Polar Bears Listed as Threatened
Polar bears have been added to the list of threatened species (17) __________. In his statement, US Secretary of the Interior Dirk Kempthorne noted (18) __________ is the greatest threat to the bears.
Polar bears live in the Arctic and hunt seals and other fatty marine mammals from sea ice. They also travel, mate, and sometimes give birth on the ice. But sea ice is melting as the planet warms, (19) __________ for several more decades. Because polar bears are vulnerable to this loss of habitat, they are likely to become endangered in the foreseeable future, Kempthorne said.
Although many scientists say (20) __________ for the melting sea ice, the new polar bear protections will not change U.S. climate policy.
Scott Bergen, a landscape ecologist, noted (21) _________ will depend on international cooperation. Permanent sea-ice habitat is likely to remain in areas outside of the U.S., particularly in Canada and Greenland.
Scientists view these areas as refuges (22) __________ over the long term and repopulate the Arctic if temperatures decrease and sea ice returns.
Aand it is predicted to continue to do so
Bthat could allow some polar bear populations to survive
Cand will receive special protection under U.S. law
Dif they don’t take immediate actions
Ethat saving the polar bear
Fthat the decline of Arctic sea ice
Gand helps to solve the problem
Hthat human activity is directly responsible
