Using high technology to save elephants and rhinos

主题语境：人与自然 篇幅：297词 建议用时：6分钟

1A great number of elephants and rhinos are hunted in Africa every year.Poachers(偷猎者)kill elephants for their tusks and rhinos for their horns to earn money even though it is against the law.Then other people,called “traffickers”,buy the tusks and horns,ship them out of the country and sell them again for even more money.

2Elephant tusks can sell for about$450 a pound ($1000 a kilogram).Rhino horns can sell for more than$27,000 a pound($60,000 a kilogram).Sometimes the tusks and horns are made into cups,artworks or jewelry(珠宝).Sometimes they are made into powder,which people eat as medicine.

3It has been hard to catch the criminals(罪犯).Usually by the time the dead animals were found,the poachers were far away.Until recently,African scientists are using DNA to help find the criminals and send them to prison.They are using DNA tests to connect traffickers with elephants and rhinos that have been killed.Computers are used to build complete lists of the DNA of almost all of the elephants and rhinos in Africa.These DNA records allow the scientists to build powerful tools for protecting the animals.

4Now when tusks or horns are found on a ship in another country,DNA tests can show where they come from.This information can lead to quick actions in the country where the animals were killed.With the new DNA information,it is easier to prove that someone has been involved(牵涉)in killing animals for their tusks or horns.

5So far,these DNA records have been used to send poachers and traffickers to prison in many countries in Africa.People hope that by punishing poachers and traffickers,they can save the lives of more African elephants and rhinos.

Reading Check

1.What is mainly talked about in paragraph 1?

A.The loss of the tusks and horns in Africa.

B.People's ways of living in Africa.

C.The places where wild animals live in Africa.

D.Elephants and rhinos'being hunted in Africa.

2.Why are the numbers mentioned in paragraph 2?

A.To show that tusks and horns are expensive.

B.To show how many elephants and rhinos are left.

C.To attract readers'attention to tusks'use.

D.To attract scientists'attention to the hunting of animals.

3.What can be inferred about the DNA records in the text?

A.They let the criminals know they are wrong.

B.They help treat those sick elephants and rhinos.

C.They have been put into use to punish the poachers and traffickers.

D.They can be used to save people's lives in Africa.

Language Study

熟词生义

1.Then other people,called “traffickers”,buy the tusks and horns,ship them out of the country and sell them again for even more money.然后，其他被称为“贩运者”的人，买下象牙和犀牛角，把它们运出国，然后再卖更多的钱。

ship v.运输；船运；运送

e.g.The company ships its goods all over the world.这家公司把货物运往世界各地。

2.Computers are used to build complete lists of the DNA of almost all of the elephants and rhinos in Africa.电脑被用来建立非洲几乎所有大象和犀牛的脱氧核糖核酸的完整序列。

complete adj.完整的

e.g.It came as a complete surprise.这事来得十分意外。