英语时文精读 世界昆虫灾难真的会到来吗（课件PPT）-【快捷英语】人大附中名师精讲阅读理解八年级初二英语时文精读（第19期）

WEEK TWELVE WEDNESDAY 世界昆虫灾难真的会到来吗？ Can you list some threats humans are facing now? Threats global warming environmental pollution energy shortage the epidemic overpopulation ? Do you know what they have in common? Scientists say global warming isn’t the only threat (威胁) to humans. Another big threat is the falling numbers of insects. Scientists say half of all insects worldwide have been declining (减少) since the 1970s. They warn that over 40 percent of insects could die out in our lifetime. The number of insects is decreasing by 2.5 percent every year. Scientists call it “insect apocalypse”. Many kinds of butterflies, bees and other bugs are now extinct (灭绝的). Scientists say the apocalypse could cause “the danger of the Earth”. Do you know what they have in common? They are all in danger now. Questions: What causes the decline in insects according to the passage? Why can’t we feed people if there are fewer insects? What does the writer want to tell us from the last sentence? A professor said pesticides (杀虫剂) used for farming and gardening are killing insects. He said fewer insects mean we cannot feed people. He told reporters, “Three quarters of our crops depend on insects.... Crops will begin to fail. We won’t have... strawberries. We can’t feed 7.5 billion people without insects.” A worrying trend (趋势) is that the number of honeybees is smaller and smaller. In the USA, the number of honeybee groups dropped from six million in 1947 to 2.5 million in 2014. The professor warned people that, “We can’t wait another 25 years before we do anything because it will be too late.” What causes the decline in insects according to the passage? Pesticides used for farming and gardening. A professor said pesticides (杀虫剂) used for farming and gardening are killing insects. He said fewer insects mean we cannot feed people. He told reporters, “Three quarters of our crops depend on insects.... Crops will begin to fail. We won’t have... strawberries. We can’t feed