英语听力精选进阶版 13846（在线收听）

BBC Learning English 

Words in the News  

2 May 2012 

Koalas at risk 

Transcript: 

A beloved symbol of Australia. 

Koalas have been listed as a threatened species in some parts of the country 

after a plunge in the wild population. 

Habitat loss, urban expansion, vehicle strikes, dog attacks and disease have 

contributed to their dwindling numbers. 

Estimates on koala numbers vary but some studies suggest there are fewer than 

80,000 koalas left in the wild.  

Vocabulary: 

beloved  

that people like a lot  

threatened 

likely to become endangered 

plunge 

sudden fall in number 

strikes  

collisions with vehicles 

dwindling  

falling 

Exercise: 

Use one of the words or phrases below to complete each of these sentences from 

BBC news reports.  

Note that you may have to change the form of a word to complete the sentence 

correctly. 

beloved / threatened / plunge / strikes / dwindling 

1.  But only weeks later, the cheers and smiles turned to tears as the decision 

accelerated Argentina's ________ into the worst economic crisis of its history. 

2.  Conservationists hailed the move as a way to protect Equatorial Africa's 

endangered animals and ________ forests. 

3.  A husband is auctioning off his late wife's ________ collection of designer 

handbags for charity. 

4.  There are no globally-collated figures for iceberg ________, but they happen 

every year. 

5.  Polar bears are listed as ________ under the US Endangered Species Act. 

Answers: 

1. But only weeks later, the cheers and smiles turned to tears as the decision 

accelerated Argentina's plunge into the worst economic crisis of its history. 

Source:  Is Argentina playing with fire? 

2.  Conservationists hailed the move as a way to protect Equatorial Africa's 

endangered animals and dwindling forests. 

Source:  Gabon: Surfing hippos, lacking tourists 

3.  A husband is auctioning off his late wife's beloved collection of designer 

handbags for charity. 

Source:  Rare Hermes bag among wife's collection being auctioned for charity 

4. There are no globally-collated figures for iceberg strikes, but they happen 

every year. 

Source:  Titanic threat: Why do ships still hit icebergs? 

5. Polar bears are listed as threatened under the US Endangered Species Act. 

Source:  DNA reveals polar bear's ancient origins