Tourists who take selfies could spread Covid-19 to gorillas

admin 2021年2月19日

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Vocabulary:

I will read the words, meanings, and sample sentences. Then, repeat after me.

release /ri-LEES/

[noun] – the act of making something public or available for use
A press release was provided by the organization confirming the appointment of a new CEO.

transmit /trans-MIT/

[verb] – to pass a disease from one person or animal to another
When an infected person coughs or sneezes, COVID-19 is transmitted by droplets of saliva or nasal discharge.

transmission /trans-MISH-uhn/

[noun] – the process of passing something from one person or place to another
To prevent the transmission of the virus from mother to child, this drug is used.

declaration /dek-luh-REY-shuhn/

[noun] – an announcement, often one that is written and official
A statement of their commercial interests must be made by members of Congress.

enforce /en-FAWRS/

[verb] – to make people obey a law, or to make a particular situation happen or be accepted
It isn’t always easy for the police to enforce speed limits.

Article reading:

Please read the whole article. Then, I will check your pronunciation and intonation.

According to new research, tourists who take selfies with wild mountain gorillas could put the primates in danger of developing Covid-19. According to a press release from the university on Tuesday, scientists from Oxford Brookes University, England, looked at hundreds of Instagram posts from individuals visiting animals in East Africa and noticed that most visitors were close enough to gorillas to transmit viruses and diseases. “The risk of disease transmission between visitors and gorillas is very concerning,” a declaration said by study lead author Gaspard Van Hamme, an alumnus of Oxford Brookes University who began working on the study during his master’s program. “It is vital that we strengthen and enforce tour regulations to ensure gorilla trekking practices do not further threaten these already imperiled great apes.”

Mountain gorillas are listed as endangered, with, according to the release, an estimated 1,063 of them remaining in the wild. They remain in Uganda (Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and Mgahinga Gorilla National Park), the Democratic Republic of Congo (Virunga National Park), and Rwanda (Virunga National Park) (Volcanoes National Park). Researchers looked at 858 images shared under two hashtags on Instagram from 2013-2019 — #gorillatrekking and #gorillatracking, the study said. 86 percent of the number showed individuals within four meters (13.1 feet) of gorillas, and 25 of those pictures showed gorillas being reached by visitors.

True or False:

Read the sentences and identify if they are true or false based on the article.

According to new research, tourists who take selfies with wild mountain gorillas could put the primates in danger of developing Covid-19.
Gaspard Van Hamme is an alumnus of Oxford Brookes University.
According to Gaspard Van Hamme, it is vital that we strengthen and enforce tour regulations to ensure gorilla trekking practices do not further threaten these already imperiled great apes.
Mountain gorillas are not listed as endangered.
According to the record, an estimated 1,000 Mountain gorillas still remain in the wild.

Situational question:

I will read the situation. Then, please answer based on the question. Make sure to use the given keywords in your answer.

Situation: You are a student. You are tasked to report about Mountain gorillas.
Question: Could you tell me about Mountain gorillas using your own words?

endangered
estimated
remain

Express Your Opinion:

I will read each sentence. Then, please tell me if you agree or disagree, and why.

“We are in a bottleneck of overpopulation and wasteful consumption that could push half of Earth’s species to extinction in this century.”– E. O. Wilson
“Hunters are conservationists? Then why do they pay to kill rather than simply donate to preserve?”
– Harold Travers
“Few men could endure to watch for five minutes an animal struggling in a trap with a crushed and torn limb. Some will wonder how such cruelty can have been permitted to continue in these days of civilization.”
– Charles Darwin