Species can respond to global warming in two ways: adapt and survive, or die. Biologists foresee climate change driving many species to (47) over the next century,especially those that are unable to adjust (48) enough. Plants and animals evolved to (49) in specific ecological environment, and while some may adapt to new environments--and many have already--for many others, it will take time. But the changes driven by human-generated greenhouse gases may be coming on too fast.
That’s exactly what appears to be happening with the worldwide lizard (蜥蜴) population. A few years ago, a team of herpetologists (爬虫学家) first noticed a suspicious pattern of extinctions among populations of European lizards. At the time,it wasn’t (50) why they were dying--it could have been global warming,but it also could have been disease or loss of habitat. So researchers set out to get the hard evidence, ultimately launching a global study that (51) drew in more than two dozen scientists from around the world.
The results,appearing in the May 14 issue of Science, are (52) :populations of lizards have been lost on five continents over the past few decades, and based on these extinction patterns--and the current (53) of global warming--scientists (54) that by 2080 nearly 40% of all lizard populations and 20% of lizard species could vanish. Given that lizards are a key (55) of food for many birds, snakes and other animals, and are important predators of insects,the (56) of these animals could have major influence up and down the food chain.
A. clear I) predict
B. distinguish J) disappearance
C. extinction K) expect
D. vividly L) survive
E. ually M) source
F. believable N) dramatic
G. rapidly O) rate
H) origin