阅读理解。
The black robin is one of the world's rarest birds. It is a small, wild bird, and it lives only on the island
of Little Mangere, off the coast of New Zealand. In 1967 there were about fifty black robins; in 1977
there were fewer than ten. These are the only black robins left in the world. The island has many other
birds, of different kinds, large and small; these seem to multiply very happily.
Energetic steps are being taken to preserve the black robin. Detailed studies are going on, and a public appeal for money has been made. The idea is to buy another island nearby as a special home, a "reserve",
for threatened wild life, including black robins. The organizers say that Little Mangere should then be
supplied with the robin's food-it eats only one kind of seed. Thousands of the required plants are at
present being cultivated in New Zealand. The public appeal is aimed at the conscience of mankind, so
that the wild black robin will not die out and disappear form the earth in our time at least.
Is all this concern a waste of human effort? Is it any business of ours whether the black robin survives
or dies out? Are we losing our sense of what is reasonable and what is unreasonable?
In the earth's long, long past, hundreds of kinds of creatures have evolved, risen to a degree of
success-and died out. In the long, long future, there will be many new and different forms of life. Those
creatures that adapt themselves successfully to what the earth offers will survive for a long time. Those
that fail to meet the challenges will disappear early. This is nature's proven method of operation.
The rule of selection-"the survival of the fittest"-is the one by which human beings have themselves
arrived on the scene. We, being one of the most adaptable creatures the earth has yet produced, may last
longer than most. You may take it as another rule that when, at last, human beings show signs of dying
out, no other creature will extend a paw to put off our departure. On the contrary, we will be hurried
out. For nature, tough fair, is a hard-hearted mistress. She has no favorites.
Life seems to have grown too tough for black robins. I leave you to judge whether we should try to
do something about it.
1．The black robin is dying out mainly because .
A. people have been very careless about its survival
B. the appeal for money has come at the wrong time
C. the other birds on the island have destroyed it
D. its only food supply is far from enough on Little Mangere
2．In Paragraph 3, the writer puts forward three questions to .
A. make a comparison
B. make an argument
C. present his own idea
D. introduce a topic
3. The writer's attitude towards the protection of the black robins is .
A. passive
B. active
C. unconcerned
D. optimistic
