你要是想觀賞生活在英國(guó)的蝴蝶，那可得快點(diǎn)了。英國(guó)蝴蝶保護(hù)協(xié)會(huì)（Butterfly Conservation）的一份報(bào)告警告說(shuō)，58種蝴蝶中有24種可能很快就會(huì)從英國(guó)消失。

The modern world is not proving to be kind to our butterflies. The wild grasslands and sunny woodland clearings, where they once fluttered and thrived, have to a large extent been ploughed up or grown over. 

事實(shí)證明，現(xiàn)代世界并沒(méi)有善待蝴蝶。它們?cè)谝吧莸睾完?yáng)光明媚的林中空地上翩翩飛舞、繁衍生息，但這些地方很大程度上已經(jīng)被翻耕或雜草叢生。

Our insatiable demand for food means more fertilisers and pesticides. Of the 58 species of butterflies that breed here, 24 are now on the Red List. That means threatened with dying out altogether.

我們對(duì)糧食永無(wú)止境的需求促使了化肥和殺蟲(chóng)劑的使用。在這類環(huán)境中繁殖的58種蝴蝶中，24種現(xiàn)已列入紅色名錄，該名錄上的蝴蝶面臨滅絕的威脅。

That's five more than when the list was last compiled 11 years ago. Though the overall picture is grim, it's not all bad news. Targeted conservation programmes mean both the high brown fritillary and the large blue butterfly are no longer classified as critically endangered.

被列為 “瀕?！?的蝴蝶種類比11年前最近一次編制這份名錄時(shí)多了五種。盡管整體狀況嚴(yán)峻，但也并不都是壞消息。針對(duì)燦福蛺蝶和大藍(lán)蝶開(kāi)展的保護(hù)計(jì)劃使這兩種蝴蝶均不再被列為 “極度瀕危物種”。

詞匯表

clearings 林中空地
fluttered 撲打翅膀，翩翩飛舞
thrived 繁衍生息
ploughed up 開(kāi)墾成耕地
insatiable 無(wú)法滿足的，永無(wú)止境的
grim 嚴(yán)峻的

閱讀理解：請(qǐng)?jiān)谧x完上文后，回答下列問(wèn)題。

1. What has happened to the habitats where butterflies once thrived?

2. How many of the butterflies that breed in the UK are on a Red List?

3. How many more butterflies are on the Red List than when it was last compiled?

4. Which butterflies are no longer classified as critically endangered?

答案  

1. What has happened to the habitats where butterflies once thrived?
The wild grasslands and sunny woodland clearings have been ploughed up or grown over to a large extent.

2. How many of the butterflies that breed in the UK are on a Red List?
24 of the 58 species of butterflies that breed here are now on the Red List.

3. How many more butterflies are on the Red List than when it was last compiled?
There are five more than when the list was last compiled 11 years ago.

4. Which butterflies are no longer classified as critically endangered?
The high brown fritillary and the large blue butterfly are no longer classified as critically endangered.