Falling insect numbers dangerous to humans(N.America)
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The number of insects in the world has fallen by 45 per cent in the past 35 years. Scientists say this could be dangerous for humans. A report on insect numbers has been published in the journal 'Science'. It says the human population has doubled since 1980 while the number of insects has nearly halved. One of the biggest reasons for this loss of insects is deforestation. Many of the places where insects live are disappearing because of new cities and land being used for farming. Another reason is global warming. Scientists say that in the UK, the number of beetles, butterflies, bees and wasps has fallen by up to 60 per cent. Many countries are worried about the disappearance of bees and butterflies.
Scientists say the decline in insect populations will lead to many problems for humans. One of the biggest dangers is that there will be fewer insects to pollinate flowers. This means that farmers will have problems growing food. The lead author of the report, professor Rodolfo Dirzo, said falling numbers of insects could also lead to more disease in humans. He said rats and mice would have less food to eat so they will move to cities and bring diseases with them. Dr Ben Collen from London University said we needed to stop more insects from dying. He added that scientists must understand, "what species are winning and losing in the fight for survival". He said this knowledge would help us to protect the "helpful" insects.
1. TRUE / FALSE:Read the headline. Guess if a-h below are true (T) or false (F).
a.The number of insects fell by 35% in the past 45 years.T / F
b.A report was published in the science journal "Insects Today".T / F
c.The number of people on Earth has doubled since 1980.T / F
d.Bee and butterfly populations fell by up to 60% in the UK.T / F
e.There could be problems with insects not pollinating flowers.T / F
f.A professor said fewer insects would mean fewer diseases for humans.T / F
g.A fall in the number of insects would mean rats leaving cities.T / F
h.Scientists need to know which insects are winning the fight for survival.T / F
COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
1.By how much has the insect population fallen over the past 35 years?
2.What is the name of the journal with the report on insects?
3.What has happened to the human population since 1980?
4.What is land that insects used to live on being used for?
5.What insects are countries worried about disappearing?
6.What won't insects be able to do to flowers?
7.What will farmers have problems doing?
8.What will rats and mice bring with them to cities?
9.What did a doctor say we needed to stop?
10.What did a doctor say knowledge would help us do?
答案
TRUE / FALSE
a F b F c T d T e T f F g F h T
COMPREHENSION QUESTIONS
1.45%
2."Science"
3.It has doubled
4.Farming
5.Bees and Butterflies
6.Pollinate them
7.Growing food
8.Diseases
9.Insects dying
10.Protect insects
