Question

    Western conservation groups are seeking stricter laws to deal with trade in endangered wildlife, but Dr. Paul Jepson warns that this isn’t the best solution. He specially mentions the case of the Bali starling (八哥). Bringing in tougher laws created unexpected outcomes, which contributed to the bird’s extinction in the wild in 2006.

He said that the traditional law enforcement (执行) approach that prohibited ownership of the Bali starling in the 1980s and 1990s increased rather than reduced the demand for wild-caught Bali starlings. The bird has become a popular gift among the rich of Indonesia, who can gain more status by owning one.

Instead, a case-by-case analysis might be needed. Last year, he said, a bird association set up a network of breeders (饲养者) among the owners of Bali starling on the island of Java. By introducing a “crowd-breeding” model, it transformed the bird into a species whose price and source of supply were publicly known. This lessened the status of keeping such birds and thereby reduced their profitability to black market suppliers.

Another case was on Nusa Penida, an island southeast of Bali. A Balinese conservation group planned to release starlings on the island. Some tried to block the plan, saying the island was outside the birds’ native zone. Eventually, the Governor of Bali came up with a plan. The starlings were given to a local temple as a ceremonial offering before they were released. This gave the Bali starling status as a “sacred bird”, giving them protection under customary laws. Now the released starlings established a breeding population on Nusa Penida.

Dr. Jepson commented, “I do not want to condemn the international approach seeking tighter law enforcement, but this case study shows we should not oversimplify how we respond to the problem of the wildlife trade. There is a growing body of evidence that shows more different approaches are sometimes needed to fit with the local social and political realities. We should tailor solutions on more of a case-by-case basis.”

1.What might have sped up the wild Bali starling’s extinction in 2006?

A.The bad natural environment.

B.The side effect of strict protection laws.

C.The debate over the wildlife trade.

D.The popularity of the bird in the world.

2.Why was the “crowd-breeding” model introduced?

A.To make the Bali starling less profitable.

B.To cut off the supply to the black market.

C.To increase the demand for the Bali starling.

D.To block the strict laws passed by the government.

3.What can we learn from the case on Nusa Penida?

A.The starlings were protected as a result of stricter laws.

B.It is unwise to release starlings outside their native zone.

C.The starlings were endangered due to their reduced status.

D.Attaching spiritual value to the starlings helps protect them.

4.Which of the following will Dr. Jepson probably agree with?

A.Stricter enforcement is needed to protect biodiversity.

B.Those who seek tighter law enforcement should be blamed.

C.There’s no one-size-fits-all approach to the wildlife trade problem.

D.The problem of wildlife trade should be treated with determination.

Answer

1.B

2.A

3.D

4.C

【解析】

这是一篇说明文。主要说明了更严格的法律来处理濒危野生动物贸易并不是最好的办法，巴厘八哥鸟就是一个例子。更严格的法律加速了野生巴厘岛八哥的灭绝，人们进行个案分析引入一种“群体繁殖”模式以及赋予八哥精神价值才保护了这一鸟类。因此越来越多的证据表明，野生动物贸易问题没有放之四海而皆准的方法。

1.细节理解题。根据第一段最后一句Bringing in tougher laws created unexpected outcomes, which contributed to the bird’s extinction in the wild in 2006.（更严格的法律带来了意想不到的结果，这导致了2006年野生八哥的灭绝。）可知严格的保护法律的副作用可能加速了野生巴厘岛八哥在2006年的灭绝。故选B。

2.推理判断题。根据第三段中By introducing a “crowd-breeding” model, it transformed the bird into a species whose price and source of supply were publicly known. This lessened the status of keeping such birds and thereby reduced their profitability to black market suppliers.（通过引入"人群繁殖"模式，它把八哥变成了一种价格和供应来源为公众所知的物种。这降低了饲养这种鸟类的地位，从而降低了它们对黑市供应商的盈利能力。）可知引入的“群体繁殖”模式是为了降低巴厘八哥的利润。故选A。

3.推理判断题。根据第四段中The starlings were given to a local temple as a ceremonial offering before they were released. This gave the Bali starling status as a “sacred bird”, giving them protection under customary laws. Now the released starlings established a breeding population on Nusa Penida.（这些八哥在被释放前作为仪式祭品被送到了当地的一座寺庙。这赋予了巴厘岛八哥“神鸟”的地位，使它们受到习惯法的保护。现在放生的八哥在Nusa Penida建立了繁殖种群。）可知从Nusa Penida的案例中我们能了解到赋予八哥精神价值有助于保护它们。故选D。

4.推理判断题。根据最后一段中There is a growing body of evidence that shows more different approaches are sometimes needed to fit with the local social and political realities. We should tailor solutions on more of a case-by-case basis.（越来越多的证据表明，有时需要采取更多不同的做法，以适应当地的社会和政治现实。我们应该根据更多的具体情况来调整解决方案。）可知Jepson博士可能会同意野生动物贸易问题没有放之四海而皆准的方法。故选C。