Endangered turtle species find safe haven in Hong Kong

admin 2023年6月12日

Beginner

world news, world news - beginner

Pre-reading questions:

I will read each question. Then, please answer them.

講師がそれぞれの質問を読むので答えましょう。

Do you know any endangered animals?
Do you think ordinary people can save endangered animals?

Vocabulary:

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

単語、意味、例文を読みます。講師に続いて音読しましょう。

rare /rair /

[adjective] – not common or frequent; very unusual
The rare butterfly species is only found in a few remote locations around the world.

poaching /POH-ching /

[gerund] – the catching and killing of animals without permission on someone else’s land
The park ranger caught several individuals poaching deer in the national park.

situation /sich-oo-EY-shuhn /

[noun] – the set of things that are happening and the conditions that exist at a particular time and place
I’m sorry, but I can’t come to the meeting due to a family situation that requires my attention.

trade /treyd /

[noun] – the activity of buying and selling, or exchanging, goods and/or services between people or countries
The fur trade was a major industry in North America during the 18th and 19th centuries.

import /im-PAWRT/

[verb] – to buy or bring in products from another country
The company decided to import the raw materials from China to save on production costs.

Article reading:

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

記事を音読しましょう。講師はあなたの発音とイントネーションを確認します。

Hong Kong has become a safe place for some rare species of turtles that are facing extinction due to hunting in other parts of Asia. However, poaching incidents are increasing in Hong Kong, putting the turtle populations there in danger. Sung Yik-hei, a professor at Lingnan University, has been studying the turtle population in the city for over ten years, and he believes that raising public awareness about the turtles’ situation may be their last chance to prevent them from becoming extinct, even if it means breaking their secrecy.

Some of the turtles Sung is trying to save are the golden coin turtle, the beale’s-eyed turtle, and the big-headed turtle. Possessing an endangered turtle is illegal in Hong Kong, but the demand for them remains high, resulting in an illegal trade that involves both endangered and common species. The city has seized many live turtles and tortoises from illegal smugglers since 2015. Hong Kong also legally imported over 4.3 million turtles and tortoises between 2015 and 2022.

True or False:

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

文章を読んで、記事に基づいて正誤を答えましょう。

Hong Kong is a safe haven for some rare turtle species that are facing extinction due to hunting in other parts of Asia.
Poaching incidents in Hong Kong are decreasing, which is beneficial to the turtle populations there.
The golden coin turtle, the beale’s-eyed turtle, and the big-headed turtle are among the turtle populations that Sung is fighting to preserve.
Possessing an endangered turtle is legal in Hong Kong.
Hong Kong legally imported over 4.3 million turtles and tortoises between 2015 and 2022.

Fill in the blanks:

Choose the correct word from the table then fill in the blanks.

適切な言葉を選んで空欄を埋めましょう。

rare

poaching

situation

trade

import

I don’t know how to handle this ______; can you help me?
International ______ has been a driving force behind the growth of the global economy.
A white lion is a ______ sight in the wild, as it is a color mutation of the African lion species.
Small businesses may struggle to compete with larger corporations, which can ______ to import goods at a lower cost.
The authorities are cracking down on ______ to protect endangered species.