Unit4 Wildlife protection 单元检测[人教版必修2].docVIP

Unit4 Wildlife protection 单元检测[人教版必修2] Ⅰ.阅读理解 A (创新题)BEAVER or polar bear？This is the question Canadians face as they rethink how they want to present themselves to the rest of the world. It all started when a Conservative senator，Nicole Eaton，called for the replacement of the beaver as Canada’s official symbol.The beaver has represented the country since 1975.“A country’s symbols can change over time as long as they show the ethos(民族精神)of the people and the spirit of the nation，”she told Reuters. The debate that followed“has set fur flying across the country，”according to the BBC. A stone beaver now sits on top of the entrance to the Canadian Parliament and appears on Canadian coins. Supporters of the beaver say the animal is modest and hardworking.Glynnis Hood of the University of Alberta told the Canadian daily newspaper the National Post that beavers are like Canadians，representing“tenacity(坚韧)，intelligence and an ability to survive even the harshest climates.” Others say the beaver played an important part in the history of Canada.In the 18th century，fashionable Europeans wore clothes made of beaver fur.Explorers went into the Canadian wilderness to find the fur.At the same time，they discovered more of their country.One member of Parliament from the province Manitoba told the BBC that removing the beaver would ignore its historical impact. However，supporters of the polar bear believe it is a strong and powerful creature.It represents courage，resourcefulness(机智)and pride，they say.Polar bears are at the top of the food chain.Beavers，on the other hand，are vegetarians.What is more，they are eaten by birds of prey(猛禽)like the eagle.And which country uses the eagle as its national symbol？Canada’s powerful neighbor，the USA. BBC reporter Lorraine Mallinder called this an issue of，“what does being Canadian mean？” “Little wonder so many Canadians are turning to the polar bear，”she wrote.“They are fed up with being seen as a poor man’s(与……相像但逊色的)America，a nation of pe