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  3. The news about the world’s oceans in 2003 wasn’t that they’re in trouble—tha

The news about the world’s oceans in 2003 wasn’t that they’re in trouble—tha

游客2023-08-21  8
问题     The news about the world’s oceans in 2003 wasn’t that they’re in trouble—that much was already clear—but that the scale of devastation is far greater than anyone had realized. A shocking study revealed that a full 90 percent of the species most desirable to fishmongers—tuna, halibut, sharks, swordfish, grouper—has been wiped out in the past half century. But there was hopeful news as well. An alternative to conventional fishing practices, while not a cure-all, could significantly restore ravaged fish populations.
    The chilling centerpiece of last year’s marine research: just 50 years of industrial fishing has decimated(大批杀害)the world’s large predator fish species, according to a report published in Nature in May by biologists at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. Irresponsible fishing practices have inflicted severe casualties: Shrimp trawling in the Gulf of Mexico, for example, a reckless process in which, for every ton of shrimp procured, three tons of finfish are destroyed and discarded—has shrunk large fish stocks a thousand-fold. "Across the board we’ve removed everything bigger than a bicycle from the ocean," says Steve Palumbi, a Stanford University biologist, "and that has almost certainly changed the ocean in fundamental ways. "
    But the urgent need for large-scale conservation efforts is on a collision course with economic pressures to expand fishing even further, according to a 2003 report by the Pew Oceans Commission, an independent expert panel funded by the Pew Charitable Trust, as well as preliminary reports from members of the Bush-appointed US commission on Ocean Policy. Americans are eating more seafood than ever: Consumption was up 7 percent in 2002, to 4.5 billion pounds. Worldwide, more than 130 billion pounds of marine species are caught annually, and that doesn’t include the huge amount of sea life destroyed as by catch. More than a billion people rely on fish for protein. " We need to change the whole ethic of how we are viewing the oceans," says Andrew Rosenberg, a member of the Commission on Ocean Policy, "from a place that we use to a place we care for. "
    In September marine biologists Fiona Gell and Callum Roberts of the University of York in England offered a solution, boldly asserting in the journal Trends in Ecology and Evolution that at least 30 percent of the world’s ocean habitat must become safe zones for marine life. It’s a practical, not a sentimental matter, they contend. After studying 60 no-fishing zones around the world, Gell and Roberts discovered that the fish there live longer, grow larger, and produce more young than those in unprotected areas. Significantly, as populations grow, many fish head into less crowded areas outside the reserve, where fishermen reap the benefits indefinitely. "It’s a no-brainer, really, isn’t it?" observes Roberts. "Like money in the bank producing interest. " [br] Why does the author specially mention America in the passage on consumption of seafood?
选项 A、Because America’s eating way is different from other countries’.
B、Due to America’s huge quantity of consumption of seafood, it will be in charge of the sea problems.
C、As a vivid example to support the central idea.
D、Except America, there is no county to try to solve the present problems of the sea.
答案 B
解析 由题干关键词consumption of seafood定位至第三段可知，美国人比以往任何时候吃的海产品都多：2002的消费量增长了7％，达到45亿英镑。消费的海产品越多，承担的责任当然越大，措施也应越实际。因此B)“美国作为消费大户，理应担起更多责任”是正确答案。
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