孙启禄

自去年7月底以来，澳大利亚山火蔓延全国多地，吸引了全球的目光。无数动物葬身火海。是什么造成了这场史无前例的大火？

Australia is being ravaged（破坏） by the worst wildfires seen in decades， with large swathes（一长条） of the country destroyed since the fire season began late July. A total of 28 people have died nationwide， and in the state of New South Wales alone， more than 900 houses have been destroyed. State and federal authorities are struggling to contain the massive blazes， even with firefighting assistance from other countries， including the United States.

Each year there is a fire season during the Australian summer， with hot， dry weather making it easy for blazes to start and spread. Natural causes are to blame most of the time， like lightning strikes in droughtaffected forests. Dry lightning was responsible for starting a number of fires in Victorias East Gippsland region in late December， which then traveled more than 20 kilometers in just five hours. Humans can also be to blame. NSW police have charged at least 24 people with deliberately starting bushfires， and have taken legal action against 183 people for firerelated offenses since November.

Bushfire conditions eased on Saturday， giving firefighters temporary respite（喘息） in areas where blazes are still raging. But with more hot weather expected next week， the risk is far from over. More than 123 fires are still burning across New South Wales， with 50 said to be uncontained and over 2，000 homes destroyed. In Victoria， there were 32 bushfire warnings. A firefighter died while tackling a blaze in the state on Saturday， bringing the death toll from this seasons bushfires to 28.

About half a billion animals have been affected by the fires across NSW， with millions likely dead—and thats a conservative estimate. That number of total animals affected could be as high as one billion nationwide. Some species， like koalas， arent in any immediate danger of extinction because they are spread out across the country. But others that live in more niche（生态位） environments with lower populations， including certain types of frogs and birds， could be wiped out entirely if their habitats are hit by the fires.

Reading Check

1. What does the first paragraph mainly tell us？

A. The present conditions of the fire. B. The possible causes of the fire.

C. The help from other countries. D. The impacts of the fire.

2. What caused the fires in Victorias East Gippsland region in late December？

A. Human activities. B. Dry lighting.

C. Loud thunder. D. The drought.

3. What do we know about the animals from the last paragraph？

A. Most of them will die out.

B. Some of them might become extinct.

C. They will move to more niche environments.

D. They arent in any immediate danger of extinction.

Language Study

Sentence for writing

A firefighter died while tackling a blaze in the state on Saturday， bringing the death toll from this seasons bushfires to 28. 一名消防員在周六处理火灾时死亡，使得这一季的森林大火死亡人数达到28人。

【信息提取】A firefighter died是主句，“while tackling a blaze...”是省略句，句子补全为“while he was tackling a blaze...”，“bringing the death toll... to 28”作结果状语。

【句式仿写】然后我教他们如何泡茶。我坐在一张桌子旁，在泡茶的过程中解释了这个过程的每一步。