● Little-noticed aquatic animals are in big trouble. In North America,
a third of our fish species, two-thirds of our crayfish species and nearly three-quarters of the mussel species are in trouble.
Part VI Reminder of key points in
this unit
Verb & Verb Phrase Part I regulate Phrase under the auspices conservation of come into force habitat compromise roll off breed slaughter bludgeon convention partnership public appeal walrus sea sanctuary longest-running virtually adversely Noun & Noun Other make a donation nesting site bird count volunteer Pacific islands ornithology Part II signal degrade Part instigate logistics diameter census bird watcher conservationist feather Panama esthetic value indicator habitat alteration degradation ire concrete tank sonar census debate marine mammal fractured aquatic park in captivity family-oriented suicidal sophisticated stranded skull/rib/jaw Noun & Noun Other III bounce off reject alter Verb & Verb Phrase Part adapt to IV predict kill off reject stay alive calculate shrink underestimate catalog inhabit Phrase mountain forest staple food picky eater projection oxygen case study dramatic long-term heat-resistant notoriously relatively unexpectedly North Atlantic cod metabolic haddock estimate wildlife refuge reserve aquatic animal crayfish mussel Part VII Watch and enjoy
You're going to watch a video clip taken from Saving Species, a program by National Geographic Society. Watch carefully and decide whether the following statements are True or False. Write \or \
1. T The national symbol of the US also appears on the list of the endangered species.
2. F In 1973, the Europeans passed a law to save their wild creatures.
3. T The Endangered Species Act protects the lives and habitats of plants and animals in immediate danger of extinction. 4. T Today, there are over a thousand species on the list of endangered species in the America.
5. T According to Professor Edward O. Wilson, we are in the midst of a biological catastohpe.
6. T Professor Eddward O. Wilson believes that we human beings depend utterly on other creatures for our very survival and therefore they're our companions in the biosphere. Videoscript::
The first Europeans on this continent had a common enemy to conquer. It was called nature. America seemed to be an endless expanse of hostile wilderness. Bison wandered along the Potomac. Grizzly bears strolled the beaches of California. Human beings did not even know it was possible for a species to go extinct, but we
learned ... Hundreds of creatures slipped into extinction. Even our national symbol was disappearing before our eyes. But then America did something no other country had ever done. In 1973, we passed a law to save our wild creatures. The Endangered Species Act protects the lives and habitats of plants and animals in immediate danger of extinction. Today, there are over a thousand species on the list. David and Susan's quest to photograph the endangered species of America has taken them over hundreds of thousands of miles through all 50 states and every conceivable American landscape. (Susan's voice) \
understand why so many plants and animals are endangered. They're losing their homes. We are building a human world and losing a wild one.\
Massachusetts. But they're not going to find an endangered creature, they're meeting one of the greatest experts on why species go extinct -- distinguished scientist, Edward O. Wilson. (Edward's voice) \a sobering fact there is an extinction crisis. There have always been species going extinct from time to time. But now human activity has pushed it up a hundred to a thousand times. We are in the midst of a biological catastrophe. That's the greatest since the end of the age of dinosaurs 65 million years ago. What I hope you'll succeed in doing is to make endangered species a vivid presence in the lives of people.
Make it clear to them that every endangered species has a name, has a billion year history, has a place in the world. Bring us face to face with each one of those species. Make us know that they're our companions in the biosphere. They're not just something out there you look at once in a while, but they're part of our existence. They're part of us. Human beings are the masters of this world now. We can take these animals and plants with us as we travel into the future or we can say good-bye and send them into the night. But whether we realize it or not, we depend utterly on other creatures for our very survival. They are part of our existence. They are part of us.\