填空题 Today"s topic is the heather moors of Scotland. It"s a sight that is 1 itself: the heather blooming on the moors 2 . But it is one that is becoming far less common. Rather alarmingly, the moors 3 , and nowadays only 4 is covered with heather, whereas in the not too distant past, this area was much greater, in the 1940s there was 5 heather than there is today.
Why should any of this matter? Aside from the fact that 6 , does heather have any other value? The answer must be an emphatic yes. First of all, 7 would be very hard pressed to survive without it. In fact, twenty-one species are 8 . Secondly, the heather moors provide the backdrop for certain sports such as deer stalking, which constitute 9 for the rural economy. Thirdly, this small bushy plant features prominently among 10 , and as is the case in many countries today, tourism is an important source of revenue 11 .
So, if the heather moors are 12 to Scotland, why have they been allowed to shrink so drastically? To a certain extent, the damage is due to mismanagement and 13 on the part of landowners: 14 is one of the major factors that have contributed to 15 of the heather moors. On top of that, large tracts have been cleared so that 16 .
It is becoming increasingly obvious that something should be done to 17 as soon as possible. Now, there is no disputing the fact that 18 over a long period has been one of the main causes of the problem, so there is no reason why 19 to manage the heather moors properly shouldn"t likewise bring positive results. Such programmes have recently got under way in certain areas, although it could be several years before 20 .