VOA标准英语2011--Conservationists Trying to Save, Reprodu

Conservationists Trying to Save, Reproduce Endangered Frogs

Forty percent of all the frogs in the world are in danger of extinction¹, according to the Smithsonian Institution. Pollution, pesticides², climate change and now a fungus³ are taking a toll⁴ on this diverse group of amphibians⁶. Until recently, the central rain forest of Panama was rich in frog species. Smithsonian conservationist Brian Gratwicke is directing a campaign to save and reproduce in captivity⁷ some of the world's most endangered frogs.
Sierra Llorona is a tropical rainforest in Central Panama. It's rich in all sorts of flora⁸ and fauna⁹, especially frogs.
That's what Brian Gratwicke and his team are looking for. He works for the Smithsonian Institution and heads the Amphibian⁵ Rescue Project in Panama.
"Frogs are disappearing all over the world," said Gratwicke. "About 40 percent of all of the species that we have sufficient data for, and determined¹⁰ their conservation status, are in danger of extinction."
The group follows the creek¹¹ for a few hours in search of wild frogs. Jorge Alberto Gonzalez, their guide, is trained in capturing even the tiniest frogs in the jungle.
But it's getting difficult to find them. Scientists estimate that 120 species of frogs have vanished over the past 20 years. Most were wiped out by a disease known as Chytrid fungus.
Gratwicke takes a cotton swab and wipes this frog's feet and stomach to collect samples for analysis. He's looking for signs of the fungus that in recent years has killed nearly 80 percent of the mountain frogs in Central America and is now spreading to warmer, lower regions.
"What we are trying to do with the Panama Amphibian Rescue Project is to go out into western Panama, before the disease hits, and collect as many frogs as we can of the species that we think would go extinct, and once we get the frogs into captivity we'll try to breed them," Gratwicke explained.
Gratwicke is also a skilled photographer. He photographs every frog he captures for an amphibian project on the web.
Now, in a park near Panama City, the Smithsonian team has established temporary facilities for the captured frogs. Inside shipping¹² containers, about 200 frogs are kept healthy in the lead up to breeding them.
"Here we have a La Loma tree frog," Gratwicke said. "It's a beautiful green tree frog that has a slight orange eye stripe and is very sensitive to Chytridia Micosis. It ranges from Costa Rica all the way to Colombia."
Gratwicke says the fungus can only be treated in captivity. This harlequin frog is native only to Central Panama.
"By the time we started our project, Chytridium had already hit Panama and it wiped out a lot of these frogs," Gratwicke recalled. "So these ones are very rare now in the wild, their population crashed. This is a very rare frog on the brink¹³ of extinction."
Keeping frogs healthy in captivity is not easy. The challenge is to produce food that has not been contaminated by the fungus. They also produce cockroaches¹⁴ and worms. In a separate location is a frog's favorite meal: fruit flies in almost all sizes.
"If you see in this coconut¹⁵ fiber¹⁶ this tiny little white specks¹⁷ crawling around, those are the springtails," noted¹⁸ Gratwicke. "It's the smallest food we can cultivate and that's what the baby frogs eat."
Back in Washington DC, at the National Zoo, some Panamanian golden frogs are being kept alive.
"This particular species, Panama's national animal, is highly endangered. We think they are probably extinct in the wild. So these are probably some of the last animals of the species left in the world," Gratwicke said.
Today more than 2,000 Panamanian golden frogs have been reproduced in captivity across the US.
Why are frogs so important? Gratwicke says frogs are in the middle of the food chain: they eat insects and they are food for many larger animals.
For humans, scientists believe frog skin contains chemicals that can lead to medical breakthroughs.
So far, the campaign to rescue frogs has established safety for four species in Panama. The team hopes to find a cure for the deadly fungus and one day release the healthy frogs back into the rain forest.

1 extinction   

n.熄灭，消亡，消灭，灭绝，绝种

参考例句：

• The plant is now in danger of extinction.这种植物现在有绝种的危险。
• The island's way of life is doomed to extinction.这个岛上的生活方式注定要消失。

2 pesticides   

n.杀虫剂( pesticide的名词复数 )；除害药物

参考例句：

• vegetables grown without the use of pesticides 未用杀虫剂种植的蔬菜
• There is a lot of concern over the amount of herbicides and pesticides used in farming. 人们对农业上灭草剂和杀虫剂的用量非常担忧。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 fungus   

n.真菌，真菌类植物

参考例句：

• Mushrooms are a type of fungus.蘑菇是一种真菌。
• This fungus can just be detected by the unaided eye.这种真菌只用肉眼就能检查出。

4 toll   

n.过路(桥)费；损失，伤亡人数；v.敲(钟)

参考例句：

• The hailstone took a heavy toll of the crops in our village last night.昨晚那场冰雹损坏了我们村的庄稼。
• The war took a heavy toll of human life.这次战争夺去了许多人的生命。

5 amphibian   

n.两栖动物；水陆两用飞机和车辆

参考例句：

• The frog is an amphibian,which means it can live on land and in water.青蛙属于两栖动物，也就是说它既能生活在陆地上也能生活在水里。
• Amphibian is an important specie in ecosystem and has profound meaning in the ecotoxicology evaluation.两栖类是生态系统中的重要物种，并且对环境毒理评价有着深远意义。

6 amphibians   

两栖动物( amphibian的名词复数 )； 水陆两用车； 水旱两生植物； 水陆两用飞行器

参考例句：

• The skin of amphibians is permeable to water. 两栖动物的皮肤是透水的。
• Two amphibians ferry them out over the sands. 两辆水陆两用车把他们渡过沙滩。

7 captivity   

n.囚禁；被俘；束缚

参考例句：

• A zoo is a place where live animals are kept in captivity for the public to see.动物园是圈养动物以供公众观看的场所。
• He was held in captivity for three years.他被囚禁叁年。

8 flora   

n.(某一地区的)植物群

参考例句：

• The subtropical island has a remarkably rich native flora.这个亚热带岛屿有相当丰富的乡土植物种类。
• All flora need water and light.一切草木都需要水和阳光。

9 fauna   

n.(一个地区或时代的)所有动物，动物区系

参考例句：

• This National Park is an area with unique fauna and flora.该国家公园区域内具有独特的动物种群和植物种群。
• Fauna is a biological notion means all the animal life in a particular region or period. 动物群是一个生物学的概念，指的是一个特定时期或者地区的所有动物。

10 determined   

adj.坚定的；有决心的

参考例句：

• I have determined on going to Tibet after graduation.我已决定毕业后去西藏。
• He determined to view the rooms behind the office.他决定查看一下办公室后面的房间。

11 creek   

n.小溪，小河，小湾

参考例句：

• He sprang through the creek.他跳过小河。
• People sunbathe in the nude on the rocks above the creek.人们在露出小溪的岩石上裸体晒日光浴。

12 shipping   

n.船运（发货，运输，乘船）

参考例句：

• We struck a bargain with an American shipping firm.我们和一家美国船运公司谈成了一笔生意。
• There's a shipping charge of ￡5 added to the price.价格之外另加五英镑运输费。

13 brink   

n.(悬崖、河流等的)边缘，边沿

参考例句：

• The tree grew on the brink of the cliff.那棵树生长在峭壁的边缘。
• The two countries were poised on the brink of war.这两个国家处于交战的边缘。

14 cockroaches   

n.蟑螂( cockroach的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• At night, the cockroaches filled the house with their rustlings. 夜里，屋里尽是蟑螂窸窸瑟瑟的声音。 来自辞典例句
• It loves cockroaches, and can keep a house clear of these hated insects. 它们好食蟑螂，可以使住宅免除这些讨厌昆虫的骚扰。 来自百科语句

15 coconut   

n.椰子

参考例句：

• The husk of this coconut is particularly strong.椰子的外壳很明显非常坚固。
• The falling coconut gave him a terrific bang on the head.那只掉下的椰子砰地击中他的脑袋。

16 fiber   

n.纤维，纤维质

参考例句：

• The basic structural unit of yarn is the fiber.纤维是纱的基本结构单元。
• The material must be free of fiber clumps.这种材料必须无纤维块。

17 specks   

n.眼镜；斑点，微粒，污点( speck的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Minutes later Brown spotted two specks in the ocean. 几分钟后布朗发现海洋中有两个小点。 来自英汉非文学 - 百科语料821
• Do you ever seem to see specks in front of your eyes? 你眼睛前面曾似乎看见过小点吗？ 来自辞典例句

18 noted   

adj.著名的，知名的

参考例句：

• The local hotel is noted for its good table.当地的那家酒店以餐食精美而著称。
• Jim is noted for arriving late for work.吉姆上班迟到出了名。