一项调查发现，如果不采取紧急行动，到2050年，考拉将在澳大利亚新南威尔士州灭绝。去年，据澳大利亚考拉基金会（Australian Koala Foundation）的估算，澳大利亚仅剩下不到8万只考拉。

The future of the koala and what is an important home is at stake. Cate Faehrmann, the chair of the Parliamentary Committee, warned future generations may not see a koala in the wild again, if the report is ignored. 

考拉的未来和它们在新南威尔士州的栖息地正面临危机。议会委员会主席凯特·费尔曼警告说，如果这份报告被忽视，我们的后代可能就再也看不到野生考拉了。

The once-thriving marsupial has been ravaged by habitat loss and disease. The recent bushfire season was one of the worst in Australian history. It was particularly lethal to the koala population in New South Wales. About 5,000 are thought to have died, and the blazes that scorched more than 5 million hectares state-wide affected almost a quarter of koala habitats.

这种一度茁壮成长的有袋类动物遭到栖息地丧失和疾病的伤害。最近的森林火灾季节是澳大利亚历史上最严重的火灾季之一。这对新南威尔士州的考拉的影响尤其致命。大约有5000只考拉死亡，大火烧毁了该州500多万公顷林地，影响了近四分之一的考拉栖息地。

Across the rest of the country, koala numbers are falling, with a recent estimate of 80,000 remaining in the wild. The committee said current policies to protect them were failing and made a number of recommendations to safeguard them, including establishing new national parks and reducing land clearing.

在澳大利亚的其它地区，考拉的数量正在下降，据最近的估计，野生考拉的数量为8万只。该委员会表示，目前用来保护它们的政策没有奏效，委员会提出了一些保护考拉的建议，包括建设新的国家公园和减少对森林的砍伐。

In a statement, the New South Wales Environment Minister said his state would do everything it could to protect koalas for future generations. 

新南威尔士州的环境部长在一份声明中说，新南威尔士州会尽一切努力为后代保护考拉。

词汇

at stake 处于危险中
marsupial 有袋类动物
ravaged 被破坏，被伤害
habitat loss 栖息地丧失
lethal 致命的
blazes 大火 ，烈火
scorched 烧毁了，烧焦了
safeguard 保护

阅读理解：请在读完上文后，回答下列问题。

1. True or false? The New South Wales Environment Minister said his state wouldn’t be able to do anything to protect the koalas.

2. According to the article, what has ravaged the koala?

3. How many koalas have died in the recent bushfires?

4. What are some of the recommendations by the committee to safeguard koalas?

答案

1. True or false? The New South Wales Environment Minister said his state wouldn’t be able to do anything to protect the koalas.
False. He said his state would do everything it could to protect them.

2. According to the article, what has ravaged the koala?
The once-thriving koala has been ravaged by habitat loss and disease.

3. How many koalas have died in the recent bushfires?
About 5,000 koalas have died in the recent bushfires.

4. What are some of the recommendations by the committee to safeguard koalas?
The recommendations include establishing new national parks and reducing land clearing.