Read the following passage carefully and answer the questions given below:
It is a disturbing fact that today many different
kinds of wild animal throughout the world are in danger of extinction. The
reasons for this are many and varied, but we must largely blame pollution,
pesticides, the disturbance of the animals’ natural environment and man’s greed
and thoughtlessness.
Industry has grown enormously, and it has become
common practice to dispose of waste matter in streams and rivers, causing great
loss of river life. Modern agricultural methods include the use of pesticides
which effectively control insects classified as pests, but which also destroy
many that are not. An increase in population has meant more building and with
it the destruction of much of the countryside that provides habitat for wild animals.
To satisfy man’s selfish desires the polar bear in North America is under
threat, hunted by sportsmen; in Borneo and Sumatra the orang-utan has become
part of a smuggling racket; in South America the chinchilla is almost extinct
because- its fur is in demand; whales are massacred worldwide for-the oil and
food they yield. These are only a:few of the species under threat.
But the problem is receiving world-wide recognition,
and some action is being taken. To name a few examples sewage pollution in the
river Thames has been greatly reduced; a ban on trading in some furs has been
agreed; and organizations like Friends of the Earth to valuable work in this
deserving cause.
Questions:
(a) Cite the reasons as to why some species of wild animals
are on the verge of extinction?
(b) What has brought about the destruction of much of
the countryside?
(ce) Why are the polar bear and the whales under
threat?
(d) Which animal is hunted for its fur?
(e) Find a word in the passage which means
"agreat slaughter".
(i) “ a great slaughter”
(ii) “an animal’s or plant’s natural environment.
