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　　Biologists estimate that as many as 2 million lesser prairie chickens---a kind of bird living on stretching grasslands—once lent red to the often gray landscape of the midwestern and southwestern United States. But just some 22,000 birds remain today, occupying about 16% of the species’ historic range.

　　The crash was a major reason the U.S Fish and Wildlife Service （USFWS）decided to formally list the bird as threatened. “The lesser prairie chicken is in a desperate situation,” said USFWS Director Daniel Ashe. Some environmentalists, however, were disappointed. They had pushed the agency to designate the bird as “endangered,” a status that gives federal officials greater regulatory power to crack down on threats. But Ashe and others argued that the“threatened” tag gave the federal government flexibility to try out new, potentially less confrontational conservations approaches. In particular, they called for forging closer collaborations with western state governments, which are often uneasy with federal action and with the private landowners who control an estimated 95% of the prairie chicken’s habitat.

　　Under the plan, for example, the agency said it would not prosecute landowner or businesses that unintentionally kill, harm, or disturb the bird, as long as they had signed a range—wide management plan to restore prairie chicken habitat. Negotiated by USFWS and the states, the plan requires individuals and businesses that damage habitat as part of their operations to pay into a fund to replace every acre destroyed with 2 new acres of suitable habitat. The fund will also be used to compensate landowners who set aside habitat, USFWS also set an interim goal of restoring prairie chicken populations to an annual average of 67,000 birds over the next 10 years. And it gives the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (WAFWA), a coalition of state agencies, the job of monitoring progress. Overall, the idea is to let “states” remain in the driver’s seat for managing the species，” Ashe said.

　　Not everyone buys the win-win rhetoric Some Congress members are trying to block the plan, and at least a dozen industry groups, four states, and three environmental groups are challenging it in federal court Not surprisingly, doesn’t go far enough “The federal government is giving responsibility for managing the bird to the same industries that are pushing it to extinction,” says biologist Jay Lininger.

　　26. The major reason for listing the lesser prairie as threatened is____

　　[A]its drastically decreased population

　　[B]the underestimate of the grassland acreage

　　[C]a desperate appeal from some biologists

　　[D]the insistence of private landowners

　　27.The “threatened” tag disappointed some environmentalists in that it_____

　　[A]was a give-in to governmental pressure

　　[B]would involve fewer agencies in action

　　[C]granted less federal regulatory power

　　[D]went against conservation policies

　　28.It can be learned from Paragraph3 that unintentional harm-doers will not be prosecuted if they_____

　　[A]agree to pay a sum for compensation

　　[B]volunteer to set up an equally big habitat

　　[C]offer to support the WAFWA monitoring job

　　[D]promise to raise funds for USFWS operations

　　29.According to Ashe， the leading role in managing the species in______

　　[A]the federal government

　　[B]the wildlife agencies

　　[C]the landowners

　　[D]the states

　　30.Jay Lininger would most likely support_______

　　[A]industry groups

　　[B]the win-win rhetoric

　　[C]environmental groups

　　[D]the plan under challenge

　　26 答案 A its drastically decreased population

　　解析：此题是原因细节题。根据关键词定位到第一段But前后关于lesser prairie chickens 数量2million和22,000的强烈对比。此外第二段第二句“the lesser prairie chicken is in a desperate situation”都可以得知A its drastically decreased population 数量的急剧下降为正确答案。

　　27 答案 C granted less federal regulatory powers

　　Grant 动词-同意允许；授予赋予

　　名词-补贴

　　解析：此题是原因细节题。根据关键词定位到第二段第四句，They had …, a state that gives federal officials greater regulatory power. 而But 之后是截然相反的事实，即政府授予了更少的管理权。故而C granted less federal regulatory powers为正确答案。

　　28 答案 A agree to pay a sum for compensation赔偿补偿 薪酬

　　解析：推断题。题干问的是从第三段推出来：无意伤害的那些人是不会被检举的如果怎么样。根据题干定位到第三段首句“it would not prosecute….as long as ….”，题干中问的if即原文的as long as的同意替换，原文as long as的意思是：只要他们签署了计划。下一句说道，该计划要求个体和企业去支付基金。对应选项A选项“赞同支付赔偿”属于同义替换。

　　29 答案 D the states

　　解析：此题是细节题。根据关键词定位到第三段最后一句the idea is to let the“states”remain in the driver’s seat for managing the species, Ashe said. 其中in the driver’s seat对应题干中的the leading role, 故而D states为正确答案。

　　30 答案 C environmental groups群体团体

　　解析：文中人物观点题。题干问的是Jay Lininger最可能支持谁，大写人名定位到末段最后一句。最后一句提到：生物学家Jay Lininger说道联邦政府要把责任推给导致鸟类灭绝的企业，显然是对政府和企业的反对。再往前看一句，指出：企业团体和政府部门观点一致，环境学家与其观点恰巧一致。因此，Jay Lininger最支持环境团体的观点了。