Step by Step 3000 第3册 Unit2:Warming up(2)

B. Keywords.

a national water plan, endangered, reptile, aerial offensive, threatened, plants, directory.
Vocabulary.

deformity, salamander, alligator, eradicate, herbicide, saw grass, xeriscaping, World Conservation Union, Boulder County Green Pages.
You're going to hear 5 brief news items. Focus your attention on who, what, when, where, why and how in each news item, and then answer the questions.
1. Australia is the world's driest continent.
There is a general agreement that the country has to use water more efficiently.
In many parts, supplies are in crisis.
At meeting in Canberra, the council of Australian governments has approved a national water plan.
It attempts to balance environmental concerns and the needs of the community.
The amount of water taken from rivers for commerical use is to be cut and farmers will be compensated.
2. The disappearance and deformity of amphibians such as frogs and salamanders from rain forest and mountain lakes worldwide has attracted wide-spread scientific attention over the last decade.
Now a new study says reptile species including turtles, snakes and alligators are in even greater trouble,
Twice as many reptile as amphibian or some 100 species, are currently listed as endangered by the World Conservation Union.
The study says habitat loss and degradation, pollution, disease, climate change and over-collection for food, pet and drugs are the major threats to reptile.