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  • S e c o n d e d I t I o n 1 Reading for the Real World 1




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    Track 17
     


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    natural habitats. They clear trees from forests to build 
    houses, farms, cities, and roads. One of the most 
    terrible instances of habitat destructions is the cutting 
    down of the tropical rainforests. It is estimated that 
    these rainforests, which cover less than 10 percent of 
    the Earth, contain almost half of all the world’s plant 
    and animal species.
    Human activity has had a devastating effect on the natural environment. 
    Each year, an international organization of scientists releases a special “red list” 
    that updates the status of more than 44,000 animal and plant species. In 2008, 
    the organization reported that 25 percent of our planet’s 5,487 mammals are on 
    the verge of extinction. It also claimed that almost 40 percent of all species are 
    “threatened” with extinction, including 33 percent of all amphibians, a quarter of 
    the Earth’s coniferous trees, and about 12 percent of all birds. Of all threatened 
    species on the red list, about 3,000 are “critically endangered,” which means 
    they could disappear soon.
    What would happen to people if the “Sixth Extinction” takes place? Scientists 
    say life on Earth would be grim. There would not be enough food to eat, and water 
    would be too polluted to drink. New species of pests and plants would invade the 
    natural areas that remain. These invaders could carry new kinds of germs, causing 
    diseases that human bodies cannot resist. Without plants to help cool the sun, the 
    ice at the North and South Poles could melt, causing sea levels to rise and wash 
    away coastal cities. By wiping out other species, human beings might be paving 
    the way for the greatest extinction of all: their own.
    Reading Time
    _______ minutes _______ seconds
    547 words
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    tropical --- relating to warm climates
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    status --- state or condition
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    verge --- brink or threshold
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    amphibian --- an animal with characteristics of fish and reptiles
    40
    coniferous --- cone-bearing



    eading Comprehension
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    S e c o n d e d I t I o n 1 Reading for the Real World 1

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