Unit 13 We’re trying to save the earth!
P99 3b
Many have heard of shark’s fin soup. This famous and expensive dish is especially popular in southern China. But do you realize that you’re killing a whole shark each time you enjoy a bowl of shark’s fin soup?
When people catch sharks, they cut off their fins and throw the shark back into the ocean. Without a fin, a shark can no longer swim and slowly dies. This method is not only cruel, but also harmful to the environment. Sharks are at the top of the food chain in the ocean’s ecosystem. If their numbers drop too low, it will bring danger to all ocean life. Many believe that sharks can never be endangered because they are the strongest in their food chain. But in fact, around 70 million sharks are caught and traded in this industry every year. The numbers of some kinds of sharks have fallen by over 90 percent in the last 20 to 30 years.
Environmental protection groups around the world, such as WildAid and the WWF, are teaching the public about “finning”. They have even asked governments to develop laws to stop the sale of shark’s fins. So far, no scientific studies have shown that shark’s fins are good for health, so why eat them? Help save the sharks!
Section A ,3a
拯救鲨鱼
很多人都听说过鱼翅羹。这道昂贵又著名的菜在中国南方特别流行。但是每次当你喝鱼翅羹的时候，你是否意识到你杀了一整只鲨鱼？
当人们捕捉到鲨鱼的时候，他们切掉鲨鱼的鱼鳍，然后把它们扔回大海。失去鱼鳍的鲨鱼再也不能再水里游，会慢慢死去。这种做法不仅残忍，而且对环境有害。鲨鱼处于海洋生态系统食物链的顶端，如果他们的数量下降得太多，将会给所有的海洋生物带来危害。很多人认为鲨鱼永远不会濒临灭绝，因为他们是食物链的最强者。但事实上，每年有七百万的鲨鱼被捕杀和交易。在过去的20年到30年，某些品种的鲨鱼数量下降了超过90%。
世界各地的环保组织，如野生救援协会和世界自然基金会，都在向公众宣讲“猎翅的（残忍）行为。他们甚至已经呼吁政府立法停止鱼翅的销售。到目前为止，没有任何科学研究表明，鱼翅对健康有好处，那么为什么要吃他们呢？帮助拯救鲨鱼吧！
