单选题 In the United States, the need to protect plant and animal species has become a highly controversial and sharply political issue since the passage of the Endangered Species Act in 1973. The act, designed to protect species' living areas, and policies that preserve land and forests compete with economic interests. In the 1990's, for example, the woodcutters in the Western United States were challenged legally in their attempt to cut trees for timber in the Cascade Mountains. The challenge was mounted to protect the endangered spotted owl(猫头鹰), whose remaining population occupies these forests and requires the intact, ancient forest for survival. The problematic situation set the interests of environmentalists against those of corporations and of individuals who stood to lose jobs. After months of debate and legal battles, the fate of the woodcutters—and the owls—was still undecided in mid-1992.
Similar tensions exist between the developed and the developing nations. Many people in industrialized nations, for example, believe that developing nations in tropical regions should do more to protect their rain forests and other natural areas. But the developing countries may be
impoverished(使穷困), with populations growing so rapidly that using the land is a means to temporarily avoid worsening poverty and starvation.
Many of the changes to Earth that concern scientists have the potential to rob the planet of its biological richness. The destruction of Earth' s ozone layer(臭氧层), for example, could contribute to the general process of impoverishment by allowing ultra-violet rays to harm plants and animals. And global warming could wipe out species unable to quickly adapt to changing climates. Clearly, protecting will come only through coordinated international efforts to control human population, stabilize the composition of the atmosphere, and preserve intact Earth' s complex web of life.

单选题 The protection of endangered species is a highly controversial issue because it affects the interests of certain groups of people.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】阅读文章第一段，我们得知：旨在保护某些濒危物种生存区域的法规和政策与某些人的经济利益相冲突。因此本句话所说“保护濒临绝种的动植物品种是一种很有争议的事情，因为这影响到某类人的经济利益”。与第一段内容一致，故而正确。

单选题 According to the passage, the preservation of rain forests should take priority over the control of human population.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】句意：保护热带雨林应该比人口控制享有优先权。通读全文，未出现此类提法，故选C。

单选题 Cutting trees to grow more food may hamper a developing country in its fight against poverty.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】见第二段最后一句：由于人口急剧增加，发展中国家可能会愈加贫困，而开垦森林是一条暂时摆脱贫困和饥饿的方法。这与本句所说“垦林造粮会阻碍发展中国家对贫困作斗争”不符，故选B。

单选题 Among humanity's current problems, the chief concern of the scientists is the reduction of biological diversity.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】根据文章第三段所提到的目前科学家所关注的种种变化，我们可以看到无论是臭氧层的破坏，全球变暖，还是人口膨胀，最终都会导致物种不断减少及至灭绝。因此本句所说“在人类当前的问题中，科学家们最关注的是生物物种的减少”与文意相符，故选A。

单选题 The explosion of the human population will widen the gap between the developed and the developing countries.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】句意：人口膨胀将加大发达国家和发展中国家之间的差距。通读全文，仅提到人口膨胀与环境保护的关系，故选C。

单选题 Cutting trees to grow more food is a long-term relief to the food problem.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】见第二段最后一句“…using the land is a means to temporarily avoid poverty and starvation．”“temporarily(暂时地)”与本句中“long-term(长期的)”相矛盾，故选B。

单选题 The author's purpose in writing this passage is to point out that humanity's current problems can only be solved through the cooperation of nations.
A. Right B. Wrong C. Not mentioned

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】通读全文，可以发现本文主要阐述了环境保护与人类发展的关系，在最后一段作者指出人类只有相互合作，才能解决一系列环境问题并促进经济发展，点明了文章的主要写作意图，这与本句“作者写作本文的目的是指出只有国之间的合作才能解决人类当前的问题”相符合，故选A。