物名录的环保团体称，这份提议是一个“转折点”，他们希望这一举动能够带来更好的蠵龟保护。

【解析】本题的问题是“从第一段中可以了解到_______”。选项A意为“人类活动改变了龟的生存方式”；选项B意为“.为保护海龟免于灭绝，已经做出了一些努力”；选项C意为“海洋生物学家正在寻找海龟繁殖的秘密”；选项D意为“政府官僚机构为减少海龟数量作出了贡献”。根据主题句可知，一直有人在致力于保护蠵龟，因此B选项“为防止蠵龟灭绝，人们已经做出了一些努力。”正确。