B Edward Wilson is America’s,
if not the world’s, leading naturalist. In The Future of Life, he takes us on a
tour of the world’s natural resources(资源). How are they used What has been
lost What remains and is it able to continue with the present speed of use
Wilson also points out the need to understand fully the biodiversity(生物多样性) of
our earth. Wilson begins with an open letter to the pioneer in
environment (环境)protection, Henry David Thoreau. He compares today’s Walden Pond
with that of Thoreau’s day. Wilson will use such comparisons for the rest of the
book. The problem is clear: man has done great damage to his home over the
years. Van the earth, with human help, be made to return to biodiversity levels
that will be able to support us in the future Biodiversity,
Wilson argues, is the key to settling many problems the earth faces today. Even
our agricultural crops can gain advantages from it. A mere hundred species(物种)
are the basis of our food supply, of which but twenty carry the load. Wilson
suggests changing this situation by looking into ten thousand species that could
be made use of, which will be a way to reduce the clearing of the natural homes
of plants and animals to enlarge farming areas. At the end of
the book, Wilson discusses the importance of human values in considering the
environment. If you are to continue to live on the earth, you may well read and
act on the ideas in this book. We can infer that the text is ______.
A.a description of natural resources
B.a research report
C.a book review
D.an introduction to a scientist