Question

Sometimes called Amazonia, the rainforest of the Amazon River basin is the largest in the world. It stretches (延伸) across more than half of Brazil and parts of seven other South American countries (and French Guiana). With a land area of 2.7 million square miles, the Amazon rainforest is almost two thirds the size of the US.

Rainforests are important to the health of the entire planet. Often called "the lungs of the planet", the Amazon rainforest, with its rich plant life, stores carbon dioxide while giving out the oxygen we need to survive.

At one time, rainforests covered 14 percent of Earth’s surface. Deforestation has reduced that figure to 6 percent today. Much of the loss has been in the Amazon.

Fortunately, over the years, Brazil has also become a world leader in rainforest preservation. A law called the Forest Code, originally passed in 1965, requires the Amazon’s farmers to protect 80 percent of their land from farming. And democratic governments beginning in the early 1990s began to enforce it seriously.

Efforts to save the Amazon increased under President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva (2002—2011). Brazil set aside about 150 million acres of the rainforest, an area about the size of France, for protection. Deforestation fell by 74 percent between 2004 and 2009.

Other countries of the Amazon have also done their parts. This year, Peru created a forest reserve about the size of California’s Yosemite National Park.

1.What is the size of the Amazon rainforest?

A. About the size of France.

B. Nearly half the size of Brazil.

C. Over half the size of the US.

D. About the size of seven South American countries.

2.How much of the rainforest has been lost due to deforestation according to Paragraph 3?

A. 6%. B. Approximately 8%.

C. 14%. D. More than 50%.

3.Which country contributes most to the preservation of the Amazon rainforest?

A. Peru. B. Brazil.

C. The US. D. French Guiana.

4.What does the author feel about the situation of the Amazon?

A. Optimistic. B. Moved.

C. Worried. D. Uncertain.

Answer 1