导读：巴厘虎是现代虎中最小的一种,体型不到北方其他虎的1/3.它的体长约2.1米,重90公斤以下,生活在印尼巴厘岛北部的热带雨林里。巴厘虎不仅皮毛吸引人,它的骨头在台湾等地也非常受喜爱,常常被用做酒和药材.在人们的欲望面前,所剩不多的巴厘虎简直不是对手。
对应考题：2010.01.15北美托福阅读题
Bali Tiger 巴厘虎
Around 1937, the last Bali tiger was killed
The Bali tiger is one of two subspecies of Indonesian tiger that is now extinct, the other being the Javan tiger. Although the loss of both species is devastating to biodiversity, the Bali tiger was a particularly strong blow. It was the smallest of all tigers, measuring no more than seven-and-a-half feet long and weighing about 200 pounds.
Bali tigers only lived on the island of Bali, and when the forests began to be destroyed by people, their habitats were greatly reduced. With the population already waning, the tigers were hunted into extinction by Europeans during the Dutch colonial period. The last tiger was thought to be killed in 1937, although some tigers could have survived longer in the wild. It’s considered very unlikely that any still live today.
中文背景：
巴厘虎是现代虎中最小的一种,体型不到北方其他虎的1/3.它的体长约2.1米,重90公斤以下,生活在印尼巴厘岛北部的热带雨林里.这里水源,食物充足,成了巴厘虎的天然保护区.色彩斑斓的巴厘虎对印尼人来说是一种超自然的存在,甚至出现在传统的艺术假面具上.19世纪到20世纪初,虎在自己的生存地到处遭人袭击,而随着巴厘岛上人口的增加,人侵犯了巴厘虎的生活空间,巴厘虎对人的威胁也进一步增加,许多人就成了巴厘虎的牺牲品.
欧洲殖民者入侵来到巴厘岛后毫不留情的猎杀巴厘虎,他们的这一恶习也传给了当地的印尼人.因为虎皮能在市场上卖个好价钱,人们就肆无忌惮的猎杀巴厘虎.巴厘虎不仅皮毛吸引人,它的骨头在台湾等地也非常受喜爱,常常被用做酒和药材.在人们的欲望面前,所剩不多的巴厘虎简直不是对手.
世界上原有8种虎,现在只剩下5种,而且令人担心的是那些野生的虎能否活到21世纪中期,据记载,最后一只巴厘虎于1937年9月27日在巴厘岛西部的森林里被贪婪成性的猎人射杀.
