一份报告警告说，淡水鱼的数量将出现 “灾难性” 下降，近三分之一的淡水鱼面临灭绝的威胁。

More than half the world's fish are found in lakes, rivers and wetlands – from carp and minnow to giant catfish.

世界上超过一半的鱼类都生活在湖泊、河流和湿地中，从鲤鱼、米诺鱼到巨型鲶鱼，种类繁多。

They face a number of threats including pollution, unsustainable fishing, and the damming and draining of rivers and wetlands.

这些鱼类面临多种威胁，包括污染、竭泽而渔式的捕鱼、河流与湿地的筑坝和排水。

Conservation groups say 80 species are known to have become extinct, 16 in the last year alone.

保育组织称，目前所知已经有80个淡水鱼物种灭绝，仅去年一年就有16个。

In UK waters, the sturgeon and the burbot have vanished; salmon are disappearing, and the European eel remained critically endangered.

在英国水域，鲟鱼和江鳕已经绝迹；鲑鱼正逐渐消失，而欧洲鳗鲡仍处于极度濒危状态。

According to the WWF, much of the decline is driven by the poor state of rivers – mostly as a result of pollution, dams and sewage.

世界自然基金会指出，造成数量下降的主因是河流状况不佳，这主要归咎于污染、筑坝和污水排放。

词汇表

wetlands 湿地
carp 鲤鱼
minnow 米诺鱼
catfish 鲶鱼
unsustainable 不可持续的，过度捕捞的
extinct 灭绝
sturgeon 鲟，鲟鱼类
burbot 江鳕
salmon 鲑鱼，三文鱼
European eel 欧洲鳗鲡
endangered 频临灭绝
sewage 污物，污水

阅读理解：请在读完上文后，回答下列问题。

1. True or false? In UK waters, salmon has become extinct.

2. Where are most of the world's fish found?

3. What happened to the European eel in UK waters?

4. What are the main causes of the poor state of rivers?

答案  

1. True or false? In UK waters, salmon has become extinct.
False. In UK waters, salmon is disappearing but not yet extinct.

2. Where are most of the world's fish found?
More than half of the world's fish are found in lakes, rivers and wetlands.

3. What happened to the European eel in UK waters?
It remained critically endangered.

4. What are the main causes of the poor state of rivers?
They are pollution, dams and sewage.