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The latest estimates on endangered species1
OVER 19,000 species of animal and plant are in danger of extinction, up from just over 11,000 in 2000, according to the latest “Red List of Threatened Species” from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).2 Of those evaluated, nearly one-third are considered “threatened” (critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable). Between 2000 and 2011 the number of species assessed by the IUCN grew by over 60%. This goes part way towards explaining why some groups now appear strikingly3 more endangered than before. Amphibians (frogs, toads and salamanders)4, for example, were not “completely evaluated” (with more than 90% of species assessed) until 2004. But other factors have also had an impact: habitat loss, pollution, disease and invasive species5. The news is best for mammals, whose complete dataset has made evaluation easier. The percentage of endangered species has actually fallen since 2000. And one antelope in particular, the Arabian Oryx, which was hunted to near extinction, now has a wild population of over 1,0006.
编者注：1. estimate：An estimate is an approximate calculation of a quantity or value. 估计；species：A species is a class of plants or animals whose members have the same main characteristics and are able to breed with each other. 物种。
2. extinction：The extinction of a species of animal or plant is the death of all its remaining living members. 灭绝；threaten：动词，威胁，threat，名词。
3. strikingly：显著地，联系大纲词汇strike（给……以深刻的印象）。
4. 这里连着3个生词，括号里的frog是对amphibian的解释补充，and一词连接的是同类事物。所以只要认识frog，就不会影响阅读。amphibian：两栖动物；toad：蟾蜍；salamander：鲵。
5. 此句非大纲词众多，理解的3个关键点是other、冒号、and。由other一词可推断此句之前有已经交代了一个或多个factor，were not “completely evaluated” 往前找到explaining，暗示还在前面,，找到the number ... grew by over 60%，这是影响评估结果的一个因素，并且举例说明没有 “completely evaluated”；冒号，解释补充说明，and连接同类事物，所以从pollution，disease判断habitat loss和invasive species也是表示负面效果的词。Factor：要素，因素；habitat：栖息地；invasive：入侵的。
6. 如果能判断出最后三句是在讲一个点，那么即使有生词，理解起来就没有障碍了。先交代估算 mammal（哺乳动物）这个物种的数据是完整全面的，然后说明此物种的灭绝速度同比是下降的，最后举例 the Arabian Oryx（阿拉伯大羚羊）说明。antelope：羚羊。
发现了吗？图表中有6类物种的数据，但文章中只提到两种（mammals 和 amphibians）。这是为什么。观察数据，不难发现，只有这两个物种的数据特征最明显：amphibians 两年的数据差最大；mammals 是唯一灭绝速度是负值的。
那么，反过来说，若给出一个图表，要求写短文时，要分析数据，找到“最”、“唯一”和趋势。这幅图就可以分为三部分介绍：mammals、amphibians和其他灭绝速度继续增加的4个物种。
OVER 19,000 species of animal and plant are in danger of extinction, up from just over 11,000 in 2000, according to the latest “Red List of Threatened Species” from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).2 Of those evaluated, nearly one-third are considered “threatened” (critically endangered, endangered or vulnerable). Between 2000 and 2011 the number of species assessed by the IUCN grew by over 60%. This goes part way towards explaining why some groups now appear strikingly3 more endangered than before. Amphibians (frogs, toads and salamanders)4, for example, were not “completely evaluated” (with more than 90% of species assessed) until 2004. But other factors have also had an impact: habitat loss, pollution, disease and invasive species5. The news is best for mammals, whose complete dataset has made evaluation easier. The percentage of endangered species has actually fallen since 2000. And one antelope in particular, the Arabian Oryx, which was hunted to near extinction, now has a wild population of over 1,0006.
编者注：1. estimate：An estimate is an approximate calculation of a quantity or value. 估计；species：A species is a class of plants or animals whose members have the same main characteristics and are able to breed with each other. 物种。
2. extinction：The extinction of a species of animal or plant is the death of all its remaining living members. 灭绝；threaten：动词，威胁，threat，名词。
3. strikingly：显著地，联系大纲词汇strike（给……以深刻的印象）。
4. 这里连着3个生词，括号里的frog是对amphibian的解释补充，and一词连接的是同类事物。所以只要认识frog，就不会影响阅读。amphibian：两栖动物；toad：蟾蜍；salamander：鲵。
5. 此句非大纲词众多，理解的3个关键点是other、冒号、and。由other一词可推断此句之前有已经交代了一个或多个factor，were not “completely evaluated” 往前找到explaining，暗示还在前面,，找到the number ... grew by over 60%，这是影响评估结果的一个因素，并且举例说明没有 “completely evaluated”；冒号，解释补充说明，and连接同类事物，所以从pollution，disease判断habitat loss和invasive species也是表示负面效果的词。Factor：要素，因素；habitat：栖息地；invasive：入侵的。
6. 如果能判断出最后三句是在讲一个点，那么即使有生词，理解起来就没有障碍了。先交代估算 mammal（哺乳动物）这个物种的数据是完整全面的，然后说明此物种的灭绝速度同比是下降的，最后举例 the Arabian Oryx（阿拉伯大羚羊）说明。antelope：羚羊。
发现了吗？图表中有6类物种的数据，但文章中只提到两种（mammals 和 amphibians）。这是为什么。观察数据，不难发现，只有这两个物种的数据特征最明显：amphibians 两年的数据差最大；mammals 是唯一灭绝速度是负值的。
那么，反过来说，若给出一个图表，要求写短文时，要分析数据，找到“最”、“唯一”和趋势。这幅图就可以分为三部分介绍：mammals、amphibians和其他灭绝速度继续增加的4个物种。